Designing Our Futures: Hip-Hop, Comics, and Critical Speculative Design

• In Event: Revolution Along the Margins: Exploring Speculative Counter-Story Through Hip-Hop and Comic Books

Abstract

This paper presents the "Designing Our Futures Literacy Project," a critical literacy initiative and study that engaged researchers, local maker spaces, community organizations, and 20 secondary level (5-12) student artists in imagining and designing desired futures through speculative design using comics and hip hop through an Afrofuturist framework. Students were encouraged to imagine, design, iterate, and fabricate visions of the future, drawing inspiration from their cultural backgrounds and histories to tell transformative stories through the lens of hip hop, comics, and other speculative (re)storying.
This study intentionally engaged a culturally sustaining framework toward critical multimodal literacy, inviting students to draw inspiration from their cultural backgrounds, histories, and heritages to craft artifacts of their futures using hip hop, comics, and other speculative mediums to (re)story their futures. The primary aim was to center the dreams and aspirations of traditionally marginalized youth and celebrate the historical legacies of freedom dreaming.
The project's core methodology centered on Critical Speculative Design, which invites participants to draw on their funds of knowledge, repertoires of practice, and personal assets to speculate on just futures through storytelling and imagination toward social justice. By encouraging students to draw from their cultural backgrounds and histories, the initiative foregrounded the significance of cultural heritage in shaping individual and collective identities. This approach fostered a sense of ownership and empowerment among the participants, as they became active agents in the construction of their visions for the future. The fusion of comics art, hip hop music, fashion, and graffiti served as catalysts for reflection, contemplation and discussion, inviting students to envision "what if" scenarios that challenged current societal injustices and explored alternatives that were free from the burdens of inequality. The incorporation of hip hop, comics, and other forms of speculative (re)storying enabled participants to engage in multidimensional, multimodal storytelling. The creation of hip hop artifacts, such as music, fashion, and graffiti, facilitated a deeper connection to the students' lived experiences and aspirations.
Furthermore, the project was grounded in the principles of community-centered collaboration. By partnering with local library maker spaces, community organizations, and artists, the initiative ensured that it was responsive to the specific needs and desires of the community it aimed to serve. Collaborating with local library maker spaces, community organizations, and artists, the researchers facilitated a creative environment that encouraged students to explore and question the future of their community through various artistic expressions. This collaboration also enriched the educational experience, as students were exposed to a diverse array of perspectives and expertise, broadening their horizons and fostering a sense of interconnectedness within their community.
By embracing storytelling and speculative imagination through hip hop, comics, and other mediums, the project invited students to reflect on the societal injustices they faced and imagine worlds free from such burdens. This initiative not only nurtured creative expression but also instilled in the participants a sense of agency, affirming their voices as essential contributors to shaping a more equitable and just future for their community.

Author

• Michael B. Dando, St. Cloud State University