UNIQUE Programs will be hosting “An Evening of Spoken Word” in the University Union Ballroom, featuring Gabriela Garcia Medina and Katie Wirsing of the National Slam Poetry movement.

The event is organized to support Sacramento State’s Women’s HerStory Month, a month celebrating the achievements and contributions of women throughout history.

Both Medina and Wirsing have performed at a number of universities, sharing their work as advocates for women’s issues.

After hearing about the event on Thursday, senior liberal studies major Kashia Moua expressed an interest in seeing Medina and Wirsing perform.

“I don’t really know the specifics about women’s history, women’s issues, so this would definitely be something I would like to see,” Moua said.

UNIQUE Programs Adviser, Ajamu Lamumba, said for the past two years UNIQUE has hosted the Flattrack roller derby for Women’s history month, but for this year they wanted to try something different.

“Many of the people you see on stage are specifically catering to the college audience,” Lamumba said. “They may not be overly famous faces, but they help build the community with their performances.”

The poems that will be performed by each performer are self-written. They have the theme of empowering women and people in general.

Medina has performed as an actor, poet and a speaker for Women’s and Hispanic rights and Issues. This will be her first performance at Sac State.

“Women’s History Month, Poetry Month and Hispanic Heritage Month are my most popular events,” Medina said. “I wish every month could be about them, but fortunately these events are the ones schools tend to bring me out for more.”

Thanks to her work as an actor as well as a poet, Medina has been able to perform spoken word across a variety of mediums.

“I try to do spoken word in as many different forms as I can,” Medina said, “mostly because I believe in my message, and I try to share it in as many ways as I can, with colleges being one of them.”

Medina has said that her message has evolved over time, from when she started out at 18 or 19 to where she is today. With her early work, she was politicized and angry, finding out all the things wrong with the world and wanting to bring a change.

“Later on it evolved into a lot of self poems, like being about identity and figuring out who I am before I change the world,” Medina said. “Eventually it became about community, self-awareness, still rooted in social justice but not angry anymore.”

Medina has said that her goal now is to use humor to talk about bigger issues. She believes that if she can get people laughing, then she’s got a reaction.

“An Evening of Spoken Word” will be performed today at 7:30 p.m. in the University Union Ballroom. It will be free admission and open to anyone who wishes to see the performance and celebrate Women’s history.