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Over 500 High School Students Participated in Hip-Hop Workshop at Mose Vines Preparatory Academy on Chicago’s West Side

Over 500 high school students experienced a slice of hip-hop culture during a school assembly held at Mose Vines Preparatory Academy, 730 North Pulaski on Chicago’s west side, on May 21, 2007. Presented by the Chicago Council on Urban Affairs, the Hip-Hop Workshop focused on the history of hip-hop music, compared and contrasted the music’s early messages to current messages, and presented several local rappers, spoken word artists, and break dancers live to demonstrate their art forms. The workshop was the Council’s first collaboration with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS).

“The Chicago Council on Urban Affairs is pleased to partner with Chicago Public Schools in this series of hip-hop workshops designed to help youth use school-based culture and principles of education to think critically about the influence that hip-hop music and popular culture have on their perception of the importance of education,” said Lu Bailey, president of the Council. Current plans are to present the workshops in 18 high schools by the end of 2008. “The structure of the workshop provides a framework for students to examine if the lyrics and messages presented in present-day hip-hop music promote personal growth and human potential or criminality and self-destruction,” said Bailey.

Hip-hop artists Just Flow (onstage left) and Red Storm perform to over 500 students at Mose Vines Preparatory Academy recently during a Hip-Hop Workshop presented at a school assembly. Students had an opportunity to discuss and analyze many of the messages and images they hear and see daily in hip-hop music and videos.

Many of the students responded with applause and “high-fives” throughout the presentation. Lance Williams, Ph.D., assistant director of the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies at Northeastern Illinois University, has developed a workshop format that uses rap music and videos as tools to focus on the mass media’s influence on adolescent behavior. An instructor in Northeastern’s African American Studies program and an educational consultant, Dr. Williams specializes in the infusion of popular culture into existing curricula, works with high-risk populations, and addresses issues relating to gang prevention, conflict resolution, and behavior modification of youth.

Mentors from various professions, teachers from Mose Vines, several student volunteers, and spoken word artists served as facilitators during the scheduled breakout sessions that allowed for student/mentor discussion, critique, and analysis of images and messages the students see and hear on a daily basis.

Patricia Woodson, principal of Mose Vines since 2005, endorsed the hip-hop workshop concept wholeheartedly. “The workshop is designed to help students analyze and better understand the music and videos they listen to and watch so often. We want them to question some of the lyrics and images they hear and see everyday—not just take them in without any thought to their content,” said Ms. Woodson.

Pictured left to right: Spoken Word Recording Artist Red Storm; Kurt Miller, project manager, Chicago Public Schools; Ronald "Kwesi" Harris, hip-hop workshop organizer; Patricia Woodson, Mose Vines principal; Phillip Hampton, director of community relations, Chicago Public Schools; Lu Bailey, president, the Chicago Council on Urban Affairs; and Dr. Lance Williams, Northeastern Illinois University instructor and workshop presenter.

Mose Vines is one of the two “small schools” inside of Rezin Orr High School. Mose Vines offers a multi-faceted curriculum with an accelerated program for advanced learners and a program that meets the needs of students who experience academic challenges. Under Woodson’s guidance, the school has been transformed into a “destination” school—in the community, of the community, and for the community.

The Council created the original hip-hop workshop in 2004 as a part of its Boyz 2 Men Project—A Journey To Manhood. The workshop documented the overwhelming impact the media has on the self-esteem of young boys and men. It also highlighted the need for older men to reach out and mentor boys and young men. The Council’s partnership with the Chicago Public Schools provides an opportunity for girls and young women to participate in this informative discussion of the hip-hop culture and to express their views on the images of females as depicted in popular music and videos.

For information on the Hip-Hop Workshops, please contact the Chicago Council on Urban Affairs at 312-782-3511.

The Council and the Chicago Public Schools
Collaborate to Help Kids Critique Hip-Hop Pop Culture

The Council and the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have entered into a partnership to sponsor Hip-Hop Workshops at several high schools in Chicago. The workshops will help youth review and critique the impact of hip-hop pop culture on self-identity and self-esteem, decision-making about school and the value of education, criminality and risky behavior, and how youth use hip-hop as a lens to define family, school, and community relationships. This project is a continuation of the Council’s very successful Hip-Hop Workshop held in 2006 with close to 500 youth participants.

The first Council/CPS sponsored event will take place Monday, May 21 at Mose Vines High School. For more information, please contact the Council at 312-782-3511.

Are You Ready for a New Discussion
About Race Relations in America?

The Chicago Council on Urban Affairs hosted over 100 attendees at a racism dialogue titled “Are You Ready for a New Discussion About Race Relations in America?” Bart Lubow, senior associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, presented the keynote address. Cosponsored by Roosevelt University’s Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and ServiceMaster, the event was held recently at Ganz Hall on the Loop campus of Roosevelt University.

Guest speaker Bart Lubow, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, gave a passionate presentation about the need for more whites to join in the discussion about improving race relations and advocating for racial and social justice.

