Hebrew Mamita!!

So I'm staying in NYU Summer Housing and they put on this series called the New York Experience. Basically what happens is every Tuesday someone will come in to speak or do whatever their schtick is. At first I thought, wow, super lame. Well, I'm a dumbass. I missed Dr. Ruth last week, and I heard she was great. I'm bummed about that, but I made sure to go to the one this week.

Vanessa Hidary aka The Hebrew Mamita is a spoken word artist/solo performer/actress/occasional rapper (usually after she's had a few cocktails). She's performed on HBO's Def Poetry Jam and is the creator of the show Culture Bandit!, which chronicles her coming of age as a Sephardic Jew on Manhattan's culturally diverse West Side during the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

I'm always down for some poetry, especially when the subject matter is culture and diversity. I show up to the event, and I wasn't surprised to see only 5 other people there. Poetry isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I was all the more happy for an intimate setting. This woman is amazing. She's got this unique voice that is both quirky and full of sass. Thanks to the intimate setting we got to talk to her and really get to know who she is and what she's about, as well as watch her perform some great pieces.

Her words really spoke to me personally. Her first poem was about a guy in a bar telling her she doesn't look or act Jewish. She also read this story about her experiences dating a Dominican man, and how she transformed from a Jew into a Latina complete with a gold cross hanging around her neck. I'm not Jewish, but those themes of belonging and culture are universal. As a black girl growing up in the New Hampshire suburbs, the culture-clash and confusion of who I am and how I should act was prevalent in my life. I came out of it unscathed and with few horror stories, but Vanessa Hidary takes her stories and makes them funny, thoughtful and poignant.

Here is her signature piece:

This one just makes me laugh:

Peace,
Kim