Byyonn Bain @ PUC

“Freedom is a woman I want, a woman I need!” The refrain echoed from PUC’s Dauphnee Chapel on October the 4th as spoken word poet and prison activist Bryonn Bain rocked the microphone.  Resident Artist Mei Ann Teo directed his autobiographical play Lyrics from Lockdown.  His powerful mix of spoken word and hip-hop poetry drew the audience into his phenomenal story. The hour-long show tells the story of a Bain’s wrongful arrest and subsequent imprisonment.  Through a combination of his own lyrics and the words of his family, Bain quickly grabbed the attention of the packed house and proceeded to move many students who were in attendance.  Melissa Totton, a Junior English Major, “He delivers a powerful performance that touches everyone regardless of their racial or socioeconomic backgrounds.” Many teachers asked their students to write short reviews of the show for their class and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Junior Communication Major Sonia Moses said, “He found a way to represent all the different sides of one issue. It was brilliant.” Bryonn’s story stands as a personal testimony of one man who is standing up for what is right. The play’s openness and raw honestly shine through the Bain’s text and light the way forward. Bryonn sums it up nicely at the end of his play, “The fish that we got, and the bread some said is all that we got. That’s all we need. For us to get fed and for us to feed, a whole lot of folks in need.” I know that this campus will be fed for the rest of the year.