What role can African American Studies play in developing students of the post-Hip Hop generations?

The question posed is in direct response to two events that our class participated in. The first was the City of Champaign presentation to community residents regarding the plans for the redevelopment of Bristol Park. There were concerns that the outcome of the project was going to be gentrification of another historically African American space. The second event was the African American Cultural Center's state of the black student at Illinois program. Students expressed concerns about racist incidents in the residence halls, being the only African American in class, and the difficulty some students have adjusting to a predominately white campus.

Has African American Studies addressed issues like these in the past? If so, what were the results? Have African American Studies programs addressed gentrification issues in communities, If so, what were the results? Are these areas that Hip Hop could play a role, if so, how?

Did Brown address any of these issues in the latest readings, if so, what did he say and what can we learn from his discourse?

How can Black Studies connect with the Hip Hop and post-Hip Hop generations?

Thus far, Brown has really set a tone of disdain for the current state of Black Studies departments and programs. Remember, Brown is from the era that created the perfect storm for Black Studies to exist in the late 1960's and early 70's. However, in a reminiscent way, he talked about how proud he was of a more contemporary moment of protest when a group of black students at Berkley kicked off the black out protest. In that same instance he expressed his contempt for white students who dismissed it as well off black kid demagoguery. I think we have arrived at a point in the reading where Brown consistently reflects on how university administration derailed the advancement of African Americans in the academy, which then cripples efforts to advance African American communities as a whole.

So, where does Black Studies go from here? If Brown makes the argument that Hip Hop and post Hip Hop generations can redefine black studies, it's going to be a hard argument to support. Two words. Promotion and tenure. The promotion and tenure structure of universities and colleges often do not encourage junior faculty to be involved in communities. Publishing and research initiatives often dictate how a junior faculty member is positioned in the academy. Unfortunately, being involved in African American community redevelopment is not rewarded. Why is that? Moreover, given the current climate of university and African American community relations can Hip Hop Studies become the new Black Studies?

What would happen if the University of Illinois froze enrollment for everyone except African American students?

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the flagship institution in the state's higher educational system. According to the Division of Management Information (DMI) website (www.dmi.illinois.edu/cp/default.aspx), Illinois has 44,066 students enrolled on and off campus for the 2011-2012 academic year. Of that percentage, DMI indicates that 11.6% of those students are from "underrepresented" groups. What does "underrepresented" groups mean? Who is in reflected in that data set?, why isn't the data stratified based on race? What would happen if it was? On another note, what is interesting is that from 1989-1998, the term "minority students" was used to reflect a portion of the percentage of students enrolled. During the 1998-1999 academic year, there was a total of 36,303 students enrolled. Of that percentage, 11.7% were minority students. Again, who is reflected in that data? Is it safe to assume that minority means racial or ethnic group? These are the things that must be teased out to understand how to hold the university accountable for insuring access for African Americans on all levels in the academy, and the first level is student admittance. Who's responsibility is it to sound the cry for change?

Does America Still Need Affirmative Action, or Does African American's Need to Reaffirm their Actions?

Cecil Brown kicked off a firestorm of commentary during our class discussion. What was teased out of the conversation was his argument becoming more of an exclusive conversation about the plight of black males and their decline on campuses. But he also has begun conversing about the impact that African Diaspora scholars has had on the traditional focus of Black Studies. So what does all of this mean in the aftermath of Proposition 209? Is Black Studies still poised to argue the social issues that impact African American people, or does Black Studies need to reflect the times that we live in? Was Ward Connerly the root cause of the changes that we see or were the times already "a changin."