Not Everything Is Over the Rainbow: Spoken Word and Hip-Hop as Tools of Transformation

• In Event: 25.083 - MTCC Roundtable Session Eight
  In Roundtable Session: 25.083-7 - "We Are the Next Generation": Preparing to Lead Through Hip-Hop

Abstract

This paper discusses the findings of a case study exploring the understandings, beliefs, and practices of Youth Spoken Word Poetry (YSW) educators who work within the field of Hip Hop-Based Education (HHBE). This study is framed by a sociocultural lens of education and includes a blend of narrative research methods.
Major findings revealed that participants describe themselves as racialized and spiritual beings in multiple ways. Participants described the field of YSW as grounded in African-American lineages and acknowledged that the field is currently pluralistic. These findings highlight communities that support: (1) Reflection, or honoring individual identities; (2) Refraction, or honoring Communities that shape our paths; and (3) Dispersion, or the use of stories to support dreaming and transforming the world.

Author

• Moira E Pirsch, Teachers College, Columbia University