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On Monday night, the Office of AHANA Student Programs and the Black History Month Planning Committee presented author and activist Bakari Kitwana in a ceremony opening Black History Month. Kitwana serves on the faculty at the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago. He has written a number of books, including The Rap on Gangsta Rap: Who Run It?, Gangsta Rap and Visions of Black Violence, and, most recently, Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wangstas, Wiggas, Wannabes, and the New Reality of Race in America.
Black History Month, established in 1976, grew out of a weeklong celebration that first took place in 1926.
Kitwana's presentation was titled, "The King Legacy and the Hip-hop Generation." The lecture utilized Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy as the foundation for an examination of the political motivations and subtext of hip-hop, and the ways in which he defines the hip-hop generation as a unique and culturally significant demographic.
Kitwana has worked at Third World Press and The Source, both of which he said were creative and dynamic environments that inspired his social criticism. "Being involved with a lot of '60s activists … being in that environment made me think about us as a generation," Kitwana said. His work at The Source exposed him to peers with similar interests in the social significance of hip-hop. Kitwana said that he began to ask himself questions about the effects hip-hop has had on American youth culture, as well as mainstream American culture. "Where are the points where hip-hop and politics can meet?" Kitwana asked.
The cultural and social effects of hip-hop have been wide-ranging indeed, Kitwana said. "I began to see that ideas of race and how the young people were engaging them were radically different than what we were seeing on TV."
Kitwana said that the roots of hip-hop are political in nature, arising out of the struggle for equality and the need for personal expression. "I think that what we see increase as hip-hop begins to emerge is that young people [who are] alienated from the system … that hip-hop becomes an example of how do you survive the onslaught of this global economic shift," Kitwana said. "How do young people survive when public policy is designed to contain them?"
The response to this containment is hip-hop, Kitwana said, which allows for freedom of expression, particularly political expression.
Kitwana spoke of what he defines as two separate but closely intertwined hip-hop generations: one that consists of "young African-Americans born between 1965 and 1984," and another, post-hip-hop generation that consists of people born between 1985 and 2004. Kitwana said that there are subtle differences in these groups' concerns, but that their commonalities are far greater.
He said that these generations are unique because they are the first to be born post-integration, post-feminism, and post-sexual revolution. He said that these and other unique influences such as the effects of globalization have fostered an understanding of race and racial relations that is different than those of their parents.
Kitwana spoke of the political potential that these generations have. "I do believe that we have the capacity to build a political movement within our lifetime," Kitwana said. In regard to the current political situation, Kitwana said that there is a sense of excitement among the hip-hop and post-hip-hop generations. "I think that what is creating this surge of voters is - not just young people, but Americans across the board who feel that they've been pushed out of the process - is this surge of enthusiasm," Kitwana said.
He said that hip-hop has been a powerful force with its ability to cross racial distinctions. "Many white, young activists … were drawn to hip-hop as an art or for its political possibilities," Kitwana said. He urged young people who associate with hip-hop culture to become engaged in the art's political impulses. "We're saying to the hip-hop generation and the post-hip-hop generation that they should get involved," he said.
Andy Petigny, associate director of the Office of AHANA Student Programs, said that there are a variety of activities scheduled for the month, many of them organized by students.
Petigny said that there has been an effort in recent years to expand the number of events on campus offered in recognition of Black History Month. AHANA has taken on an organizational role but has left much of the planning for individual events to other student organizations. Petigny said that AHANA wants to "put the onus on the students so that it gives them opportunities for leadership."
A calendar of campus events offered in celebration of Black History Month is offered on the AHANA Web site.
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