Themes

There are two types of data poems about Ed Emcees:

  1. Stories - includes narrative elements like characters, plot, dialogue, time, setting, etc, and are organized in two categories: meaningful moments and meaningful practices.

  2. Beliefs - includes truths and life principles that inform why Ed Emcees do their work.

Story Data Poems:

  • stories about identity development ranging from the intersections of their race, faith, work ethic, and career trajectory.

  • stories about recognizing or experiencing racial, cultural and economic disparities in schools and communities

  • stories about winning, accomplishing, and success

  • stories about figuring out their post-secondary careers, which range from internships, entry-level jobs, college courses, and teaching poetry writing workshops for youth in their communities.

  • stories about writing, rhyming, performing poetry, recording raps, freestyle, emceeing for a live audience.

Meaningful Moments

This category of story data poems describes times when something or someone inspired their personal growth and development from youth through adulthood.

Below is a list of themes about meaningful moments with brief descriptions.

Meaningful Practices

This category of story data poems describes how Ed Emcees do their work and how their work is experienced by others. Here is a list of themes about meaningful practices with brief descriptions:

  • stories about supporting, guiding, mentoring and inspiring students to pursue their passions and dreams in addition to achieving their academic goals

  • stories about providing students with access to educational and cultural opportunities that help them learn, grow, lead, and express themselves

  • stories about creating, developing, fostering, and curating physical spaces inside of learning facilities for students that reflect Hip-Hop (e.g. recording studios)

  • stories about being their most authentic selves in response and resistance to school climate and culture

Belief Data Poems:

Here is a list of themes found in belief data poems about Ed Emcees with brief descriptions of their thoughts and values of belonging, education, Hip-Hop, poetry, and language.

  • to foster social justice and racial equity in education, marginalized students need access to liberating educational opportunities

  • the call and response relationship between spoken word artists, rappers, emcees and their audiences functions similarly between educators, schools, community leaders and students/youth.

  • prioritizing student’s holistic wellness and development improves conditions for learning, especially for Black and Brown girls and women

  • Hip-Hop culture is historical, political, and artistic, and so it cultivates freedom for people’s diverse ways of knowing, being, and speaking .

  • spoken words/sounds emit vibrational energies that can affect how people think and feel.