Yearning for Hoop Dreams: Hip-Hop and the Possible Selves of Young Black Men

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: "Never Let Me Down": Critical Perspectives in Hip-Hop Education and Counseling

Abstract

In this article, I explore how narratives surrounding Black male academic achievement, while once focused on professional sports as a “way up, way out,” have been exchanged for a hip-hop focused, “hustle” pedagogy. Using a qualitative case example of 12 young Black homeless males and a possible selves framework, I argue that hip-hop based education (HHBE), in the hands of informal educational staff and the white gaze, limits the possible selves of Black boys in pejorative, socially reproductive ways. I conclude with the implication that, in our efforts to quickly solve the educational crisis facing young Black men, we continue to fall short of creating equity-focused policies that places the future success of young Black males at the center.

Author

• Shantá R. Robinson, University of Chicago