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Our First Open Mic Performance in Greenwood

5/23/2019

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On May 2nd, several girls from Inside Her Diary traveled to Greenwood for the Sunflower County Freedom Project's Open Mic event. We were invited to share our diary entries in front of other teens like us. When we arrived at Turnrow Books where the event was held, we noticed that kids were already seated and listening intently to the speaker. When the speaker was finished, a supportive wave of snaps from each person in the room had let the student poet know that what she said was heard and validated.  It was our first time seeing something like this. We were elated to be in such a unique space like this, but also very nervous. It's not every day we get to experience stories being shared through poetry and it really inspired us. 
       Soon, Ms. Williams had asked us which entry we wanted to share. Jusmenda chose to talk about hair, Kalynn spoke on relationships, Ma'kyia opened up about the "G" word, and De'shana shed light on what it was like to live in Clarksdale. So as each girl went up to share their truth, I was very proud that we each had the courage to share what we wrote to our peers. Best believe it was so nerve-wracking! But when we heard the snaps, the "yass," and even the "amens," that let us know that we were supported and meant to do this work. It also showed us that we do have a powerful voice to influence our community. We can instill change when we speak up.  
       After the MC for the night called upon on the last speaker to showcase their poem or prose, we wrapped up the night with snacks and having conversations with other kids. We also took the time to look around the bookstore, which had a diversity of local and national books. It was amazing, and we hope that we could also have a bookstore in Clarksdale. There was artwork and ceramic pottery as well. We loved how the arts were celebrated in this town, and thought to ourselves that the youth of Clarksdale could really benefit from a place like this. One day, right?
       We, Inside Her Diary girls are really proud for speaking at our first open mic event. It was a success! Keep supporting us in all that they do! 
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Our First Spotlight Presentation for Inside Her Diary

5/7/2019

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On Saturday, April 27th, we had the opportunity to attend a Teach For America Summit at Delta State University with Ms. Williams in Cleveland, MS. We were invited to talk about our website, Inside Her Diary in front of over 100 people that consisted of teachers, students, staff, and guests. Could you imagine our nerves when we first arrived at Delta State?  There were so many people! We saw a lot of new faces, but the warm smiles from the adults as well as the support they gave us made us feel very comfortable. 

In our presentation, each of us talked about a diary entry that we believed was a huge problem that's in our school. For instance, A'keirah shared Entry#5 about the use of the "G" word (gay) and how kids use it offensively when they are describing someone who is homosexual. She also shared how people use this term as a joke. It was amazing to see people way older than us, supporting what she had to say with firm head nods and snaps. 

De'shana further engaged the audience by sharing her thoughts on Entry#2,
What My Life Would Be Like 6 Years From Now.  She proudly stated that she wants to go to Stanford University in California, as well as be Valedictorian or the Salutatorian of her high school. She told the audience that she had big educational goals for herself and believes that nothing will stop her in achieving them. Girls can do it.  

The other girls, Kalynn and Jusmenda spoke passionately about their diary entries, Entry #1: Growing Up as a young Girl in Clarksdale  and Entry#4: Relationships as well. For Kalynn, she highlighted that there are not as many opportunities for girls as they are for boys in Clarksdale, and that she is surrounded by gang activity and teen pregnancy. Despite her environment, she mentioned how important her family is to her in making sure that she stays on the right path and reach her goals. For Jusmenda, she believed that it was very important that we have healthy and real relationships. She mentioned that many kids do not have real friends at school or family members. This reality makes her careful of what kind relationship she should have with people and how she is the person that she is today because of the relationship she has with her mom. 

When we were done speaking, we could tell by the looks on Ms. Williams' face and everyone else's that they were impressed by what we had to say. Even though we are only in middle school, we seen as "wise" and "mature" for our age. This experience has definitely motivated us to speak out more and be a voice for change. 

 
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    A'keirah, Jusmenda, Kalynn, De'shana, Ma'kyia, Jakilah. 

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