Analysis

There are two categories of data poems about Ed Emcees:

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

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

Story Data Poems:

Meaningful Moments

This subcategory 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.

  • 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 Practices

This subcategory 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.