Monday's Class
Today, Latrice, Zareth, and Chantha came to class. We decided to meet again on Wednesday, those who want to do an extra credit essay. I shared digitized portfolios with students. Wednesday, definitely Thursday, students will get a hardcopy of the portfolio checklist. Latrice is going to post her research essay here, so students can see what an A paper looks like. I will be around from 11-12 noon for those students who would like to come by my office. Cristina and Howard, your essays need revising so come see me so we can talk about them.
Today, Latrice, Zareth, and Chantha came to class. We decided to meet again on Wednesday, those who want to do an extra credit essay. I shared digitized portfolios with students. Wednesday, definitely Thursday, students will get a hardcopy of the portfolio checklist. Latrice is going to post her research essay here, so students can see what an A paper looks like. I will be around from 11-12 noon for those students who would like to come by my office. Cristina and Howard, your essays need revising so come see me so we can talk about them.
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 6:18 PM
3 Comments:
Latrice Collins-LAmpkins
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
11/20/07
Social Entrepreneurs –Stopping the Violence
“Oakland California had 148 homicides in 2006 that was a 57.4% increase from the previous year. Over 85% of the victim’s were male, 66% of them were black males between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. The most alarming trend in 2006 was the increase in homicide victims under the age of 18. Eighteen were killed in 2006 compared to five in 2005. While five youth homicides in a year are unacceptable to any modern city, the increase in 2006 should be a concern to all who live or work in Oakland”. (www.Urbanstrategies.org). Oakland was ranked as the fourth most dangerous city in the United States (Oakland Tribune). The statistics are appalling yet the approaches to the solutions have been to invoke stiffer laws, build more jails and hire more police officers. When in actuality the wounds need to be healed through community and social outreach programs.
In 2007 the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, CA implemented a campaign to Silence the Violence. The campaign targeted youth with a platform that they could relate to. By partnering with the Mayor of Oakland, various community outreach programs and Bay Area rappers, the center is communicating with young people that are resistant to listening to authoritative figures. Tyranny Allan of The Town Network in Oakland says, “These young cats today are not listening to no police and lawyers. By using famous people we can help to save lives” (Booth, Kwan). Ella Baker Centers Political Director
Nicole Lee says:
Our goal is to do everything we can to create opportunities for work, recreation, and community involvement from throwing parties to talking to lawmakers about jobs and opportunities needed for Oakland’s youth. We want to empower young people to speak as voices for peace. (ellabakercenter.org)
Stereotypes of urban cities and young black men are often the reason opportunities are few and far between. Social community organizations such as the Ella Baker Center are opening the eyes of uninformed people and giving our youth hope for their future. Too often we don’t listen to our youth to get a feel of what their world consist of. The Silence the Violence campaign has given them a platform to voice where problems lie and their input on the solutions that are needed. In order for our children to be our future they have to be given a positive foundation. Positive environments create positive result. Stopping the Violence and saving lives has caught on in a way that has Oakland youth taking ownership of their environment and the hopes for peace.
Oakland’s newly elected Mayor Ron Dellums has partnered with the Ella Baker Center to promote change. On August 14, 2007 Mayor Dellums and Oakland rap artist Mistah Fab kicked off the Mayors declaration of Silence the Violence Day at an Oakland A’s Game. Dellums is trying to incorporate the Silence the Violence campaign with his Model City Vision for Oakland.
Dellums says:
New partnerships are being forged between businesses, community organizations, law enforcement, and local government to find positive solutions to critical issues, such as ending the violence which has plagued our communities and especially young people. (ellabakercenter.org)
The organizer for the Silence the Violence campaign at the Ella Baker Center
Xiomara Castro says:
The support that we receive from the Mayors office has been great. His staff is wonderful. They are eager to help us work through some of the red tape that we encounter with the City. The Mayor has helped us promote several of our events. He will help us with our Evening of Remembrance event at the end of this year. An Evening of Remembrance is a memorial service for all of the people that have been killed this year in Oakland.
