Bambaataa and the Hip Hop Symposium

by Trish Fannon

My reflection starts with the clarification of how this class personally pertains to me. In reading the chapter on Afrika Bambaataa I found a correlation between his insights of understanding that alienation was not the key to presenting an agenda that propelled respect and dignity among not only his followers but the community and is essential in furthering his cause to promote respect for oneself but others. I relate this to my practice as a nurse in which in the past I failed to see that others did not see my passion and compassion because of my failure to respect others who also provided care, but the perception was that of a difficult person that was inflexible to work with, and the reality that this did not provide any advantage to my patients.  As a nurse the foundation of my job is to be an advocate for my patients which cannot be achieved without understanding the principles in which Hip Hop and the Zulu nation were founded. The principles which I refer to are that the message must not only reflect this issue but must also be delivered in a way in which it promotes cooperation to facilitate the needed change. The two terms responsibility and respect are also terms which emulate the hip hop culture and its beginnings. These terms are also core responsibilities in which I am entrusted to emulate as a nurse to meet not only my code of ethics but elevate the status of my chosen profession.  I also think the message that was perceived by Afrika Bambaataa when he watched the movie Zulu was that “…they just don’t quit.” is applicable to any job, belief, or endeavor (Chang, 2005, p. 94).  I feel the fact that his [Afrika Bambaataa] mother was a nurse influenced his fifth element which is organized very similar to the five rights nurses follow in the administration of medications (Chang, 2005, p. 90).

The Hip Hop symposium presented at Princeton was without a doubt the most thought provoking element of this module. The insight in which Talib Kweli provided which was that there is a difference between an entertainer and an activist. The statement that hip hop was a way to express oneself by using words that others could relate to provide a simple honesty to the lyrics and could promote the inward reflection which Afrika Bambaataa referred too in knowing oneself first.  This most import point that I believe Rosa Climenta made was that of comparing Hurricane Katrina to the “largest reconstruction of African Americans since the civil war.” (Hip Hop Symposium, 2005). I find it mystifying that she [ Rosa Climenta] is a personal friend of Bakari Kitwana and does not understand the point which he made: “ Hip Hop is about the oppressed” to me this includes more than people of color, and women ( (West, Waters, Kweli, Kitwana, Clemente, & McMath, 2006).  She refers to Anderson Cooper’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina not being reflective of the people of New Orleans. In all honesty I cannot remember one word he said but the images are forever ingrained in my memory. I saw not only people of color but senior citizens who were not of color, and children effected by this natural disaster. The true poor, who had no means to leave this area of destruction due to lack of resources, were the ones left to survive. I also vividly remember a young black woman demanding that we assist her. This demanding in my option should be replaced with the word require. In demanding a person’s needs are not always met, but when required there is no implication than less than required will be accepted. I say this from an outsider looking into a situation that I can only judge by the media reports which I have viewed. Representative Waters became my hero from the beginning when she referred to George W. Bush as a “dumb ass”, which has crossed my lips on more than one occasion, and she [Rep. Walters) stated “I’m not Kenya West, I mean what I say.” (West, Waters, Kweli, Kitwana, Clemente, & McMath, 2006).  I believe she has a powerful message in that becoming politically active helps change conditions for the oppressed and is an avenue which should also be taken in addition to other reform measures. Dr. Corneal West was by far the most prolific speaker who approached the subject of influence with a common sense approach.  He understands the principle that talk promotes action and that change involves more than the political system. 

The one area which I would have liked to seen addressed is the policies which are in place now that do not benefit the oppressed.  The number one policy is that of welfare, it does not promote motivation to improve. This thought sems from a recent visit to a Lauderdale County High School in which I was visiting a class that was geared at promoting its students into seeking an education in the health care industry. The children (teenagers) were asked what their plans were after graduation. The overwhelming majority did not see a need to work because their families for several generations had received public assistance, and “that was good enough for me.”  I personally feel that although it was promoted as a program to help the poor, it was also seen as a way to establish a bar to the poor from rising above where they were placed in relationship to education and upward mobility. This to me is no different than the American Indians being given blankets that were embedded with smallpox. I do not advocate anyone going without the essentials of food and shelter, but do feel that the poor should understand that a disservice is being provided to them when they fail to move beyond the economic classification of being poor.

References:

Chang, J. (2005). Can't stop won't stop. New York: St. Martin's Press.

West, C., Waters, M., Kweli, T., Kitwana, B., Clemente, R., & McMath, M. (2006, October 6). Princeton Hip Hop Symposium. Retrieved September 21, 2011, from http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5805005154679876418