On Wednesday night in the Cotillion Ballroom of theSmith-Brown Memorial Union, the Motivational Speaker Series hosted by TheStudent Government Association presented Kevin Powell to the student body.
Powell, who originally gained nationwide attentionby appearing on MTV’s The Real World, is now a poet, editor, hip-hop historian,author and motivational speaker.
His tour, which is entitled “The State of Black Menin America” came to Southern not only to deliver powerful messages about blackmen, but to all blacks in general.
Powell asked for all the black men in the audiencenot to sit in the back rows and to stand up and receive applause.
“The brothers that are here today are here for allthe brothers in the hood, in jail, dead or everywhere but here,” Powell said.
“You are here for a reason, so don’t take youreducation for granted.”
Powell stressed the importance of black men takingcare of responsibilities and respecting themselves, women and their position inthe community.
Powell discussed six areas the black communityneeded to embrace to better their quality of life.
Involvement in politics is essential, becauseeveryone should play a role in the decision making process.
“We are not only voting for ourselves. We arevoting for every black person that never got the chance or who had to dietrying,” Powell said.
He stated the importance of African Americanstaking control of economics and their financial security.
“We must get rid of the credit cards and keepourselves out of debt,” he said.
Cultural, spiritual, physical and mental wellness were alsomentioned amongst the factors to success.
“It was a breath of fresh air to hear someone speakthe truth to students,” said Sable Brown, a freshman from Baltimore majoring inbiology.
“He talked about issues that young blacks needed tohear in order to encourage them to become better leaders.”