Hip-Hop Culture as a Catalyst for Belonging Among Black Male High School Students Who Stutter

• In Event: Hip Hop, Identity, and Black Educational Futures

Abstract

This qualitative ethnographic study explores how Hip-Hop culture fosters belonging and identity development among Black male high school students who stutter. Grounded in Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, and Hip-Hop Pedagogy, the research examines how participation in a Hip-Hop-based literacy program supported students in reclaiming agency and resisting deficit-based narratives about speech and ability. Data sources include interviews, participant observation, and student-created artifacts such as lyrics and spoken word. Findings reveal that Hip-Hop offered a liberatory space where stuttering was not a limitation but a stylistic expression. This work advances inclusive, culturally affirming practices that reimagine belonging for multiply marginalized youth in educational spaces.

Authors

• Antonio L. Ellis, American University

• Chaz T. Gipson, U.S. Department of Education

• Phelton Cortez Moss, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Eugene Pringle, American University