MY CLASS: People often ask why do you teach a Hip Hop class in the School of Social Work? Even when they do not ask why, and support the notion of the class, the general sentiment is “Cool, that sounds fun!” — My class is entitled, Hip Hop, Social Justice, and Individual and Community Change. The premise is threefold, as we are integrating three streams of information for students >>> (1) Hip Hop: Hip Hop is examined in the context of its core cultural values of peace, love, unity, and having fun; the five elements of b-boying/b-girling, emceeing, deejaying, graffiti and most importantly knowledge of self; and five empowerment narratives reflected in the music and art: esteem, resilience, growth, community, and change – which anchor Hip Hop’s values of self-improvement and community improvement; (2) Social Justice: The issue of equity and justice is important for moment to moment experiences in general but also especially important as it relates to social determinants of healthy development over the life-course; (3) Individual and Community Change: We have to have a clear understanding of why and how people’s health and well-being unfolds over time. We need to know what contributes to individual well-being and what contributes to community well-being. If students can understand how healthy development (psychologically, emotionally, physically, socially) occurs over the lifespan, and if they have an understanding of how directly inequity and injustice influences healthy development in an instance and cumulatively over time, and if students can appreciate how aspects of Hip Hop culture (whether it is through song, visual art, dance, or inspiration for greater self-awareness and social awareness) speak directly and forcefully to these issues, then it may give them a greater sense of urgency to reflect on themselves and how they approach their own lives personally and professionally. #HHSJ #CREATELABTXST #HealingPowerofHipHop #georgefloyd #ahmaudarbery #breannataylor #BLM #EMPYD #MUZUZE #uprising #notriot https://www.instagram.com/p/CAzL5H4A_J5/?igshid=10kxvvih2nwpl
