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of the textbooks are outdated and are not relevant to today’s youth.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.
