The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives and First Wave dedicated their eighth-annual “Passing the Mic” showcase to the late First Wave performer John “Vietnam” Nguyen, who drowned in Lake Mendota in August.
The showcase, which the Office of the Vice Provost for Equity and Diversity also sponsored in conjunction with the Wisconsin Book Festival, featured spoken word and music performances by First Wave, high school spoken-word artists from around the Midwest and guest performances.
The event included a special tribute to Nguyen, a short film to open the program entitled “A Day in the Life” that had been his application to the First Wave program and featured a break-dancing, poetry-slamming Nguyen.
Members of Kuumba Lynx, a Chicago-area spoken word troupe Nguyen participated in during high school, attended the event.
Tanya Smith, a high school senior in Kuumba Lynx, said she expects to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison next fall as a First Wave scholar. Smith and Nguyen were teammates when their team won a national poetry slam competition in California.
“The dude was the essence of hip hop,” Smith said. “He never slept. He was always working on his music … You truly have to love something to put that much work into it.”
Smith expressed uncertainty about whether she still wants to attend UW-Madison in the wake of Nguyen’s death. Having visited Madison for previous “Passing the Mic” events, Smith said the feeling was different now without Nguyen.
“Coming here, it’s right in your face,” she said. “I do want to go here, though, to continue his legacy.”