The multi-racial audience was presented with a challenge that focused on bringing more white people into discussions of racism and action needed to advance the case for racial justice. Mr. Lubow pointed out that the number of whites working to address these issues has declined since the 1960s—the heyday of America’s Civil Rights Movement. He stressed that all people should feel a responsibility to discuss race and that there appears to be a backlash against racial discussion in today’s society.

Mr. Lubow presented a series of myths that he says many whites hold about race in America. They include: most whites believe the Civil Rights Movement was successful in leveling the playing field between whites and blacks; most whites think that inequality persists because blacks are not taking advantage of the gains made during the Civil Rights Movement; and most whites think that America is quickly becoming a race blind society. “Unfortunately,” said Mr. Lubow, “many whites who want to discuss race in America are relegated to being stuck in [the mindset of] the 1960s.”

Kevin Richardson, representing event corporate sponsor ServiceMaster, Council President Lu Bailey, and guest speaker Bart Lubow.

Lu Bailey, president of the Council, convened the racism dialogue because the nonprofit organization’s research shows that for the past two decades people of color have been the predominant voices on the issues relating to social justice and civil rights. “Whenever the issues of race, diversity, discrimination, or hate crimes are discussed or featured, you can bet that an African American or more recently a Latino person is lamenting about what steps need to be taken to ‘close the gap,’ ‘create an even playing field,’ or ‘create an inclusive workplace or community.’ The lack of white participation in these dialogues has hampered efforts to promote racial justice,” said Ms. Bailey. “If we want to see real and steady progress in improving race relations and creating true equality, we need the input and voices of all those—especially whites—who advocate for social justice.”

During his discussion, Mr. Lubow cited some startling statistics. African Americans and other minority groups are overrepresented in all aspects of the criminal justice system. African Americans are 16% of the population, yet have 28% of the contacts with the criminal justice system. Thirty percent of all African American males will spend a part of their lives in prison, while one-third of all African American men are currently in the court system. More than 90% of the inmates in Cook County prisons are African Americans or Latinos. And contrary to popular belief, the majority of the detention and incarceration is unrelated to gang or gun activities. Mr. Lubow stated that these statistics should outrage anyone who believes in equality and justice.

Council President Lu Bailey (left) and former Cook County Board President Bobbi Steele pictured after the event.

With a background steeped in advancing the cause for social justice, Mr. Lubow is a national expert on issues relating to alternatives to incarceration for both adults and youth, designing juvenile justice reform initiatives, and proposing other community justice and safety efforts. He joined the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 1992 and has held progressively responsible positions throughout his tenure.

The Council will continue its discussion of racism and other social justice issues throughout the year in a series of dialogues, workshops, seminars, and public venues designed to inform and educate the residents of Chicago.

Chicago Council on Urban Affairs
Hosted Over 450 Boys and Young Men
During the Hip-Hop Generation Workshop at Roosevelt University

A capacity crowd of over 450 boys and young men from 12 to 18 years of age attended the Hip-Hop Generation Workshop sponsored by the Chicago Council on Urban Affairs on May 18, 2006. Held in conjunction with Mansfield Institute for Social Justice at Roosevelt University, the workshop addressed the hip-hop industry’s impact on today’s boys and young men. The youth filled Roosevelt University’s 10th floor library accompanied by chaperones from local schools, churches, and community organizations.

Dr. Lance Williams selects several members of the audience to participate in an exercise during the Hip-Hop Generation Workshop. Dr. Williams used the participants to illustrate a point about the economics of the global hip-hop music industry.

Lance Williams, Ph.D., assistant director of the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies at Northeastern Illinois University, engaged the youth in a dynamic dialogue surrounding the images depicted in hip-hop videos and music. He also provided historical context of the evolution of hip-hop from a once socially conscious, oral art form to its current state of negative images that degrade women and girls while often espousing violence.

Dr. Williams’ presentation incorporated several Chicago-area spoken word artists who joined him on the podium to perform their original poetry. Socially conscious artists like Red Storm, Emerald, and T.J. Crawford challenged the young men to examine their lives and to avoid situations that could lead to imprisonment and drug dealing. They also talked about respect for women and for one’s community. The reaction from the audience was full of applause and nods of agreement. Occasionally, someone jumped up to give a “shout out” to the artists.

Participants had the opportunity to learn about the economics and evolution of the hip-hop industry. The workshop was taped by CAN-TV and aired on local cable television.

According to Lu Bailey, president of the Council, the response from area schools, churches, and youth organizations far exceeded the Council’s projections. “From the moment we sent out announcements, the response was overwhelming. We knew immediately we were offering a topic that our young men wanted to discuss,” said Bailey.

The attendees had the opportunity to work together in breakout groups led by male mentors from various professions. During the sessions, the mentors posed a question and the group members created a spoken word response. This exercise helped the youth to critique and analyze the images they see and hear on a daily basis and challenged them to create their own images. Selected group members shared their groups’ responses with the entire audience.

The young men expressed their appreciation for the workshop experience through the positive responses they listed on their evaluation forms. Many of the attendees wrote that they learned a lot during the workshop and planned to share their information with others. Some also requested that a similar workshop be scheduled at their schools.

To Annual Neighborhood Awards Dinner