A New Imaginary for Black Immigration: Afro-Futurism for Border-Transgressive Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy

• In Event: Youth Identity Making and Transgressing Spaces

Abstract

The arrest of rapper Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (21 Savage) ignited a larger sociopolitical discussion of what it means to be Black and undocumented in America. Savage was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement because of his status as an undocumented Black immigrant from Britain. His arrest sparked a national conversation concerning the estimated 575,000 Black undocumented immigrants living in the United States. 21 Savage represents the African diaspora of Hip Hop and what it means for Black youth to border transgress. In this paper, the authors link Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy and Afrofuturism to conceptualize a framework for Black and Brown youth that promotes Hip Hop as a border transgressing space for Black and Brown unity and liberation.

Authors

• Alex Chisholm, University of Georgia - Athens

• Bettina L. Love, University of Georgia