Students crowded into a Smith Hall classroom to listen to their peers as they shared their favorite pieces of Black literature and poetry.
The Troy University chapter of an international English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta, has put on read ins like this one in the past, highlighting authors and poets from marginalized communities. To celebrate Black History Month, they chose to highlight literary works by Black authors, allowing any student or professor in attendance to read an excerpt
“Read stories that push your boundaries and highlight other cultures,” said Sigma Tau Delta Vice President Taylor Key, a senior English major from Huntsville, Alabama. “Focus on their stories, and you can learn a lot.”
Others agree reading is highly important.
“I think it’s important to always be learning,” said Sigma Tau Delta Treasurer and Secretary Michelle Perez, a senior English major from Tampa, Florida. “You’re never going to know everything, but now there’s easier access to literature more than ever.”
Authors such as Maya Angelou, Kwame Alexander, Zora Neale Hurston and Octavia E. Butler were some of the authors featured. Students and professors also shared excerpts from speeches and autobiographies from civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and John Robert Lewis.
Dr. Theresa M. Johnson and Professor Michael Orlofsky shared a testimony about meeting John Robert Lewis in 2006. Lewis was awarded the Hall-Waters prize, an award given by Troy University to those who have made contributions to Southern culture and arts, for his 1998 memoir “Walking with the Wind.”
“I was awestruck meeting him,” said Johnson, an associate professor of English and co-sponsor of Sigma Tau Delta. “It was not only because he was standing on the shoulders of those leading the movement, but also because of his memoir.
“Students need to read real accounts of people who gave up their education to bring about a peaceful movement that was so needed in this country.”
Members and co-sponsors of Sigma Tau Delta heavily encouraged students to read works by Black authors, both works of fiction and nonfiction.
“Having events like this is a way to spread awareness,” said Anna Orlofsky, a lecturer in the department of English and co-sponsor of Sigma Tau Delta. “A lot of the texts that were shared today were giving voices to groups who may not have had voices at the time.”
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