Students and community members from three previously unconnected organizations came together to discuss social justices and celebrate identity last Saturday. The inaugural event, dubbed Open Minds, Open mic, was produced by the Diversity Support Coalition, Wild Acts and Mask & Dagger.
The event began in the GSR at 6:45 p.m. with a performance by the Deja’s, a UNH alumni folk rock duet, followed by skits and monologues performed by members of Mask & Dagger and Wild Acts. The performances focused on social justice issues such as stereotypes, word choice and peer pressure.
Also, three DSC organizations, The Alliance, United Asian Coalition and Hillel, created videos depicting common stereotypes in relation to their organization, as well as how those stereotypes have made them feel.
After a final interactive skit, in which the audience decided the most effective way for the student actors to solve an issue of abuse, the performers left the microphone, allowing other students or community members to express themselves.
“We wanted a way to present social justice issues to students,” said Kevin Linton, executive director of the DSC. “It’s important to present these issues, especially in relation to allyship.”
Students, either anonymously or named, approached the microphone and read poetry, spoke about identity and social justice experiences, or played instruments. Some had planned their stories and experiences before the event, while others were inspired by the open discussion and performances from the first part of the event. One individual spoke into the microphone about growing up in an abusive household, after becoming intrigued a half an hour earlier when she walked by the GSR.
“We didn’t charge for the event because this is a community gathering and we wanted to encourage people to come,” Linton said.
Open Minds, Open Mic became a concrete idea within the first two weeks of school when Pam Freedy, a senior theater education major and Mask and Dagger executive director, presented the idea for the collaboration to Wild Acts and the DSC. According to Freedy, Wild Acts and Mask & Dagger have many of the same members, and overall passions for theater and performing. Freedy came up with the idea for the open mic because she wanted to show students that subjects like stereotypes and word choice should be discussed and do affect many on campus.
“These issues are sort of hidden on campus,” Freedy said before the event. “We wanted to show that these issues aren’t isolated and that other people care about these issues, even if they aren’t obviously involved with organizations that deal with them on a regular basis.”
Freedy contacted Wild Acts because of the two organizations shared members and because of Wild Act’s mission to present social justice issues in a comedic setting. Evan Russell, a two year member and one of this year’s three co-leaders for the organization, talked about how natural it felt to work with the DSC and Mask & Dagger.
“I mean [the organizations] are all connected within our missions in some way,” Russell said. “It’s about bringing social awareness to these issues.”
According to Freedy, she contacted the DSC next for the collaboration because she felt if Mask & Dagger and Wild Acts would be holding an event on social justice issues, then they would want help from an organization that deals with stereotypes and word choice on a daily basis. Once Freedy had solidified the three org collaboration, she booked the GSR, which just happened to be the only room available for that night.
“We were hoping for the Wildcat Den or something a little more intimate than this [the GSR], but we are crossing our fingers for a big turn out,” Freedy said.
Through the massive advertising campaign, including a large poster emphasis on the Durham community, the event sold 81 tickets, out of the possible 680-ticket capacity for the GSR.
“I think the event went well and was really meaningful,” Freedy said after the event. “I think the turn out was a little smaller than we were looking for, but the folks that I spoke with from the DSC and Wild Acts were pleased.”
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