Image: Steve Lipofsky
Image: Steve Lipofsky
From traditional Nigerian dance to Motown to passionate spoken-word performances, members of the Harvard Medical School/Harvard School of Dental Medicine Class of 2018 showcased their rich cultural heritage—and impressive musical talents—in the 15th annual student-produced FABRIC showcase during the recent Revisit Week at HMS.
The show demonstrated to prospective members of the Class of 2019 that HMS/HSDM is a place where people from all backgrounds can thrive.
The theme of the April 17 production in the Tosteson Medical Education Center Atrium was “sankofa”: a word from the Akan people of Ghana meaning “reach back and get it.”
For the students who ran and performed in the show, “sankofa” represented the importance of reflecting on their diverse cultural and individual histories as they prepare to build successful futures.
“You know so much about what type of research your classmates are doing or what type of doctor they want to be, but it’s rare to see all these other talents that are an important part of who they are,” said Richard Ebright ’18, who coproduced the show with Soraya Azzawi ’18.
“I would hope that coming together and seeing the breadth of things people are proud of makes us more aware of the diversity that will exist among our peers and patients in our future as doctors and dentists, and just to be open to all of it and ready to help whenever we can,” Ebright said.
FABRIC opened with a rousing collection of student-choreographed dances set to African house music from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and the West Indies, highlighting the variety of African traditions within the Class of 2018.
There followed a Venezuelan pop song duet, Argentine tango and Dominican bachata, presented by the Latino Medical Student Association; a joyous Motown medley with a standout performance by singer and FABRIC co-director Kia Byrd ’18; and an a cappella rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” in which students took turns singing solos to illustrate the “unity within diversity” at HMS.
The first half of the program concluded with a fashion show featuring nearly 40 student models. Although that is how FABRIC got its start—and its name—15 years ago, a fashion show had not been included since 2002.
“Since our class is so dang good-looking, we had to bring it back,” quipped one of the emcees.
Performers strutted their stuff in traditional outfits from cultures as wide-ranging as Korea, Palestine, Punjab and Texas, as well as more tongue-in-cheek fashions befitting hot weather, cold weather and “classy students.”
After a cheer-inducing “pop and lock” dance led by Brian Yang ’18, the second act took on a more somber tone.
Students David Osayande, Kia Byrd, Chidi Akusobi and Michael McClurkin performed “Be Free,” a spoken-word piece written by J. Cole in response to national news stories about the victimization of African Americans by law enforcement.
The audience listened in silence as the performers cycled through rage, helplessness and hope while a slide show of a White Coat “Die-In” at HMS in December 2014 played to one side.
The serious mood continued with a student-arranged a cappella version of “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman, depicting the universal struggle of living with inadequate resources.
Then spirits were raised by a student-choreographed percussive dance number called “Break the Stage” that emphasized teamwork and coordination, qualities as important in medicine as they are in dance.
The music paused before the finale for an awards presentation and music video premiere.
Each year, FABRIC honors “champions of diversity” at HMS/HSDM. This year’s recipients were Joan Reede, dean for diversity and community partnership and associate professor of medicine at HMS, and Rosa Soler, program director in the HMS Office of Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs.
After recognizing the awardees, the students debuted a six-minute music video they produced called “HMS & HSDM Milkshake,” a parody of the song “Milkshake” by Kelis. Lyrics written by a team of 12 students included:
My white coat keeps all the eyes on me
My MCAT, straight 53
Damn right, they like what they see
Can’t find me? Check the library
Laughter and applause continued into the culminating performance, an energetic Bhangra- and Bollywood-inspired number that featured most of the Class of 2018 squeezing onto the stage before spilling over into the audience and encouraging attendees to dance along.
Among the faculty who joined in were Nancy Oriol, dean for students and associate professor of anesthesia, Alvin Poussaint, faculty associate dean for student affairs and professor of psychiatry, and Ed Hundert, dean for medical education and the Daniel D. Federman, MD Professor in Residence of Global Health and Social Medicine and Medical Education.
FABRIC was presented by the Black Health Organization of HMS and HSDM. It was directed by Kia Byrd and Victoria Robson.
