Hip-Hop as an Educational Tool

I co-founded H2Ed (Hip-Hop Education), the first national organization to advocate for the use of hip-hop as an pedagogical tool. Between 2003 and 2005, we held over three national conferencing, bringing together thousands of educators, youth leaders, parents, social workers and education administrators to dialogue on best practices in using Hip-Hop as an educational tool.

This is one of the first projects that I started when I moved to NYC in 2002 and it has remained one of my favorites. Youth culture is often invalidated inside our formal learning institutions. Mainstream images of hip-hop discredit the long history it has had as a socio-poltical organizing tool for Black and Latino communities. I started H2Ed with the hopes that educators and adults working closely with youth could learn more about hip-hop's history and role in giving people of color a vehicle for artistic expression.