Editor’s Note: J Three’s name was corrected from MJ Three. 

Eastern Illinois University’s Students for Socialism hosted Liberation Mic on Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Cultural Center featuring performances by 6 O’clock Sextet, J Three & Chef Gordy and Midwest BMO.  

SFS is an organization run by students that mainly focuses on advocating, education and taking political action. For this event, their main goal was to bring culture together by making music and art.  

The entree fee was $7 with the revenue going towards political organizing costs, travel to protests, marketing and COVID-19 masks. There were also three vendors there selling books, jewelry, art and pins.  

Open mic was held before the three main performances with graduate student history education major and SFS president Jason Farias reading a poem by Langston Hughes.  

Senior Spanish major Paola Cuatepitzi-Rojas also read a poem with hers being about a previous relationship she was in.  

“It didn’t last,” she said. “This poem to me is like saying goodbye to the love I had for him.”  

Senior art major Joseph Tucker performed a song called “Alarm Clock,” which was written by him.  

He said he felt good about performing but still needs a bit of practice.   

“I feel like I did amazing,” Tucker said. “However, I feel like there’s certain parts that I need to get in shape.”  

Following the open mic, 6 O’clock Sextext, a jazz band originally from the EIU Jazz Combos, performed first. They performed a portion of the songs that will later be performed at upcoming concerts at Eastern’s Doudna Fine Arts Center, in addition to songs unheard at Liberation Mic.  

Gallery • 3 Photos

Koria Downs

Audience at the EIU Cultural House clap for a performance by one of the main acts at the Liberation Mic event.

J Three & Chef Gordy performed next and had the room captured by their performance as the audience watched intently.   

They gave the audience a preview of “Cargo,” a song made by both artists.   

Gordon Baltazar, also known as Chef Gordy, is a senior majoring in biology who always had a passion for making music.  

“I started making beats when I was 13,” Baltazar said. “Back then I was just putting stuff together for fun, but now I’m really dedicated.”  

Freshman pre-nursing major Armani Bankhead was in the audience, and said she enjoyed their performance.  

“I have been looking forward to their performance all day,” Bankhead said. “They had to be my favorite act so far at this event.”  

Closing out the performances, Midwest BMO, who play in the Central Illinois and St. Louis area, took the stage singing numerous songs, which kept the audience entertained for the rest of the night. Some of these songs were “Squishmallow” and a cover of “Love Story” by Taylor Swift.  

Theo Edwards, a second-year graduate student and vice president of SFS, was happy that this event brought everyone together, as well as sold books about socialism and showing different perspectives on it.   

“I was hoping that this event would make everyone feel comfortable,” Edwards said. “I am happy to see people having fun, though my biggest concern was the amount of space people had, but other than that, this event is turning out good.” 

Koria Downs can be reached at 581-2812 or at kdowns@eiu.edu.