A creative and empowering event happens at The Q, a Soul Food restaurant only a couple of miles away from MATC’s Downtown Campus.
“Respect the mic” and “give them the attention they deserve.” Those words echoed throughout The Q on a recent Tuesday night during Food for Thought, Poetry for the Soul. All are welcome to come and let their stories be heard through the spoken word. This event is a safe space for the Black community to be encouraged and speak their truth.
The spoken word. The rhythm and flow feeds your soul. Strangers giving parts of who they are to the audience. You may come for entertainment, but you’ll walk away with inspiration.
The performers talked about a lot of different issues, including domestic abuse, women empowerment, the Black culture (from the viewpoint of an ally), society’s standards, and community outreach to young people who are at risk.
The audience heard from a variety of poets like Treva, Darling Kikki, Inspiration, Kreative Truth, lakiesha, Apollo 517 and many more.
“The Poets,” several popular spoken word artists from Chicago, were the main event. @Loti_D_Shei is one of them. She took the raw phrase W.A.P. (if you don’t know what this means, Google it) and made the expression an empowering one.
She said, “Only being a b**ch when Caron or Conor pushes Kiesha to keep it 100, with truths that puncture holes in mind, you(r) mindsets, and wish a b**ch woulds. Ready to put this W. A. P.…Wonderful Ass Perception on you weird ass people who can’t seem to see I am a b**ch out of habit. But nobody has been deemed worthy.”
In addition to inspiring messages, The Q has great food, ranging from fried lobster and shrimp to fried okra and chicken. DJ GidMoney/DJ Gideon played a mix of R&B, African Beats, Pop, and Soul to keep the crowd engaged between, during and after performances.
I also have to give a shout out to some of the creative arts & crafts vendors that were there selling everything from custom crocks and keychains to t-shirts and henna. Some of those vendors were: ZenZee Henna and Bambi Rae Collections LLC (bambirae.co).
The Q is located at 2730 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive (7 minutes/2.1 miles from MATC’s Downtown Campus). You need to be 21-years-old to attend Food for Thought, Poetry for the Soul, which starts at 7 p.m. every Tuesday. You can also follow their Instagram: @foodforthoughtmke.
