In America’s ever-changing landscape of discrimination, the challenges for artists of color often feel insurmountable. Fighting underrepresentation and limited platforms is an uphill battle, and Midwestern cities like Springfield, Missouri are no different. For writers like Rex Ybañez, a yearning for community has driven artistic action, and as Rex creates spaces where being heard is priority, change is rippling across the city.
Arts, Education, and Identity
As an undergraduate, Rex was the only Filipino-American student in the Arts Department at Southwest Baptist. Existing beyond the cusp of normative white society was not uncharted territory for Rex and neither was discrimination.
“I wasn’t a happy person growing up because I grew up in rural, white Missouri. There weren’t people that looked like me, and people were not kind to me in school because of that,” Rex admitted, recalling experiences of blatant racism. Still, education and the arts maintained their role as a place of refuge for Rex.
Upon receiving his bachelors, Rex took continuing education courses at Missouri State and networked the poetry scene in Springfield, Missouri. He began a “poetry tour” of sorts, and the influence of open mics was clear. Rex saw that open mics provided a positive environment to express oneself freely.
“Open mics aren’t necessarily a talent show, but you should show us what you have to say. What are you about?” he said.
Not only did Rex have an aptitude for writing, but he also was culturally familiar with the performative arts.
“Having grown up Filipino, you’re expected to be the showman. We put on different types of parties where we’d sing for people or dance or play music,” Rex explained. “You’re a performer. That was the culture I grew up in. And sometimes, I wish I could escape that, but here I am.”
Fostering Spaces of Expression: Rex’s Story
Identity was intertwined in each step for Rex, and as an observant and informed community leader, Rex took charge to open even more doors for expression. From November of 2018 to Spring of 2019, Rex began hosting open mics at Uriel’s Unusual Bookstore. Rex additionally organized well attended open mics at Pagination Bookshop with a professor from Missouri State.
“People who happened to have something to say were being listened to. We were providing that atmosphere and safe space for people,” Rex said. Unfortunately, oppression continued to be a reminder of the threats to progress.
When the murder of George Floyd garnered international attention in 2020, a wave of grief struck our communities, further derailing an already struggling nation. People felt angry, confused, hopeless. A collaborator of Rex’s at the Springfield Regional Arts Council reached out to Rex during that time, asking “What can I do for artists of color?”
Rex explained that there needed to be a space that celebrated artists of color and their initiatives. With experience organizing poetry events, Rex helped establish the Artist Empowerment Collective, and through the widely successful “Show Your Colors” event, artists of colors could find both community and a platform to be showcased. This yearly event has persisted since 2021, serving as a staple for the arts in post-lockdown expression.
Rex further observed that poetry was a critical touchpoint in our communities, and the following year, Rex continued his leaderships pursuits, organizing the event Poets Corner. In every way, the bi-monthly event represents an effort to create a safe space for artists today, deriving its name from the section of Westminster Abbey in which famous poets are buried. Rex repurposed the name of London’s “Poets’ Corner” to challenge a history of white-European appropriation and exclusion, offering to Springfield a platform for vibrant life and diversity.
A Stone’s Throw Away: Drury University’s “Cafe Soul”
At the heart of Springfield’s Northside sits Drury University, and it is here that the Black United Independent Collegiate (BUIC) has opened another space for artists of color. Directed at both students on campus and alumni, BUIC began hosting Cafe Soul, an open mic poetry and jazz event, in 2022. The event has cemented itself as one of the most anticipated nights of the year on Drury’s campus, and in 2023, the event was deemed the “Program of the Year.”
BUIC Vice-President Raven Haney has spearhead the organization of Cafe Soul since its inception.
Haney says, “It’s important to show successful Black people in art. There is a space for us, and it’s not just a thing for white people. We have stories to share.”
At Cafe Soul, those stories manifests themselves as music, poetry, and conversation.
BUIC President Serenity Sosa reaffirmed those sentiments, further explaining the significance of an open-mic event focused on Black history and artistry.
“What makes Cafe Soul so impactful is the community it provides,” she said. Sosa explained that Cafe Soul draws together artists and community members, offering an environment for identity discovery.
Raven Haney also noted the stigma around the intersection between art and African-American’s pursuing it as a career.
“There’s that fear of being a starving artist, and our people have been starving for thousands of years,” Haney said.
See, in the face of oppression, it has become restrictive to pursue dreams. More specifically, the “American Dream” has largely become elusive to people of color, whether they identify as artists or not.
Deciphering the “American Dream”
Rex Ybañez, a first generation American, has experienced and observed this directly.
“My dad came [to America] for opportunities, and he opened the door. He tried to conquer the world, but he went back home because the American Dream failed him,” Rex said.
The pursuit of freedom is inherently plagued with hardship and racism, and the intergenerational effects are immeasurable.
“So, there’s a lot of anger that fuels the things that I do,” Rex continued. “You can be angry, but it’s about what you do with that anger.”
This anger has motivated and driven Rex towards creating those inclusive poetry communities. It has driven Rex to advocate for other local organizations, and it has pushed Rex towards getting his poetry published in over thirty publications.
“Anger informs everything I do,” Rex said. “I want beautiful things to happen in my community because I was angry enough to care about something.”
In a time of anxiety, fear, and anger, there is in fact beautiful change occurring across Springfield. As community organizers like Rex and BUIC lead these battles for people of color, new platforms are being discovered, and voices are being heard. True freedom and progress are nearing through the expression of several powerful barrier breakers.
It is up to others to start by listening…
