Niaz Short
MCOM 620
11/05/2019
Op-Ed: Hip-Hop Should Be Used to Teach Black History
Growing up in the early 2000s school era as a young Black girl was quite interesting. I was taught everything from how to add and subtract, I learned about all the different White presidents in the United States, and I learned about White literature. Every February, every year, my class and I would be taught the underrepresented version of how slavery came about, the civil rights movements, and briefly the Harlem Renaissance. I was also usually one of the few Black students in my class. And every year, I remember getting anxious when the subject of Black history would come up because I was reminded once again how badly my people were treated, as well as how badly I wanted the subject to be over due to how badly it was explained in class. According to Glenn Mourning (2019), “Unfortunately, in our school systems, the conversations and discourse of the history of an entire group of people begins with learning about extreme violent conditions, unimaginable oppression and the stripping of millions of people from their homeland”. Growing up in a Black household, I was given a deeper story to slavery. I was taught about how Africans were kidnapped and forced to America, and the most influential and prominent Black figures in our history from Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, and Martin Luther King. All very important things to learn, but never was taught about the root in the history of my people in the school system. My people after the civil war, and after the Harlem Renaissance. I remember always wanting to learn more about the people who did things that was good for the soul, talked about our struggles, as well as creating a community that celebrated us. The community that took the time to educate us about us. However, to society, these things were deemed as bad for the youth because of the choice of words or profanity used. But, I remember how I felt when I first listened to Wu-Tang Clan, Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”, India Arie’s “I am Not my Hair”, Nas’ Illmatic album, or anything Tupac related. It made feel not only proud to be Black, but these artists made me feel confident in expressing myself unapologetically and genuinely. These artists also gave the real truth on how hard Blacks continue to have it in America. These artists and their music helped me feel that my Blackness was something that should celebrated as well as being given the tools as to having a deeper understanding of what other Blacks face in America.
With that said, hip-hop music should be taught in today’s school systems. We live in a time now where Blacks are still being targeted, young women are insecure in their Blackness, and young children are not being given the full understanding of the Black experience in schools. Music captures our attention, especially the youth in many ways. Hip-Hop in specific teaches and informs us of the Black experience. According to Patrick Ryan of USA Today (2018), and Nielson Music’s 2017 year-end-report, “R&B/hip-hop has surpassed rock to become the biggest music genre in the U.S. in terms of total consumption”. Understandably so. We have acts such as Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Childish Gambino (Donald Glover), amongst a plethora of other artists. What these artists have in common are not only that they are beyond talented, but they continue to use their platform to talk about issues, as well as praising some of the things we experience in the Black community. They have gone political in a creative way that continues to spark the minds of the new and old generation. Take Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly”, with singles such as “Alright”. In the song “Alright”, the message behind the song covers killings in the Black community by law enforcement, as well as celebrating the fact that we still stand resilient regardless of the trenches we have been put through. In Lamar’s 2017 album “Damn”, he also featured songs such as “XXX”, which he talks about systematic racism in America. A piece of history that Kendrick Lamar accomplished is being the first ever Hip-Hop artist to win a Pulitzer Prize for his “Damn Album”. Beyoncé, who is also a well-known and successful artist, praises Black women, as well as the Black experience, in songs such as “Formation”, and “Freedom” from her 2017 album “Lemonade”. Just the visuals to her songs on the album alone highlights Black history. Beyonce has also made history many times by becoming the first ever Black female artist to headline Coachella, and she is the highest paid recording artist. Another artist whose music celebrates and educates Blacks is Childish Gambino. He has released songs such as “Redbone”, and “This is America”, which talks about systematic racism, and police killings as well. And, lastly, let’s not forget the most prominent Hip-Hop artist, Tupac, whose lyricism was poetic, relatable, and unapologetic that had the Black community, still till this day, gravitate towards him.
Black History is more than just slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. Black history is still being made and is something that Black children should feel proud to learn about, as well as having access to learning about it outside the home. The Black culture has evolved since the Civil Rights movement, and should be recognized. Hip-Hop music serves as a blueprint to the Black community. It is how we come together as a community, and how we’ve learned and relate to our own experience.
References
Ali, Sunni (2015). Integrating Hip-Hop and Cultural Relevant Lessons into the Public School
Curriculum. Journal of Research Initiatives, 1(3).
Mourning, G. (2019). Teaching Black History beyond Slavery and Black History Month.
PBS Teaching Lounge. https://www.pbs.org/education/blog/teaching-black-history-beyond-slavery-and-black-history-month
Ryan, P. (2018). Rap Overtakes Rock as the Most Popular Genre Among Music Fans. Here’s
Why. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/01/03/rap-overtakes-rock-most-popular-genre-among-music-fans-heres-why/990873001/
