New Textbook For Educators Teaches Hip-Hop To Kids

By Alexis Jeffries
AllHipHop
March 21, 2007

The Hip-Hop Association, a national organization dedicated to the movement of Hip-Hop as a culture, has announced the release of The Hip-Hop Education Guidebook: Volume One.

Conceived by the Hip-Hop Association’s Education Initiative, The Hip-Hop Education Guidebook: Volume One is a textbook that documents the history of Hip-Hop music and culture as a product of the African Diaspora.

“Hip-Hop culture should be looked at critically as a vital tool for education reform and as an intergenerational, multi-cultural bridge to develop human civilization,” Martha Diaz, president of the Hip-Hop Association, told AllHipHop.com. “As a former educator, I am fully aware of the challenges educators face in the classroom. We have a national crisis that demands that we focus on education reform. Many of the textbooks are outdated and are not relevant to today’s youth. We need to find ways to help our youth, so I am very passionate about creating innovative ways to advance our progress in the classroom.”

Educators from all over the United States and Canada contributed lessons that cover a range of subject areas including math, science, geography, civics and language arts.

New York University Professor, David Kirkland, who authored the forward of the guidebook argues that “you can learn just as much about language and literature from reading Tupac as you can from Shakespeare. The themes and conflicts present in Shakespeare are all present in Hip-Hop,” he said.

Lulu.com, a self-publishing company which produces the work of independent authors, agreed to publish the book.

Furthermore, the book frames the issues of concern and strength within Hip-Hop culture by providing in-depth analysis from parents, teachers and scholars and by offering an array of innovative, interdisciplinary lessons written by teachers for teachers.

“The goal is to show that there are solutions, that they are working and making improvements, and that we the people of the Hip-Hop generation are involved in changing the destiny of our children,” Diaz said.

The book can be purchased on Lulu.com for $25, and will be made available this month.

Diaz is also working on a new book titled Fresh, Bold and So Def: 100 of the Most Influential Women in Hip-Hop with writer, Raqiyah Mays.

Source: allhiphop.com