Prelude to Hip-Hop

I am an enthusiastic lover of hip-hop. However, in today's time and era we see and hear hip-hop everywhere, but has the value in the messaging been lost??? These are the original conscious brothers who started the trend of addressing social ills in the form of poetry (spoken-word). Therefore, I pay homage to these brothers who fought on the front lines of a grass roots level to address social inequalities......listen and learn.

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/LAST-POETS/last_poets0.html

What is Gentrification?

What is gentrification?

What does this mean for the future of Detroit?

Read this article via the link below and state your understanding about the future of Detroit, that really isn't that far away!!!

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/nolan-finley/2014/12/14/black-people/20322377/

Does Furious (Lawrence Fishburne) give a great explanation of the above concept??? This is a re-post of information that I provided earlier in regards to thinking about the future of the urban sectors!!!

Thought Provoking, tasteful, powerful.

How do you make a powerful statement without speaking any words??????

View the following link and then look at the Tumblr page created by "African American" men who attend Yale University entitled "To my unborn son".

http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/12/06/yale-college-black-mens-union-offers-silent-comfort-michael-browns-parents/

“To My Unborn Son”

Focus Questions

1. How has social media changed the way that we are able to communicate with one another? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What are your thoughts of this powerful social media message? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Has the death of Micheal Brown made you think about your role in society? If so, in what ways has it impacted your  viewpoint of police, the justice system, and how you should conduct yourself in society? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you Ever Questioned????

Have you ever questioned????

Questioning, or challenging is what I like to call it in my class. Challenging ideas, challenging concepts, or challenging ideologies takes a lot of courage and background information. I think that a person should however challenge with a purpose and not challenge just for the sake saying something or trying to make a joke. Challenging something should provoke thought and critical thinking on how to solve problems.  

Below is a clip of Muhammad Ali, watch and learn about how he raises questions and challenges what he is taught via his experiences.

1. Have you ever wondered about some of the questions that he asked in the beginning of the interview? If so, which ones? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How does he address the issue of racism in the video? __________________________________________________________c_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. According to Muhammad Ali, how has brainwashing occured? Does this brainwashing effect still happen in today's age and time? If so, how? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Does today's athletes challenge issues that are happening in the world today? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Learning with Humor- Thinking Outside of the Box!!!!!!!

This is a great clip to watch and learn about being an adult and the choices that you make, which help to determine your future. After watching respond and engage in meaningful dialogue by posting comments in the comment box. Remember  each week you can earn 10 Pts. or 25 Pts. depending on how much interaction that you engage in:

Focus Questions:

1. What are your plans for life after high school? (Explain) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Are you prepared to accomplish your dreams / goals? (be honest) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Are you going to be a regular person or are you going to be exceptional? How? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Are you a leader (trailblazer) or a follower? What are some of those leader characteristics that you have? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Making History Relevant Now - Analyzing Social Injustices

What are social injustices?

Can you give me an example of a social injustice?

How do we address the issue of social injustices? 

When does humanity trump performing duties as an officer?

Current Events are a way of keeping up with the happenings of the world. At the same time history continues to happen everyday. Moreover, our current and present history is just as relevant as events that happened in the past. Therefore, it is imperative that we take time to analyze various events of our present state and develop solutions on how to address that specific issue!!! One of the most pressing issues that come to mind when dealing with a large population of "African American Males", is the issue of police brutality. Recent events that have transpired, which rendered a not guilty verdict for the following victims, are unacceptable. They are unacceptable because someone losses their life and thus dismissed as if they did not matter. 

Watch the following videos / links, then respond accordingly to have an open dialogue about the present / recent happenings, and how we can address those issues properly, as a people and as a community? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvATEjsf41g

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/19/mckenzie-cochran-northland-mall-died_n_5849348.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZaXfCB2b78

Now think about the questions that I posted at the beginning of this blog, and respond accordingly and profoundly:

Being a fluent Reader-preparation for the ACT

Check out the link below!!!!!! Ask yourself, are you a fluent reader?

http://educationclearinghouse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/fluency-standards-by-grade.pdf

1. What does the word fluency mean? Look it up and give me some great dialouge on what you think the word fluency means? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Looking at the fluency chart? What is your ability level in regard to reading fluently? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How do you think that being able to read fluently, helps you throughout your lifetime?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Being a fluent reader takes skill and practice. How much reading should you do a day to become a fluent reader? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Is Age a Factor in Being Able to Solve Problems in Your Community????

Asking questions to solve problems in your community!!!!!!!

Please watch the video and hopefully it inspires you to learn and tackle real community problems.

1. Are the viewpoints that Marquis make in the video valid (in regard to minorities on the police force? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Do you share some of the same viewpoints? Why or why not? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What are Marquis's ambitions? What are your's? Are yours and his similar or different? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________