(Published Tuesday, February 6, 2007 11:32:07 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Stacy Vogel Gazette staff
"It is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence," Linda Osborne read aloud Monday in a student lounge at UW-Rock County.
"And there are so many silences to be broken."
Normally, someone reading out loud in the middle of the lounge might meet disgusted stares from students trying to study or eat their lunch.
But Monday, students, staff and community members sat transfixed while Osborne read from Audre Lorde's "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action."
As she read, passersby joined the group and strained to listen.
Osborne, a UW-Rock academic advisor, took part in the school's first "African American Read-In" to celebrate black authors and kick off Black History Month.
Shylow Prewitt smiles at the audience Monday after reading a poem by Lucille Clifton at a 'read-in' celebrating black authors at UW-Rock County. Authors from Sojourner Truth to Maya Angelou were represented in front of about 30 people.
Bill Olmsted/Gazette Staff
The event was part of a nationwide effort sponsored for the past 18 years by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English.
Speakers across the country read the works of black authors in churches, libraries and schools across the country Sunday and Monday. Organizers hoped to count a million readers this year.
UW-Rock added at least 10 to the total Monday afternoon.
Students and adults read works by classic black authors from Sojourner Truth to Langston Hughes to Maya Angelou in front of an audience of about 30.
One student even read a poem by singer Alicia Keys.
English professor John Pruitt organized Monday's event with the help of the Multicultural Student Union and the English Honor Society.
"In Wisconsin, recognizing black authors is a rarity, and it's important for everybody to know their contribution to literary history," he said.
Members of the Multicultural Student Union said they were pleased with the turnout but wished there had been more racial diversity among the audience.
The read-in was only the first of several activities the union planned for February, including a "Black History Newsletter" and an upcoming movie night.
"It's a good start," Vice President Shylow Prewitt said, "and we're going to continue."
