How do you Dream Forward? Do you want to fight for immigration reform, equal opportunity education, gay rights, human rights, social inequality, or gender inequality? If you could change anything tomorrow what would it be?
I believe change starts with the individual. Getting to know an individual on a personal level can change the way you may think about a group the entire group. It is easy to be skeptical and judgmental of the unknown. It is not until the person you are judging is your friend, your brother, sister, uncle, or aunt that your perspective on the world changes-thus the reason why stepping out of your comfort zone and interacting with people who are different than you is so important.
Last night key note speaker Talib Kweli spoke about hip hop, civil rights and the uncomfortableness of unfamiliarity. Historically, unfamiliarity makes most people uncomfortable. This is true even when people are forced to pronounce a name they have never seen before. Talib addressed this while describing experiences he has had with his unusual name, “The average person gives up on a word if it is made up of letters that they are not used to seeing together.” The uncommon name Talib is an Islamic word which means great student or seeker- particularly a student of Islam. Talib’s second name Kweli, means “true” in the African language Swahili.
Talib believes that for change to happen it’s better to approach people where they are instead of where they might be. The more bodies that are involved in a movement, the better. More bodies always indicate a greater chance at accomplishing the goal at hand. For example, there was a lady in the audience who asked for advice about situation her 8 year old son is having at school. This ladies son wanted to rap to the Nas song entitled I Know I Can for his school talent show; however, he the school authorities did not allow him to because they believe the song is too political.
After hearing about this incident a high school teacher who felt this situation was “ridiculous,” decided to do something about it. She responded to the mother’s by inviting her son to perform for her high school class. The high school teacher said that, “her students (who are 16 and 17) would be inspired to see an 8 year old doing what he loves to do regardless of the restrictions that were placed on him.”
Hip hop is important to civil rights because hip hop has always been brutally honest. The honesty of hip hop has historically forced people to not just think about the issues, but to also find solutions to the problems. As a child, Talib’s parents taught him that he “Should not accept things for what they are, but always find out what they could be.” Today, Talib says that he is living his dream. He makes a living rapping, and talking to young people. He is able to travel the world and still support his family. He says he loves music because it gives people life and delivers a voice for people who otherwise would not have one. Today, Talib is living his dream and it is because he chose to dream it forward.
