Part 2: Education

The Mission of the Hip-Hop Generation-Part 2: Education

-By Jontae Grace

Why does education seem unimportant to our generation? Why are black scholars and students regarded as “Squares,” “Hooks,” and such? By watching BET or reading black magazines, it would seem as if we place great emphasis on hustling, drugs, women, and rims. Now I don’t want to knock it because I like to have money, smoke bomb, and I want to ride something clean one day. But I feel that African-American culture is so much deeper than that. We need to see more positive images of Black people doing other things besides rappin’ and trappin’. Because the truth is, it takes just as much hard work to slang and hustle as it does to earn a degree and make a living for oneself. And that’s real talk.

Black history illustrates the importance of education to us. During slavery, it was a felony to teach a slave how to read or write, and the consequences were disastrous for slaves caught trying to learn. White America knew the importance of academia, and they went to great lengths to keep black people ignorant, illiterate, and subordinate. Black people knew this, and once we were free, everyone from grandparents to grandchildren was packed in churches, eager to learn. In 1865, the year Black people were emancipated, 95% of our population was illiterate. Nearly 50 years later, in 1910, we had reduced our illiteracy rate to under 30%-the fastest turnaround for any race, anywhere.

The fight continued into the mid-1900’s as segregation limited the quality of education that black people had access to. Intellectual black students were denied access to higher education at white institutions. Protests, sit-ins, and nonviolent demonstrations eventually led to the landmark decision Brown vs. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court declared segregation in American schools unconstitutional.

So where does that leave us now, in 2006? According to the American Council on Education, there were 2 million African-American students enrolled as either undergraduates or graduate students last year (1.3 million women, about 700,000 men). That is a blessing for real. But we need to get rid of the negative image that education has had among youth as of late. More and more young Black males are looking for fast money nowadays, caught up in the strong gravitational pull of the streets. Some are raised in the streets, and so the cycle keeps them there. But what is worse is the young men and women who choose that path for themselves after being taught to aspire to better things. It is our responsibility as the new school to make a better life for ourselves, and encourage our brothers and sisters to do the same. And you bes’ believe that I’m going to do my part.