The room was quiet as the crowd looked apprehensively toward the darkened stage. Freshman telecommunications major Tiara Thomas walked down the aisle of the lecture hall and sat on a chair with her guitar in hand. She made small talk with the crowd as she readied her instrument, and after a moment she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyes opened, and she began to sing about heartbreak while slowly strumming her guitar.
Thomas was one of the 11 performers who took the stage at Teachers College Thursday night to participate in "The Hand that Rocks the Mic Can Change the World," an open mic event put on by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Thomas performed an original number, "Little Miss Sunshine," a song about a past relationship that ended in a bad breakup. Although Thomas was not a part of NABJ, she said she heard about the open mic event while observing the organization as a subculture for an English assignment.
"I've done a lot of open mic and spoken word events since I started playing eight years ago," Thomas said. "That's really my type of scene."
NABJ is an organization that works to strengthen ties among African-American journalists in the Muncie community, NABJ President Alivia Johnson said. They organize events to accommodate different races and increase awareness about diversity in the media and on campus. Other NABJ events have included forums, debates and talent shows.
"In our weekly meetings, we discuss objective stories, but these less formal events allow us to truly express ourselves and how we are feeling," Johnson said. "It provides the members with an outlet for their frustrations and issues."
The night consisted of songs, dialogues and poetry along with a five-minute intermission in which Johnson asked the audience how they felt about the show. The performances brought up a variety of issues ranging from love and heartbreak to racism and police brutality. Sophomores Brad Gray and Ebony Chappel performed a dialogue between a man and a woman who were both looking for the perfect love, while senior Raphiael Chester recited a poem about the realities of police brutality.
Other diversity organizations such as Today's Black Women and the Black Student Association attended the event to show their support and spread recognition for their groups as well.
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