Author: laurenfalk20

I have compiled a list of Tupac’s most socially conscious and influential songs. I think this is important for me to include in a blog post so that I can reference it while continuing research for my capstone project. Tupac has recorded and released hundreds of songs so I am constantly finding new songs as … Continue reading Tupac’s Important Songs

Since my posts from now on will be mostly focused on Tupac Shakur and his work, I think it is only appropriate to write a short biography on him. Tupac was a poet, rapper, and actor. He wrote about his own life experiences and used his platform to confront contemporary social issues. Known by the … Continue reading “I’m a reflection of my community.” -Tupac Shakur

I decided to focus my capstone project on Tupac Shakur and how his work created a social consciousness that continues to be influential to this day. For this blog post, I want to discuss his song “Changes,” and specifically the songs references to poverty as well as the effects it has for many black people … Continue reading “Changes”

Childish Gambino released his song, “This Is America” in 2018. While the song is catchy and provocative, it was really the music video that caught everyone’s attention. The video is set in an almost empty warehouse and features Childish Gambino wearing just a pair of gray pants without a shirt. The central message is about … Continue reading “This Is America” by Childish Gambino

I’m focusing my capstone project on police brutality against the black community in the United States. The fight against racism, socio-economic inequality in black communities, and violence against black people is what inspired the Black Power Movement as well as all the organizations that spawned from that. For example, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense … Continue reading “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech, 1963

When I was doing research for this week’s blog post, I came across a few interesting articles centered around former Black Panther Party member, Afeni Shakur. Aside from being the mother of hip-hop legend, Tupac Shakur, Afeni Shakur is credited with being one of the most well-known members of the Black Panther Party. She joined … Continue reading “A Revolutionary and A Mother”

In the late 1960s through the 1970s, the film industry reflected tremendous social and cultural shifts in the United States. The Black film revolution during this time period focused on narratives of destruction, African American masculinity, and the reality of inner-city communities. Blaxploitation is defined as “a genre of films that featured black actors in … Continue reading Blaxploitation

Today in class we listened to “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (1971) by Gil Scott-Heron. The powerful song condemns major media as well as white America’s ignorance of the serious problems going on in the inner cities. The song builds a sense of urgency for Black people in America not to fall victim to … Continue reading “Cause it wasn’t gonna be televised”

Critical race theory is defined as “the view that race, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is socially constructed and that race, as a social constructed concept, functions as a means to maintain the interests of the white population that constructed it” (Britannica). Racism is present in all aspects of society and critical race … Continue reading Critical Race Theory

“My dream was not to publish or to even be a writer:  my dream was to discover something no one else had thought of.  I guess that’s why I’m a poet.  We put things together in ways no one else does.” -Nikki Giovanni, Biography Nikki Giovanni is a Civil Rights and Black Power movement activist, … Continue reading Revolutionary Writing