Jimmy Adams, Jr., assistant vice president for the Office of Continuing Education, presented his collection of original poetry called “The Journey: Reflections” as a preview of his life experiences and perspectives to relate to the student population at Prairie View A&M University.
The Tuscaloosa native recited 15 poems highlighting his personal encounters throughout his life journey, including “Daddy Why,” “Incarcerated Blues,” and “Gangsta Rap.” Each poem was accompanied with instrumental music to set the tone.
Adams plans to use this as a benchmark for similar events in the future. His objective is to bring his message to students in an appropriate venue. When he hosts the event next year, there will be much more advertisement and it will be held at a more convenient time for students.
Adams said, “Not all students are informed about the happenings in life. It’s been a lonely journey as a Black man in art. I was always the first and only, and I had no one relate to. I don’t want Prairie View students to feel like that here. There aren’t a lot of mentors in most students’ lives, so I want these reflections to teach them the lessons that I had to learn the hard way.”
Adams reflected upon numerous years of experiences and issues in his life, but according to him, this is just the beginning of his career as a published author.
He originally he created these poems and ideas to build a legacy for his two sons, and then decided he wanted to go out and share his work. That’s how he came up with the idea to present ‘Reflections’ to the audience here at Prairie View.
“My next move is publishing ‘Reflections’ and ‘Reality and Conversations,” said Adams. “These will all be collections of poetry within the journey series. Then, I’ll have my memoirs called ‘Journeyman.’ I want everyone, primarily students, to know that they’re not alone in their hardships and trials. The event was much better than last year, and I’m sure that next year, it will be perfected.”