"If WE Ruled the World": Imagining Hip-Hop Abolitionist Educational Praxis

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Revolutionizing Education Through Hip-Hop: Narratives of Empowerment and Liberation (Table 9)

Abstract

In this conceptual paper, we argue that the present socio-political context demands we stop thinking about reforming education for racial justice and start working towards “destroying and rebuilding” education for racial justice. Here, we draw from the prophetic imagination of Hip-Hop, in particular, Nas’ “If I Ruled the World” (1996), to get out our dreams of what type of society and schools we want Black youth to live and learn in. This philosophical inquiry is salient to the 2024 Annual Meeting's theme as it explores the radical possibilities of Hip-Hop abolitionist educational praxis to reimagine education and schooling for racial justice.

Authors

• H. Bernard Hall, Drexel University

• Monet Harbison, Drexel University