Ellington

Who's to say Jackson teens never speak up? On Friday, March 28, at New Stage Theatre, the public ear was allowed to hear that voice. Their objective: to spread their word and raise money to support their Annual Migration Tour in April. A group of high school students will follow the trail of many African Americans from Mississippi to Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New York, from the field to the factories.

In a time when towns are being bombed for democratic pursuits, many students are expressing themselves in the one of the most natural ways–poetry. That's what Teen Tongues Expressing the First Amendment, an anthology stemming from poet Jolivette Anderson's My Mississippi Eyes Project, is about.

Students from ages 12 to 17 were free to speak on any experience that influences the life of the growing adolescent. From feelings of love, beauty, emotions, and relationships, to thoughts on war, racism, will and determination, these crafty minds spilled their hearts and ideas into the microphone like "round-clock" rotation. There was even an "Elder Poets" feature that allowed those like "Motown" Brown to drop some lines on love. I even got a chance to flow some verses on my experiences as a college student. However, the most inspiring words of the night definitely came from the mouths of the teens.

The night was an open forum, a choir of teens singing from their souls of their inspiration. When asked what was the key influence to their poetry, most agreed that hip-hop was the primary, and often sole, contributor. Others spoke of the events that occur in everyday life at home and school that touch them most. One of the teen poets, Contina Jones, 17, from Lanier High School, stated, "Part of our inspiration comes from the strength of the migrants who went north, which we learned about in the My Mississippi Eyes Project." She added, "We are happy to finally have somewhere to say what's on our minds. We want to show that teenagers are doing more than making trouble in the community."