Spring Break
Imprints: Finding His Voice
Student uses poetry to speak his mind
Chelsea Anderson
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: News
One of the many facets of the group that make it so unique is the closeness of its members.
"Every member of Black Poets gets together outside of the group," Dekker said.
Dekker said he first decided to become involved in the group as a result of questioning his own comfort zone.
"You spend your whole life building this identity," Dekker said, "Especially through high school and middle school. Everyone else is building it too. When I got into college, I realized that I had so many more opportunities. I realized that I was just being comfortable with the identity that was branded for me and I wasn't doing everything I could. I felt stagnant."
This epiphany prompted Dekker to join his roommate in an invite to a Black Poets Society meeting during his sophomore year.
Upon his arrival at OSU, Dekker was a business major. But while filling his baccalaureate courses, he found himself intrigued by issues in sociology courses.
"I was just really upset about some of these issues, like violence against women, race issues and even sexual assault. When I first started to read [at Black Poets Society meetings], I addressed some of these issues and I was loud. I was viewed as the angry poet. Since then I've begun to write more love poems, and comedic pieces."
Upon graduating in the spring, Dekker plans to go to graduate school at Portland State University and eventually pursue a career in social work.
The Black Poets Society will be lead by several co-presidents, Sara Call, Michael Pohl and Randa Smith - who is Dekker's long-time girlfriend.
Contrary to Dekker's transition from social and political issues to more personal matters, Smith started out writing about personal material, and has moved into global subject matter.
As a self proclaimed "love poet," Smith said the transition to women's issues is recent.
"At first, I wrote mostly love poems, which was hard. To really bare your soul [was a challenge] at first."
"Every member of Black Poets gets together outside of the group," Dekker said.
Dekker said he first decided to become involved in the group as a result of questioning his own comfort zone.
"You spend your whole life building this identity," Dekker said, "Especially through high school and middle school. Everyone else is building it too. When I got into college, I realized that I had so many more opportunities. I realized that I was just being comfortable with the identity that was branded for me and I wasn't doing everything I could. I felt stagnant."
This epiphany prompted Dekker to join his roommate in an invite to a Black Poets Society meeting during his sophomore year.
Upon his arrival at OSU, Dekker was a business major. But while filling his baccalaureate courses, he found himself intrigued by issues in sociology courses.
"I was just really upset about some of these issues, like violence against women, race issues and even sexual assault. When I first started to read [at Black Poets Society meetings], I addressed some of these issues and I was loud. I was viewed as the angry poet. Since then I've begun to write more love poems, and comedic pieces."
Upon graduating in the spring, Dekker plans to go to graduate school at Portland State University and eventually pursue a career in social work.
The Black Poets Society will be lead by several co-presidents, Sara Call, Michael Pohl and Randa Smith - who is Dekker's long-time girlfriend.
Contrary to Dekker's transition from social and political issues to more personal matters, Smith started out writing about personal material, and has moved into global subject matter.
As a self proclaimed "love poet," Smith said the transition to women's issues is recent.
"At first, I wrote mostly love poems, which was hard. To really bare your soul [was a challenge] at first."
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