10 Thoughts after 2nd UK #HipHopEd Seminar

Much was discussed, debated and noted down yesterday. We are moving closer toward a UK #HipHopEd Manifesto, a collaborative enterprise that will drive, but not limit, our individual and collective work in Hip-Hop Education.

In the meantime, here are 10 thoughts I came away with after 6 hours of discussion that were so engaging nobody seemed to want to break for lunch!

1. Hip-Hop Teachers are activists. We are offering alternative ways of educating and as such are 'rocking the boat'. There is a need to be excellent and to be able to point to evidence that substantiates our claims.
2. HipHopEd is about building community. Relationships are key. 
3. HipHopEd is much more than doing hip-hop  in educational sessions. 
4. Hip-Hop was created by people of colour. Whilst anyone can participate in hip-hop this fact should not be lost.
5. Hip-Hop can be a context for education. But we must also examine the context in which hip-hop exists.
6. HipHopEd may bridge the gaps between school, road and home identities. Often education systems construct barriers rather than bridges for these gaps.
7. Cultural ownership and appropriation are ideas that hip-hop educators should explore with each other and their students.
8. UK hip-hop educators need to consider what is particular about UK HipHopEd. 
9. We should be alert to how power operates in hip-hop and education and interrogate this.
10. The DIY ethos of early hip-hop is alive amongst UK Hip-HopEd educators!