Redefining the Labyrinth: Track 14

Redefining the Labyrinth was a project I began while teaching at a local Memphis High School. With the current uproar about all that is wrong in the Memphis City Schools, I thought it would be interesting to post the work generated by four high school seniors, who are products of a system that everyone assumes is not capable of developing and producing productive students who can compete in this socioeconomic culture. I edited the book and contributed essays to give the book a shape and form, but it was the work of the students that allowed for the completion of this work. The artwork was completed by the student author DeVarius Fisher and the idea to make the name of each chapter an allusion to a song in Hip-Hop was a collaborative effort. I will post each student essay here on the blog. There is also a Question and Answer section in the book. If you would like to purchase a copy click here.

 

 

 

Track

14

Featured Artist: London Maclin

Talkin About It: Teaching and Learning

In the early 1900’s, blacks had a hard time obtaining a decent education because of local, state, and federal laws. The many that tried to challenge the laws faced prison time as well as death. They risked their lives for the generation today so that we could have a top notched education. As the years have passed, education no longer seems relevant to society and is more focused on personal choices made by individuals. While blacks once focused on education, they now focus on work. The desire to have things has usurped the importance of learning. Parents are working more and children are suffering.

Redefining the Labyrinth: Track 9

 Redefining the Labyrinth was a project I began while teaching at a local Memphis High School. With the current uproar about all that is wrong in the Memphis City Schools, I thought it would be interesting to post the work generated by four high school seniors, who are products of a system that everyone assumes is not capable of developing and producing productive students who can compete in this socioeconomic culture. I edited the book and contributed essays to give the book a shape and form, but it was the work of the students that allowed for the completion of this work. The artwork was completed by the student author DeVarius Fisher and the idea to make the name of each chapter an allusion to a song in Hip-Hop was a collaborative effort. I will post each student essay here on the blog. There is also a Question and Answer section in the book. If you would like to purchase a copy click here.

Track

9

Featured Artist: London Maclin

Life Is Real: The New Civil War of the 21st Century(A Children’s Story)

The nation, our America, is at war… within itself. African Americans are on one side of the battlefield and the whites are on the other. Waiting for a signal to charge, the tension, dislike, and the hate is constantly rising and mounting. The reason for this war like affair is due to the system of standards within this country for different races. Favoritism and special treatment between the races has caused a spilt within the homeland. The races are looking for any kind of weakness that they can invade. Hoping for a way to win, they both plan. In the midst of all this mayhem, the government is silently sitting back, betting on which side is going to win. They send officials to both sides with false information about the other. The battle for jobs, housing, and quality schooling has turned the twenty-first century into a modern day civil war.