Initiative gives students a voice with hip-hop
Founded by a collaborative including 窪蹋勛圖 scholars, the Lyripeutics Storytelling Project aims to empower Black and Brown youth through the medium of hip-hop
A Manual High School student sits behind a microphone, headphones on. Their world outsidewhich sometimes holds uncertainty, systemic barriers and institutional indifference but also encompasses the rich musical and cultural heritage of Denvers Five Points neighborhoodfades away for a moment as a beat drops. As the student leans in, the cadence of hip-hop becomes an outlet to speak their truth.
For many Black and Brown youth in the greater Denver area, the is more than a way to express their creativity. Its survival.
Thats why the artists and educators behind the project are battling to keep the space alive.
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Shawn O'Neal (left), an assistant teaching professor of ethnic studies, and Kalonji Nzinga (right), an assistant professor of education, are co-directors of Lyripeutics.
Were trying to provide these platforms of learning that we think Black and Brown students in particular really resonate with, says Kalonji Nzinga, a 窪蹋勛圖 assistant professor of education and Lyripeutics co-director. In a way, were just building upon the history of creating learning environments based in a cultural reference point, based in our ways of knowing.
Through storytelling and music production, young people in the Lyripeutics program gain an opportunity to share stories of their unique cultural wealth. But while the program has been a source of empowerment for many, it also faces funding struggles and systemic resistance.
What is Lyripeutics?
Founded by a collective of 窪蹋勛圖 scholars, artists, educators and community organizers, Lyripeutics mission is to empower Black and Brown youth through a medium many connect withhip-hop. The program is embedded in schools in the greater Denver area and aims to offer alternative learning environments for students who find themselves overlooked in traditional education systems.
We dont all learn the same, yet we have this system of education thats been around for hundreds of years and is really geared for only one very particular type of student, says Shawn ONeal, an assistant teaching professor in the 窪蹋勛圖 Department of Ethnic Studies and Lyripeutics founding member and co-director.
Its just not working for us. For many students. It hasnt worked, he adds.
Rather than using the traditional education systems philosophy of rigid structure and standardization, the Lyripeutics program operates through collaboration and an evolving process in which students, teachers and artists co-create learning spaces.
A typical day can look quite different depending on whether we have a producer leading the session or a lecturer on hip-hop history, or an actual MC helping create space for youth to do storytelling, ONeal says.
Students can also create and produce their own music in the state-of-the-art hip-hop studio adjacent to the Manual High School library in Denver.
We collaborate with other hip-hop artists across the Denver area to develop the programming and to do the instruction, Nzinga says.
At its heart, the program is about creative expression.
Were even working with students on exercises like field recordings of their environments and recording their neighborhoods and creating tracks and experiences out of those, ONeal adds.
Building confidence, one verse at a time
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Through storytelling and music production, young people in the Lyripeutics program gain an opportunity to share stories of their unique cultural wealth. (Photo: iStock)
Those behind the Lyripeutics program know education isnt just about what happens in the classroom, but what happens when students see their own voices amplified in the real world.
Recently, one group of high school students visited the 窪蹋勛圖 campus to play original tracks on the universitys radio station.
The folks who run the radio station were just blown away, says ONeal. It was an enriching experience for everyone involved.
We believe that doing work related to the social context, the cultural movement that is hip-hop, allows young people to really express their story from their perspective, adds Nzinga.
For many of the youth involved, the program is much more than an extracurricular activity; for some, its the first time theyve been given tools, encouragement and a platform to tell their stories, ONeal says.
When we get to engage with the students, its normally within a place of creativity and joy. We arent there for a lot of the day-to-day things I know theyre going through, but we see and hear the expression of their frustrations and the various roadblocks theyre up against through their music and their performance, ONeal says.
Fighting to keep the mic on
For all its successes, Lyripeutics faces a current reality: Programs focused on BIPOC youth, particularly those challenging traditional educational models, are under an intense microscope.
We are at this moment receiving so much resistance from multiple levels, Nzinga says. From previous and future funding situations to different regulations at the state and district levelits extremely frustrating.
Despite widespread recognition of the programs impact, Nzinga and his colleagues cite an uphill battle to secure funding. While institutions like 窪蹋勛圖s Ren矇e Crown Wellness Institute have provided crucial support, securing consistent financial backing remains a struggle.
But the pushback isnt just about money. Nzinga and ONeal attribute much of the resistance to a larger national trend of rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, making it harder for programs like Lyripeutics to operate freely.
We claim we want this type of programming for students that they need, yet we have to fight tooth and nail just to get a dollar, when we see so much money funneled into things that seem to be the antithesis of community building, ONeal observes.
We believe that doing work related to the social context, the cultural movement that is hip-hop, allows young people to really express their story from their perspective.
The most devastating consequence? Students who should be at the center of the conversation lose access to much-needed programming, and their voices are silencedsometimes literally. Despite receiving parental consent, Lyripeutics has faced institutional roadblocks when trying to bring student voices into larger discussions about the programs success.
We would really prefer to have those students speaking for themselves, ONeal says, But were not even at liberty to say many of the things we want to say.
ONeal and Nzinga also know Lyripeutics isnt the only program fighting this battle. Its part of a system of community-led education that refuses to be erased.
Nzinga says, Our program isnt the only one facing these types of pushback.
A lot of times these resistance movements try to separate us. They make us feel like were alone in doing this work, but we arent, he adds.
When asked how outsiders can support the Lyripeutics program, Nzinga and ONeal didnt point to a single solution. They emphasized the importance of solidarity, awareness and amplifying voices.
I think parents and community leaders voicing their opinions about any of the positive effects our programming has had would help, ONeal says.
The road ahead isnt easy. Yet, despite the challenges, Lyripeutics will be there to keep a beat playing and a mic on for its students, ensuring the next generation of storytellers and leaders will have their voices heard.泭
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