On Feb. 12, students from our department’s Italian program ventured to Detroit for a series of events by Afro-Italian rapper Amir Issaa to celebrate Black History Month.

The morning of, the eighteen students arrived early at Wayne State University in two MSU VANs driven by professors Carmen De Lorenzo and Valentina Denzel. Amir Issaa started off the event with a workshop in rhyming and poetry. They concluded the afternoon with a presentation of his newly translated book This is What I Live For.

Students from MSU’s Italian program accompany Amir Issaa (third from left) on stage after the concert.

The concert was held in the evening, and was well attended by students from MSU, Wayne State University, and the University of Michigan. All students in attendance were incredibly grateful for this opportunity and thoroughly enjoyed the events. 

“Thank you, for today and all the work you put in, I appreciate it and had fun.”

MSU Student