On Thursday, November 14, Dr. Tricia Rose, author of Black Noise and The Hip Hop Wars, provided an engaging guest lecture on her book, The Hip Hop Wars. She discussed the impact of corporate consolidation of black popular culture and the importance of popular culture of our youth and community. She provided a historical perspective of why Hip Hop exists. In the midst of the social and economic inequities that occurred in New York in the 1970s, Hip Hop was born to create spaces of creativity and affirmation. Through her guest lecture and Q&A session, she was able to convey the message that Hip Hop can be utilized as a tool to engage in critical thought and guided conversations about race, politics, and culture.
Over 350 people were in attendance, which consisted of our Skyline College campus community but most importantly, middle school and high school students from our local feeder schools. A special thanks to Soledad McCarthy, Alina Varona, Florentino Ubungen, and Jeremy Evangelista for working with the local schools in bringing their students to Dr. Tricia Rose’s guest lecture as part of their CTE Day.
Dr. Rose’s guest lecture is the first of a series of guest lectures presented by the newly developed Center for Innovative Practices through Hip Hop Education and Research also known as the CIPHER. CIPHER aims to serve students, faculty, and the community in a variety of ways. Some of the goals include:
• Providing youth and students direct linkages to many excellent programs such as the Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP), Career Advancement Academies (CAA), Urban Music Academy, Sparkpoint Center, Rock The School Bells, and Urban Youth Society
• Providing educational and professional development opportunities such as learning about current Hip Hop pedagogies and best practices
• Providing the campus community with educational and cultural events such as guest lecture series, film screenings, and live performances
This event was funded by the President’s Innovation Fund and was generously co-sponsored by the Center of Transformational Teaching and Learning (CTTL), Honors Transfer Program, ASTEP, Kababayan Learning Community, Puente, First Year Experience (FYE), Associated Students of Skyline College (ASSC), Urban Youth Society, Black Student Union, Rock The School Bells, and the Center of Student Life and Leadership Development.
For those who did not get a chance to see her guest lecture, you can view it here on Ustream.
Special thanks to all of the faculty and staff who helped with the successful coordination of this event.
For more information of the CIPHER, you can contact Nate Nevado at nevadon@smccd.edu or visit our website.
Article by Nate Nevado, Photos by Raul Guerra.
