Ursula Rucker Delivers Poems At Church
Ursula Rucker Delivers Poems At Church
Written by Ariene Edmonds for the Philadelphia Tribune
February 5, 2015
Spoken word artist, poet and songstress Ursula Rucker of Germantown delivered selected epic poems at her home church last Sunday, Feb. 1. After the morning Mass at the St. Vincent’s Catholic Church, 309 E. Price St., all were invited to the fellowship hall for refreshments as Rucker opened its Black History Month series. The selections are part of a larger work the artist is proud of called “My Father’s Daughter.”
The artist’s mother, Palmina Rucker of Mount Airy, recalled how the title of the epic poem came about. It was during a heated moment in their household that her late husband reminded Ursula Rucker “she was her father’s daughter,” according to Palmina Rucker, a member of the St. Therese Church in the Holy Cross community.
“I am very proud of Ursula’s courage in doing this work,” Palmina Rucker said. “So many people don’t get to do what they love and express what they want to say. This is what she’s always wanted to do. This is her story. I just praise God that she did this at her church, and I hope that God will always have a hand in whatever she does.”
The Rev. Sy Peterka, pastor of St. Vincent’s, called Ursula Rucker “one of the treasures in our own backyard.” Peterka came to the parish last year after serving at a congregation in Baltimore. He was a frequent guest preacher at the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal in Germantown. So, when he was planning the church’s Black History Month program, many congregants suggested Ursula Rucker be included.
“I thought her presentation was powerful,” Peterka said. “It’s amazing that she was able to recite each poem that was more than five minutes long from memory. She did ... in such a real manner, with so much passion and even using song. So many just told me that they were moved by it.
“I am glad she selected the poems from her collection that were related to Black History Month. I didn’t realize that she had so much expertise. The crowd just found her to be so refreshing. We were all very touched by the poems and we were just blessed to have her,” Peterka said.
Rucker, who is half African American and half Italian, wrote “My Father’s Daughter,” inspired by the story of her parent’s interracial marriage and sometimes violent relationship. This is one of her first major works after she made her fifth album, “She Said” more than four years ago. This is a story she openly shared at St. Vincent’s in the presence of not only her church family but three of her four sons who were in the audience.
For the artist, performing comes easily. She has taken her work abroad to the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Australian Freedom Festival, Amnesty’s global “Stop Violence Against Women” and even concerts in Fabrick, Hamburg in Germany. She has performed with The Roots and other popular recording artists and done solo tours across the country. It was in 2001 she recorded her debut album, “Supa Sister,” and then came works like “Silver & Lead” in 2003, “Ma’at Mama” in 2006 and “She Said” in 2010.
“I get my inspiration form just being awake,” Rucker said. “I am a child of God, and I am tolerant of other people’s experiences. I am respectful of others. I am humbled by the fact that as I look at the world around me I see what’s going on and sometimes I don’t like what I see. So, I write about it. I also share art as an option for those who are [restructuring] their lives.”
Read the original article here.
Image Credit: Ursula Rucker
