School Is My Hustle: A Youth Movement to Transform Education

• In Event: Shape Shifting Identities in Hip-Hop: Spirituality, Hustle, and Authenticity

Abstract

The transformation of education is not merely the work of the K-12 school system, but demands new kinds of involvement from higher education. Building on this premise, scholar-activism provides an important framework: research should not merely be conducted for knowledge production, but in service to social change. To tap into and develop our personal and collective brilliance—from kindergarten through college—it is imperative we reimagine our relationship to research and to each other. This paper examines a collaborative model that fosters connections between the university, schoolhouse, and adjacent neighborhoods. As an innovative model, Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS) at UC Davis pairs community-based poets with classroom teachers to provide youth with opportunities to empower themselves through hip-hop activism.

Author

• Vajra M. Watson, University of California - Davis