Is Hip Hop Worthy of Black History Month?
While riding in my car yesterday listing to satellite radio, I heard what admittedly I found to be a worrisome salute to black history. Essentially, the station challenged youthful listeners to realize that black history consisted “not only of Harriet Tubman” but also of “our hip-hop pioneers.” I found this declaration worrisome on several accounts. Most obviously, black people have long sought to leverage Black History Month as a vehicle for expanding an awareness of black history beyond Harriet Tubman. And they did so by harking upon luminaries in business, politics and music that knocked down stereotypes, barriers to opportunity, and racism. To be sure, hip hop used to do this, too, at least at times. Rarely, however, does hip hop do so anymore. Read more. Bush Urges Diversity in Spy Recruitment President Bush instructed the nation’s new spy chief to focus on finding more recruits with the language skills and cultural background to collect information on al-Qaeda and other terrorist
