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age:19 Shaleah Tolliver lived out a dream when she got a chance to see the play “Hamilton” at Chrysler Hall. Having been a fan of it since she knew it existed, on Dec. 19, 2019, she got the chance to read one of her own poems on the same stage as its cast before more than 1,00 people. But it was a fortunate turn of events for the now 19- year old U niversity of V irginia freshman to attend, so when she was called up on stage to read it, she seiz ed her “amaz ing” opportunity. She was proud of her poem, “Is a Slave a Slave Because He is E nslaved or Because He is a Slave?” She wrote it about Thomas Jefferson and his book, “Notes on the State of V irginia,” in which she noted his writings about the nature of slavery and Black inferiority. “I took his voice and translated it in a way that I thought would just prove how craz y racism is,” Shaleah said. She now sees parallels between herself and Amanda Gorman, who cited the “Hamilton” influence in her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” which she read at P resident Joe Biden’s inauguration. “I feel like rap is basically poetry to a beat, and in that sense that poetry is a way to make ideas pop,” Shaleah said, “because you’re not just stating them in simple prose.
‘I feel like rap is basically poetry to a beat, and in that sense that poetry is a way to make ideas pop.’ You’re singing a song with no music, and just like music, just like Hamilton and just like her poem, it speaks better and you’re able to get your message across.” An undeclared major, she wants to apply for U V a.’s political and social thought program — which she described as a philosophical twist on political science. She plans to minor in African American studies and eventually go to law school and focus on either public interest or human rights law. She’s learned a lot already in Charlottesville and is cogniz ant of leaving a positive legacy behind. “It’s not necessarily about you,” Shaleah said. “It’s about building a path for others to walk in the future.” — Jimmy LaRoue
Favorite song: “I Was Here,” by Beyoncé Who are three people, living or dead, that you would want to have a meal with? Michelle Obama, Shirley Chisholm and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Shaleah Tolliver
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