Hypy music originated in Oakland, California. The music style is a cultural movement, characterized by upbeat, drum driven, hip-hop burst of head-banging-like movement. Dread locks, big sunglasses and gold grills go hand and hand with the culture. It seems like an oxymoron that the controlled chaos of the Hypy movement would be linked to the Silence the Violence campaign, but it is. The artists take deep pride in their music and the culture that it has created. Bay Area artists like Mistah Fab, Mac Mall, Clyde Carson and Keek da Sneak are eager to help get the word out. They want to be part of the solution not the problem (Hix, Lisa).
Hip Hop artist Mistah Fab says:
A big part of the reason why I'm supporting the Silence the Violence movement is because this whole hyphy music movement in Oakland has caught the attention of the youth, and they listen to what we're saying. So if we're doing something on a positive note, they'll take that into consideration as well. The Ella Baker Center has been a big part of trying to save lives, and I'm definitely a part of that.(oaklandmagazine.com/blog)
NBTween a member of the aspiring Hypy rap group the Trunk Boiz says:
Hypy is being who you are at all times. You dance, you have fun, you get loose, and you go crazy. A lot of people seek the Hypy movement as a place where they can just come and get away from their problems. And some people bring their problems out in the movement, and that’s what causes the negativity. When I’m making my music I take all the hate and the violence and use it as a motivation for me (Hix, Lisa).
The Silence the Violence campaign partners with several community outreach programs within Oakland. Most notably Youth Uprising, Covenant House Youth Alive and Arts in Action. They receive funds from private donors as well as foundation support. They recently received $65,000 from the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund. The Hass family said “The funds are aspired to serve as a voice of hope and a positive, unifying force for social change. “We want to create a vibrant, safe neighborhood that supports the healthy development of young people and the well being of their families” (http://www.haasjr.org/index.php/visitor/grants).
The Ella Baker Center and Covenant House records premiered the documentary film, Grind and Glory on November 7, 2007 at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, California. The movie chronicled five young aspiring rap groups from the Bay Area that told their stories through music. Their stories are personal testament that detail the struggles of being young, living in the ghetto and emotional toll that they have experienced due to the violent deaths of friends and family. The diverse cast and their emotional experiences are dynamically expressed in the film. The Trunk Boiz are part of Oakland’s Hypy movement misogynistic free. Trinidad’s rap style comes across with a reggae beat serving a conscious message. Mistreat is a feisty petite young lady that spits a lot of power in her music about violence, death and the need for change. Dnok and Sincere’s both have different styles, but similar conscious messages. One of the producers of the film Dave Yanofsky says:
The artists are infusing messages in their music. I hope that this film will show that the two are not mutually exclusive. You can have young artist making people dance and move at the same time that you are making them think and explore their behavior. (theredalert.com)
Rapper, Dnok said, “He doesn’t want to make music that won’t allow him to go to sleep without his soul” (theredalert.com).
This documentary helps dismiss the myth that all rap music is negative. These young people were performing soul music. Their messages are positive, raw and real. They use their genre to speak to their generation about stopping the violence.
I interviewed D.Nok and Kalen two young men involved in the Silence the Violence campaign. They were on the corner of Webster and 20th street in Downtown Oakland proudly wearing their Silence the Violence t-shirts and actively promoting and selling their CD’s I wanted to get their perspective on the campaign. D.Nok, one of the artists in the movie Grind and Glory said “Truth be know we are the Silence the Violence campaign. Don’t get me wrong the Ella baker Center has been great but there wouldn’t be a campaign if it wasn’t for all of the youth involved in the music that is going on and the help of covenant house”. D.Nok went on to explain that the Covenant House gives youth the opportunity to make music in a positive environment. They are building bonds with people from different part of the city. “I’m from West Oakland and I’m mixing with people from different spots in the city, something I wouldn’t do if I wasn’t involved with this campaign”. Three years ago D.Nok said “I was into negative things, angry, anti-social and suspicious of people. Today through my music and this program I have made a 360 degree life change”. His description of how he used to be is hard to picture. His slight build, mocha complexion and smiling eyes peeking out from behind his dreads showed no signs of the old D,Nok. His vibe was peaceful and positive. His politeness didn’t waiver when he was rejected by the numerous people on the street that he tried to sell his CD to. He ended each decline with a “thank you and you have a good day”, his confidence never wavering. D.Nok speaks highly of his mother and the respect that he has for her. He said “my moms is very religious and not very fond of secular music, which made it hard for me to do my music at first, but she supports me. That’s my girl”. I told him that I saw the film and didn’t notice any misogynistic content in his lyrics.
