On Feb. 15, Class of 2028 ASWU Senator Ernest Jones (’28) and the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a poetry reading event at the Martha Springer Gardens to celebrate Black ecology on campus. The event was intended to revive the community gardens and to spark hope through poetry.
The gardens behind Sparks Recreation Center used to be well used by Willamette students, but biology professor David Craig told Jones that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the space fell into “a state of disrepair” and stopped being used for community events. As such, Jones’ goal was for this event to be a “rededication of the community garden space” to the Willamette community. He also wanted to celebrate hope by giving the Black community on campus a space of their own.
“Given the current political climate we live in, it's important to have hope. One of the major ways we express hope is through spoken word poetry, so I really wanted this to be a celebration of hope and to show that we’re here and that we’re still fighting,” Jones said.
This event was Jones’ campus improvement project as ASWU senator of the Class of 2028. ASWU Vice President Sal Chappell (’27) came to oversee the event, stating that they were “very proud of Ernest, and [that] the collaboration was beautiful and touching.”
During the event, Jones and other members of BSU read poems written by Black poets, such as “Who Am I,” by Angela Davis, “If We Must Die,” by Claude McKay Limns, “Winter Poem,” by Nikki Giovanni, and an original poem called “Black Like Trees” by BSU secretary Nyeelah Brown (’27).
Brown’s poem, “Black Like Trees,” was inspired by a comment made to Brown. Years ago, “when [she] was wearing [her] afro more often,” she was told “it reminded someone of a tree.” In her poem, Brown ties together themes of community and ecology. “Our ecosystem is so interconnected and our community as Black people is so interconnected,” she said while reflecting on the poem and the event itself.
The poetry reading was originally intended to be paired installations of an art piece and a plaque with a quote from Black journalist and activist Ida B. Wells. Unfortunately, Jones explained that the organizers had to “axe the art installation and the plaque because the event was on a short timeline. The art would have needed to be approved by facilities, but they are really busy right now and [he] wanted it to happen during Black History Month.”
Despite this setback, Jones plans to install a plaque in the future, ideally in the gardens near the walkway students use frequently so “BSU has a physical presence on campus.” Brown agreed: “It's important for students of color to claim space on campus that is not set off to the side like the Renjen center is.”
Despite the art installation and plaque unveiling not happening yet, BSU and other students who came to join in on the celebration were able to enjoy the poetry reading, the cutting of a ribbon to commemorate the day, and eating and chatting with one another after the event commenced. Attendee Macy Haro (’27) believes that this event “is the first step towards having the garden be a community meeting space and a place for students to come together.”
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