Archie Bunker Goes To Hogwarts

I have to admit: the books I read when I was a kid never really touched on racial issues. With the exception of To Kill A Mockingbird, popular youth focused books that focus on social issues tend to be few and far between.

Surprisingly, the popularity of Harry Potter is providing opportunities for commentary on a wide variety of social issues: from “half-bloods” to teen sexuality and (spoiler alert?) Dumbledore’s homosexuality, beneath the guise of magic wands and Quidditch. Only once in a blue moon does this sort of pop culture subtlety in social commentary come into the mainstream, either in television, music, books or all of the above. Luckily for JK Rowling (and her audience), the HP Empire encompasses all of the above.

Check out more about this topic here:
Washington Post: Harry Potter – Wizards and Racism

Posted by:

Steve Romain

Hip Hop: Coming Soon to a School Near You

Education as we know it is changing. Remember sitting in class and having your teacher yell at you for listening to music? No longer! If Run-DMC has their way, teachers will not only be encouraging music in the classroom but will be bringing in rap and hip hop of their own.

Darryl McDaniels, a member of the pioneering rap group Run-DMC, was invited by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to attend a conference at the Summer Teacher Institute last week. While there, he spoke to teachers that had gathered from across the country about the importance of using rap as a way in which teachers could better connect with their students, saying that rap made school more interesting, relevant, and personal for students. All I can say is, why wasn’t Run-DMC saying this to my teachers when I was in school?

But seriously, he’s got a point. While he admitted that rap can be “raw,” he also pointed out that it is a form of social commentary and as such has the potential to become an educational tool and a medium of expression for kids who might not have another outlet. In his own words, “real hip-hop is information, education, communication and motivation, whether you’re rich, poor, black, white, Puerto Rican. Hip-hop is the total expression of the existence of what it’s like to be alive on the face of the earth.”

So look out students. This September, it could be your teacher that busts into the classroom with a few Run-DMC lyrics of their own:

One thing I know is that life is short

So listen up homeboy, give this a thought

The next time someone’s teaching why don’t you get taught?

( From Run-DMC:  “It’s Like That”)

… Continue Reading

Posted by:

Yolanda Clatworthy