The WKU Forensics team celebrated Black History Month with performances during its annual “Black Excellence Showcase” Wednesday in the Fine Arts Center.
Four students on the forensics team shared their voices, stories and performances through persuasive speech, communication analysis, dramatic interpretation and prose. The topics of the performances surrounded issues about modern Black history.
Elizabeth Allen, freshman forensics member and event attendee, said she went to the showcase to support her fellow team members.
“I look forward to seeing my teammates bring their pieces that are so crucial to them outside of what we do in forensics and into the campus,” Allen said.
Jade Ismail, sophomore forensic team member and one of the showcase’s hosts, said WKU Forensics also advocates for bringing awareness to current issues alongside competing in tournaments.
Ismail said that this showcase wasn’t as much about speech and debate as it was about recognizing “the excellence, the strength and the power of Black voices.”
“In pressing times like these where a lot of people are under attack, community and people willing to listen are really important,” Ismail said. “I think that showcases like these give you a second to just have an audience and have people who care about what you have to say, and I think that’s really important to perform as a forensic team.”
Somtoo Nkurumeh, junior forensics member and one of the performers, did a prose performance about the struggles of Black motherhood and what mothers do for their children. The passionate performance was inspired by and based on his mother’s experiences.
Jaleon Brown, senior forensics member and another performer, did a persuasive speech on the Black maternal health crisis and the risks Black women face in healthcare. Brown said her inspiration for her speech stemmed from the Black women in her life.
Brown said her mother, sister-in-law and aunts had upsetting and difficult situations when they gave birth, which inspired the topic for her speech. She said she was “driven by passion” while giving her speech at the event.
“There’s always the logistics of having to have it memorized, having to make sure that your delivery is very presentable, but at the end of the day, it’s really the passion that allows you to continue to do this activity, which I love,” Brown said.
News Reporter Abigail Vickers can be reached at abigail.vickers153@topper.wku.edu
