BILLINGS — Sacred Grounds coffee shop hosted the Black Heritage Foundation's open mic night event in honor of Black History Month on Friday night.
“Where there’s a group, there’s power. Where there’s a group, there’s strength (and) courage," said Michele Terry, the events emcee.
Organizers advocated for an evening of openness, stating that people should feel entitled to speak freely without fear of judgment.
“Some of the experiences that people go through … it’s left people with a lot of trauma," said Tatiana Morales, the secretary for the Black Heritage Founation, "Poetry is such a great way to get those emotions out and feel heard.”
She said the event was a celebration of oral story telling, something the group said makes history a forward guiding force.
“The fight that some of these older people faced is not over and the best way to carry that forward is to educate the future," said Morales.
The Yellowstone County group said the celebration of Black History Month provides space to appreciate diversity wherever it can be found.
“Just because we call it, ‘Black History Month,’ that doesn’t just include black people … that includes, in other words, all people," said Melvin Terry, the president of the Black Heritage Foundation.
