Members of CommWorks and the Monmouth Oral Communication Center (MOCC) will be co-sponsoring two events this semester, which includes a women’s march, and a social justice performance event.
The women’s march will be on Mar. 8 in honor of International Women’s Day, and will begin at the University Bluffs and end in front of Wilson Hall. The march’s cause is primarily to demonstrate women’s involvement in society and to establish their voice and their equal role in it. The march will also be hosted by Students Advocating Girls Education (SAGE) and other organizations will be in attendance.
The second event will be called, “This is What Democracy Sounds Like,” and will take place during Monmouth University’s annual Scholarship Week in April. The event will touch upon various literature and spoken word that has helped shape and improve human rights in the nation.
The event is intended to both enlighten as well as educate the students at Monmouth on human rights issues, such as injustices to women, the LGBTQ community, African Americans, Immigrants, and Indigenous people.
In addition to these topics, members discussed that the event will also touch upon the existence of white privilege, and other contemporary issues that are current in today’s society. Members of both MOCC and CommWorks are using this event as a platform to perform, and raise their voice on issues that need to be heard.
Members of both organizations planned the event to be outdoors in front of Wilson Hall. While performers mostly consist of club members, anyone will be welcome to share and perform both original works as well as work written by notable authors, poets, politicians and more.
Performances will be structured in chronological order, with each piece recited in order of the year it was written. This will be done to express the passing of time and the progress reached along the way.
An excerpt from the Declaration of Independence as well as the United States Constitution will be read as the first performance. Performers will travel through America’s history, touching upon the people who helped progress the nation and improve the lives of others.
President of MOCC and senior communication student Stephanie Brady said, “Our mission is to educate and improve public speaking, and being able to showcase this skill through events like this one is really special because not only do we get to speak, but we get to speak about topics we are passionate about.”
It is for the same reason that senior communication student and MOCC member Daniela Climenti is passionate about this event. She believes that as a woman, events such as this one are important because they give people a platform to raise their voice and be heard. “MOCC strives to help people find their voice, which is what makes this event so amazing, not just for women, but for everyone involved,” said Climenti.
It is inclusion rather than exclusion that these clubs hope to promote. Bringing people together in a safe and educational environment for some free entertainment is just one of the ways both MOCC and CommWorks hope to deliver such a message.
Senior communication student and President of CommWorks, Asia Byrd said, “As President, I’ve always wanted our organization to have an element of social activism. I believe that reaching out to people and covering difficult topics through performance is a better way to help people understand what is happening around them.”
“This is What Democracy Sounds Like” is not just for the student body. Faculty is also encouraged to watch and listen, and maybe even perform.
It is this inclusivity that the clubs wish to demonstrate to convey that people need to work together and be open in order to help each other. Both organizations hope for success as they continue to plan for the event in the next coming weeks.
Dr. Deanna Shoemaker, Director of Corporate & Public Communication (CPC) Graduate Program and faculty advisor of CommWorks said, “An event like this one speaks to the heart. People react to performance differently than they would to other types of activism, and addressing serious issues in a positive environment can really influence social change.”
IMAGE TAKEN from Pixabay
