Graduate student Emmanuel Christian ’22 authored and performed a spoken-word project, “The Bird That Dropped from the Nest,” which was released on National Diversity Day, Oct. 7, by Monmouth University Artists for Diversity and Inclusion (MADI).
MADI produced the music video through the University’s Diversity Innovation Grant program, while Monmouth’s student-run record label Blue Hawk Records released the song through a partnership with Vydia, a music industry distribution and marketing platform.
“This has been an amazing experience to be a part of the project as a featured artist of MADI, more importantly to contribute to something bigger than myself. I hope everyone enjoys the work we’ve done as much as I have,” Christian said.
Current and former students, and multiple faculty members, contributed to the personal project that features a gripping narrative of Christian’s life journey and the need for understanding, and appreciating other backgrounds and perspectives.
Junior music industry major Amanda Hayes delivered public relations and electronic press kit creation for the project, while Connor Hanson, adjunct professor in the Department of Music and Theatre Arts, engineered and mastered the song.
Recent graduates Ezrah Archie ’22 and Max Adolf ’22 contributed to the project while attending Monmouth and post-graduation. Archie furnished MADI A&R, and Adolf, under his artist name, Max Wolf, composed the accompanying music composition.
Christian’s video was unanimously selected for production by three MADI executive producers and faculty advisors: Rashida Scott-Cruz, adjacent professor in the Department of Music and Theatre Arts; Lawrence R. Jones, adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science and Sociology; and Joe Rapolla, specialist professor and chair of the Department of Music and Theatre Arts.
“The impact of Emmanuel Christian’s music video artistically articulates what it means to recognize, respect, and value differences in one another. It dispels systemic perceptions projected by some and how they expect one to behave based on their cultural background, while sharing the true heart of his character through his spoken words,” Scott-Cruz said.