D.Nok says:
There are a lot of females around my age that act like bitches and ho’s and it hurts me to say that, but I can’t make music about that, its not good energy. I’m going to Laney College to learn about music theory and marketing. I want to be a positive role model. I want to be a Senator one day; I want to see change in my community.
Kalen another rapper from West Oakland that goes by the recording name of KS voiced the same sentiments that D.Nok has about the Silence the Violence campaign. He takes pride in his craft and the positive platform that the Ella Baker Center and Covenant House has given him to make his music.
Kalen says:
They are making a difference in their community by getting their music out so that their generation will listen to their message and hopefully stop killing each other. We continue to hold events that pull in lots of people, young people. They are listening to us and getting involved. A lot of folks are starting to make music with us from all over the city, that’s real progress just getting people to come together.
Xiomara Castro says:
Our message is Virile. Law enforcement is not going to stop the violence. We are reaching out to the community to get involved. We want to reach people in the flatlands, the hills, business people, rich and poor people. Unity, jobs and opportunities are what we are striving for. We started this campaign eighteen months ago and we currently have two thousand members that have joined us and taken the pledge to stop the violence. We consider that to be a start in the right direction. The community support has been overwhelming. We receive letters and phone calls praising our efforts. We are getting more and more people in the community that want to help and volunteer within the community.
It’s hard to say when the violence will stop in our community, but young people are actively getting the message out about the need for unity and creating change. The Ella Baker Center and their community partnerships are the tools that they needed to start the process. The positive energy that is being circulated could ignite the whole city. Young people are using an alternative way to reach their peers. Just the mere fact that two thousand people have joined the campaign and taken the pledge is impressive. “I pledge to join the Silence the Violence movement and work proactively to bring peace to my community. By joining Silence the Violence, I will do everything I can to stop violence. I will also strive to be involved in community efforts to stop violence” (ellebakercenter.org). The campaigns goal of empowering Oakland youth to speak as voices for peace is a powerful and could actually make Stopping the Violence in Oakland attainable.
Latrice Colins- Lampkins
Proffesor Wamnda Sabir
English 1A
11/20/07
Works Cited
The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights on the Internet. 2006
http://ellabakercenter.org
Urban Strategies Council. Homicides in Oakland8.Feb.2007
www.Urbanstrategies.org
Rayburn,Kelly.” Oakland in spotlight after 'most dangerous' report” Oakland Tribune (23.Nov.2007)
Hix, Lisa “Hypy” San Francisco Chronicle (22 Oct 2006 )
McKibbin, Adam. Featured Interview Grind and Glory. 2007. The Red Alert
http://www.theredalert.com/features/grindglory.htm
Grind and Glory from the Streets to the Stage on the Internet . 11. Nov. 2007
http://www.grindandglorythemovie.com/GnG/home.html
Oakland Magazine Blog on the Internet. Silence the Violence.14. Aug.2007
http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=377&blogId=1
Booth,Kwan. Novementro on the Internet. 28. Nov.2007
http://novometro.com/news_details.php?news_id=2041
Evelyn and Walter Hass, Jr. Fund on the Internet. 2006
http://www.haasjr.org/index.php/visitor/grants_awarded/recent_grants
D.Nok . Rap Artist. Personal interview. 27 November 2007
Kalen. Rap Artist. Personal interview 27 November 2007
Castro, Xiomara. Silence the Violence Organizer, Ella baker Center 28 November 2007
Thanks Latrice for everything this semester. You were a true asset to the class.
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