Sofia Rositani — Reporter
Rappers, dancers, singers — these were just a few of the performers who drew a crowd that filled the Adanti Student Center Ballroom with social justice being the common theme.
For the 10th time, The Social Justice Talent Show kicked off on Nov. 13, hosted by the Multi-Cultural Center for Southern’s Social Justice Month.
Health studies major Tia Grant, a junior, said she has noticed that even though the numbers are the same each year, the attendees have become more diverse since this event began 10 years ago.
One band who performed was called OFFKEY, which was formed this semester and has been experimenting with different genres. OFFKEY performed a song called “Lover Boy” by Phum Viphurit, a Thai singer who became popular for this specific song.
“We wanted to support the social justice cause,” said the members of OFFKEY, “and we felt it was important for Victor to share his story.”
They also said they felt nervous going on stage at first, but since the the audience was being very interactive, it gave them the confidence to go and perform well. During the show there was a special guest, a Southern alumnus who
performed a song for the attendees, and previously performed at this event while attending Southern. The crowd went wild when he performed.
“I just think that there are so many important issues that we kinda just graze upon and think about them but we don’t really put any effort into making a Southern a better place,” said Michelle Ankrah, who performed “Rise Up” by Andra Day. “If Southern is where it starts, I think it’s cool that they are
hosting all these events and these people are actually here instead of being elsewhere.”
Ankrah also said she believes that raising awareness on social justice has to start somewhere and thinks that Southern is doing a great job at doing that and supporting those who want to raise awareness on social justice and creating events that actually talk about this issue.
Even though Ankrah had the crowd going crazy from her performance, she said she still felt very nervous going on but the energy of the crowd and their presence helped her feel less nervous about being on the stage.
The Social Justice Talent Show brought new and old faces to this event. It made people come together to show their talent and brought diversity by showing off one’s culture.
“[It] brings unity to the campus,” said Grant, “and it highlights the inequality that goes on in the world.”
