{"id":34985,"date":"2023-08-23T01:12:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T01:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=34985"},"modified":"2023-08-24T08:29:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T08:29:34","slug":"how-a-hip-hop-mindset-can-help-teachers-in-a-time-of-turmoil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/how-a-hip-hop-mindset-can-help-teachers-in-a-time-of-turmoil\/","title":{"rendered":"How a hip-hop mindset can help teachers in a time of\u00a0turmoil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Toby Jenkins<\/a>, University of South Carolina<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While hip-hop has created a lot of good memories, good music and good times, the culture has gifted society much more than just entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a researcher who specializes in hip-hop culture<\/a>, I know that one of hip-hop\u2019s greatest gifts is a certain mindset that focuses on freedom of thought, flexibility and truth-telling<\/a>. It also includes creativity, authenticity, confidence, braggadocio, uninhibited voice and integrity<\/a> as those things relate to one\u2019s community and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order for educators to overcome the challenges of what politicians are turning into an increasingly restrictive teaching environment<\/a> \u2013 particularly with regard to matters of race and racism in American history<\/a> \u2013 I believe the hip-hop mindset has taken on a new sense of relevance in the educational arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many educators feel uncertainty<\/a> over what they can and can\u2019t say in the classroom. They also want to stay true to themselves. Here, I offer five ways that educators can adopt the hip-hop mindset to confront the challenges they face:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Claim your space<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Run-DMC took the stage in the 1980s<\/a>, they often began their show with Run \u2013 one half of the pioneering rap duo \u2013 walking on stage and saying to an eager crowd: \u201cWe had a whole lot of superstars on this stage here tonight, but I want y’all to know one thing: This is my house. And when I say \u2018Who\u2019s house?\u2019 I want y’all to say \u2018Run\u2019s house.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through this call-and-response<\/a> routine, the group claimed every arena in which they performed. Whether you call it posturing, braggadocio or swag, hip-hop culture has long rewarded those who confidently took control of the spaces where they work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hip-hop\u2019s longevity is due in large part to this boldness \u2013 artists standing firm and fighting back<\/a> even when they were under attack<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strong confidence gives artists the guts to be nonconformists, to tell the truth and to try something new \u2013 practices that I believe will benefit teachers in the midst of political efforts to control what they say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Form a squad or a crew<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From the early days to now, hip-hop artists have always formed squads or crews<\/a> to perform as emcees or dancers, who often battle to show who has the best lyrics or dance moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early examples include the Rock Steady Crew and New York City Breakers, who famously squared off against one another in an iconic scene<\/a> from the 1984 hip-hop movie \u201cBeat Street.\u201d https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-Xu48tnr4qQ?wmode=transparent&start=0 Breakdancing battle scene from the movie \u201cBeat Street.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your squad isn\u2019t just your personal friends \u2013 they are your colleagues and comrades in the struggle. They are your trusted village of truth tellers, possibility partners and strategic thinkers. Educators can lean on their squad to help strategize and stay sane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A squad or crew need not be confined to just one school. Queen Latifah, Monie Love, A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul \u2013 who were either solo acts or individual groups \u2013 were all part of an even larger artistic community called Native Tongues<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as hip-hop artists are often part of larger groups, educators can similarly build a larger community of support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations could prove important now more than ever. These organizations can host and facilitate learning experiences that might be prohibited in a classroom. Through these partnerships, students can get free, community-based programs that enable them to have freer discussions that might not be allowed within a public school in a state that restricts what educators can say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Remix<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most popular strategies of creating hip-hop music is the remix \u2013 where a song\u2019s producer will create a new version of a song, sometimes by borrowing or sampling beats from other songs, changing up the pace, or even introducing new lyrics that weren\u2019t part of the original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A classic example would be KRS-One\u2019s 1988 song \u201cStill #1.\u201d Whereas the original version<\/a> was laid back, the \u201cNumero Uno\u201d remix<\/a> featured a sample of an upbeat Latin jazz song and even opened in Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embracing the art of remixing might offer a viable way for educators to respond to efforts to censor what students can read in school or educators can teach in class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, in school districts or states where certain books or topics have been outlawed, educators can use Books Unbanned<\/a> \u2013 a program in which teens and young adults can access e-books using a national library card. Educators can create a free guide of resources for families that include information on similar programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A remix may also be helpful with school funding. Schools at all levels could secure grant and foundational support<\/a>, which can provide the resources to fund community-based partnerships and the freedom to establish specialized initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Go crate digging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Crate digging<\/a> is a critical part of the remix. It is the process of sifting through old vinyl records, typically stored in old milk crates or cardboard boxes, to find a long-forgotten song to use in a remix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, teachers can turn to the tactics and strategies employed by educators from different eras to see how they dealt with the educational exclusion and erasure of their day. After desegregation, for instance, a new struggle emerged in the 1960s and 1970s to make school lessons more culturally and racially inclusive<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By examining the work of legendary educators like Septima Clark<\/a>, today\u2019s teachers can uncover ideas and opportunities to re-imagine historical efforts like the Citizenship Schools<\/a> initiative that Clark developed. These mobile schools \u2013 or \u201crolling schools\u201d<\/a> as they were called \u2013 took learning into community spaces. These schools paved the way for programs like the Freedom Schools that were later developed by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, and are still in operation today by the Children\u2019s Defense Fund<\/a>. Communities around the country partner with the Children\u2019s Defense Fund to offer local Freedom Schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Still keep it real<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a teenage fan of hip-hop in the early 1990s, I remember the phrase \u201ckeep it real\u201d \u2013 which is an expression of authenticity \u2013 as being extremely popular<\/a>. At the time, it felt like intense pressure to keep it real and to represent your community. I now look back and appreciate that it actually wasn\u2019t pressure, but rather permission to be authentic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educators don\u2019t have to champion the new laws and policies that restrict what they can teach \u2013 they just have to follow them. But there\u2019s no restriction against \u201ckeeping it real\u201d and discussing the new laws and policies as a civics lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when the lesson or class is about current events, students could examine various laws being enacted to restrict the teaching of Black history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educators may find themselves facing a growing number of challenges from state legislatures as they increasingly invade their classroom spaces and curtail the kind of content they can teach in class. I believe by adopting the hip-hop mindset, educators will be better prepared to do the kind of battle required to prevail on behalf of truth-telling, authenticity, creativity and all the other habits of mind that made hip-hop the defiant and resilient culture that it has become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toby Jenkins<\/a>, Professor of Higher Education, University of South Carolina<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Toby Jenkins, University of South Carolina While hip-hop has created a lot of good memories, good music and good times, the culture has gifted society much more than just entertainment. As a researcher who specializes in hip-hop culture, I know that one of hip-hop\u2019s greatest gifts is a certain mindset that focuses on freedom of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":34986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8025,292],"tags":[1660,594,10395,553,3376,14579,2650,14580,10806,14417,1737,426,13,12808,3297,4849],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34985"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34985"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34987,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34985\/revisions\/34987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}