Hip hop has the potential to be a vehicle for powerful social and political change, says a University of Colorado at Boulder professor who is using the musical genre to teach a new generation about African-American history.
"Why are we as a generation overlooking the contributions of the civil rights movement?" said Reiland Rabaka, an assistant professor of African-American studies. "There's a lot we can learn."
Rabaka is one of several faculty members and administrators who will present lectures during the 20th annual Black Awareness Month at CU-Boulder. All of the activities will be free and open to the public and are among other events around the United States to mark Black History Month. Since 1926, the nation has set aside the month of February to celebrate the rich array of contributions made by black Americans in virtually every aspect of U.S. history and culture.
Rabaka's lecture, "The Talented Tenth at the Twilight of the 21st Century: Exploring African-American Student Leadership Models and Movements -- From the Harlem Renaissance to the Hip Hop Generation, 1925-2005," will take place from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, in room 245 of the University Memorial Center. His presentation, in part, will be a nod toward the legacies of historian, writer, scholar and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, who called on all black Americans to share their gifts and talents as widely as possible.
In junior high school, Rabaka was galvanized by Du Bois' 1903 seminal American classic, "The Souls of Black Folk." As a young scholar, he realized that hip hop could be an effective tool in reaching new generations of students unfamiliar with Du Bois and other American trailblazers.
In his class "Introduction to Hip Hop Studies: From the Roots of Rap Music to the Rise of Hip Hop Culture," Rabaka encourages his students to train a critical eye on both the good and questionable of hip-hop culture and how the music has influenced film, art, mass media, athletics and other mainstream cultural realms. His class size was expanded to 100 after students petitioned for more seats.
"I understand education to be about self transformation and social transformation. I'm not training my students to go out and get a new house, but to go out and change the world," said Rabaka, a scholar, writer, poet, jazz musician and cultural ambassador.
Derek Wilson, assistant coordinator with CU-Boulder's African American Student Services at the Center for Multicultural Affairs, encourages all students and the general public to attend this year's Black Awareness Month activities. He believes such events provide invaluable opportunities for people of all walks of life to connect in meaningful ways.
"Ultimately, it's about the relationship we have with each other as individuals," Wilson said. "What is important to you becomes important to me when we build a relationship based on mutual respect. We are less likely to be divided and controlled when there are fewer things to separate us."
Other lectures on this year's Black Awareness Month calendar include "Listening to the Outside Voice Within: Black Women Surviving and Striving in Academe," which will be presented by associate journalism Professor Polly McLean, rare book librarian and Associate Professor Deborah Hollis and, via videotape, communication Professor Brenda Allen. The joint presentation will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6, in room 245 of the UMC.
Alphonse Keasley, director of the CU-Boulder Minority Arts and Sciences Program, will lecture on "A History of Black Achievement in America" in room 245 at the UMC from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
On Friday, Feb. 9, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in room 245 at the UMC, Derrick Watson, assistant to CU-Boulder's vice chancellor for administration, will give a lecture on "Knowledge of Self: Who Are You?"
Other major events include the annual diversity summit on Feb. 19-20, a film series, a fashion show by the Black Student Alliance, a career workshop and a health-care awareness fair.
For a complete list of Black Awareness Month activities at CU-Boulder and to learn more about the annual diversity summit, visit and .