Hip Hop

An art, the essence of poetry,  a  form of expression originally used by our ancient ancestors, a way to illuminate to the world the inequalities of the various social conditions, and a way of life, Hip Hop, has made a tremendous impact on the world. It has transformed so many lives by turning negativity into a positive form by reshaping its existence. It reshaped negativity by influencing people to show others that a path of negativity is a path of "self-destruction", thus presenting a negative lifestyle as the wrong path for ones life. However, others may associate Hip Hop with violence, sex, money, cars and all other materialistic things that the media influences us to obtain. Michael Eric Dyson, a minister, professor and author, defends Hip Hop's truest form. He shows the positivity displayed in Hip Hop using examples of Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, and KRS One, which were some most influential people in Hip Hop.  He showed how they used their lyrics to uplift people, specifically the African American community. Although ignorance is displayed by people who may call what they are doing Hip Hop, they are only presenting a bastardized version of Hip Hop that I and many others like to call, rap. However, it is hard to control the rap community, who are only in it for a quick buck, but Hip Hop is something that is done for more than just money.  Hip Hop reveals to the world experiences of injustice, inequality, peace, love, hate and the list can go on but one vital point is , Hip Hop comes from within.

Black Founding Father

As seen through many moments in history division can transcend to unity of a particular of group. During slavery some of the enslaved formed a bond and an unwritten pact that they would stick together, and many of them escaped. During segregation the excluded and ostracized commenced the Civil Rights movement. Thus, no matter how much one tries to divide groups unity will appear in some form. A journalist and historian, Lerone Bennet, in an essay "Black Founding Fathers", exemplifies unity stemming from division. He discusses the implementation of institutions, specifically black institutions, branching from their seclusion from whites. He says that these institutions began to define these black. They displayed the unity of blacks during unfair times. He specifically talks about two people, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, who created the Free African Society. One day while in church Absalom was praying  in church where whites are suppose to pray. White men were forcing him to move from this spot and many of the blacks were watching. After this they all walked out the church in one body. Therefore, from seclusion came a body of people and the formation of the Free African Society. This black society established positive institutions including churches, and schools. Many of these establishments are still used today. So, if it wasn't for the unity that the black founding fathers established in our past many of the institutions used by blacks today would not have been created and change would not have happened.

Pan-Africanism

Division is a tool used to weaken groups of people. Through unity comes strength and when one is attempting to obtain control over a group of people weakening these people is the first step. In "Pan Africanism" , Kwame Ture discusses the division of Africa. When one recognizes someone of Japaneses descent, despite what part of Japan they are from, they are classified as Japanese. In contrast, a pseron of african descent is specifically classified by culture or ethnic divisions. However, if one is of African descent they should no long involve themselves with these divisions. They should recognize that before anything else they are African. They should be identified as only African because that is the essence of their true identity. However, when divisions are set in place their is a higher possibility of animosity between certain groups evolving. Therefore people, who are one in the same, begin to grow hate towards each other. The unity that was once in place now no longer exist. Thus, the strength once established between those people has detiorated into weakness.

Since the mid 1600's to the late 1800's Europeans forcefully spreaded their culture among Africa through the colonization of numerous African countries. This colonization caused a change in many of the Africans authentic culture. However, some African culture remained rooted and grounded, thus, allowing some of Africa to keep its pure form. Furthermore, the European ways greatly differed from the Africans. Steven Biko, a prominent South Africa activist, wrote a detailed comparison of western and African culture. In this comparison religion consisted of drastic differences between the Europeans and Africans. Initially, Africans denied the existence of a hell, because they refused to belief that such a wonderful God would create humans to live a short life and be sent to such a awful place. However, Europeans corrupted the minds of the Africans with this idea using it as a scare tactic to gain African followers. Therefore, the Europeans debased the African culture for personal gain, forever changing parts of the African culture.