Gay and Latino writer and activist Emanuel Xavier came to Ohio University to speak about issues such as discrimination and immigration
Emanuel Xavier, a poet and activist, inspired students Wednesday through his personal poetry about how being both gay and Latino have shaped his life.
“It was nice to start off kind of casually with some poetry,” Matthew Kinlow, a member of the Black Student Cultural Programming Board, said. “That was entertaining and also valuable as far as content.”
The event was in Baker Ballroom where Xavier started by reading a couple of his poems, which touched on his experiences of discrimination for being gay and racially profiled as a Latino American.
He said he was kicked out by his parents at age 16 for being gay and was homeless in New York. Xavier had to work hard to feed himself, even going as far as criminal activity for survival.
One of his poems, “Deliverance,” was an intimate poem that expressed his father’s disapproval of him and how that resulted in many hardships, such as being molested by his older cousin at a young age and resorting to drug use to cope with depression.
Xavier discussed Christian beliefs and political ideologies against homosexual marriage and immigration in a few of his poems.
He even dedicated poems to public figures such as Kim Davis and Donald Trump, casting them in a negative light when discussing what it means to be “American” and how that label represents commercialization and a “white” ideal.
“If Jesus were gay, would you tattoo him to your body? Hang him from your chest? Pray to him and worship the Son of Man?” Xavier said from a poem.
Chris Yangas, a junior studying journalism, interviewed Xavier on stage and asked him several questions not only about his LGBT and Latino identity, but also about his opinions on popular issues, such as Caitlyn Jenner and gun control.
“As far as Emanuel’s performance was, his spoken word is powerful and very in-depth,” Yangas said. “As a Hispanic American, I do see some similarities, while I also grew up in a very different lifestyle than he did. So it’s just amazing how he can move you even if you are like him or not like him.”
Xavier also spoke about the 2016 election and said, even though there are Hispanic candidates, they do not represent his personal ideas toward immigration. Xavier said the country was built on immigrants, so the United States should aid in helping immigrants “get a piece of the American Dream.”
After the interview portion, Xavier continued to read a few more of his poems, as well as a poem written by Maya Angelou called “Still I Rise.”
Xavier also answered a few questions from the audience, and he continued to speak about the struggles he has faced as a “double minority.”
“Emanuel Xavier is an awesome speaker and an awesome poet, and it was nice to see a new perspective, Latino perspective,” Kinlow, a sophomore studying pre-med chemistry, said.
@_alexdarus
ad019914@ohio.edu
