Poems and spoken word filled the Undergrounds this past Friday at Binghamton University’s Black Student Union’s (BSU) Poetry Jam.

The event featured performances by artists Joshua Bennett and Miles Hodges from New York-based spoken word management agency, The Strivers Row, as well as student poets from BU, and is part of a series of events organized by BSU to celebrate Black History Month.

A performance by Lindsay Young, a junior majoring in psychology, opened the evening and touched on topics from colorblindness to stereotypes.

“I am black, you can’t erase me,” Young said. “I don’t watch the news anymore, I don’t want my feelings hurt.”

After Young’s introduction, Bennett took to the stage with a little bit of humor by asking the audience to be “sophisti-ratchet,” or someone who is highly educated yet knowledgeable of pop culture. Bennett, a doctoral candidate in Princeton University’s English department, spoke about a variety of social justice issues, from the Eric Garner court decision to his brother’s autism.

Bennett also spoke about his experience teaching black middle school children poetry in the wake of the controversial Garner case ruling.

“I told eighth graders that their lives mattered, and I used poetry to validate their lives,” Bennett said.

According to Janet Nelson, a sophomore double-majoring in psychology and linguistics, the small atmosphere of the event helped the audience connect with the artists.

“I thought it was really personal since it was in such a small space,” Nelson said. “It makes it easier to connect with them, just like the fact that you are closer makes it more personable, which I think is important with art as specific and personal as poetry.”

Fellow poet Hodges followed by focusing more on love and family than social justice.

“I spend a lot of time worrying about love because it takes me away from big shit like the meaning of life,” Hodges said.

After the performance, a question-and-answer session sparked a debate about rappers like J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Drake and their influence on culture and society. Following that, audience members rushed to shake hands with the two performers from The Strivers Row.

Ridwan Olatilewa, vice president of BSU and a senior majoring in computer science, said the event gave students the opportunity to hear spoken word artists speak about social injustice and institutionalized racism, and feel more empowered.

“This event was at first to simply be a treat from BSU to the BU campus … but as the show went on the poets went into a Question and Answer portion, they started to educate the audience on race, why it’s important to have Black History Month, and the importance of being and individual, and having your own individual identity,” Olatilewa wrote in an email.

Melinda Momplaisir, a senior majoring in history, said she was impressed by the level of depth of the topics shared by the performers.

“I really appreciated the honestly, realness and integrity of the artists and their willingness to speak to the audience on deep topics like social justice in America,” Momplaisir said.