Spring Break
Hip-hop intellectual wants minority men to move on up
Jessie Burche
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: News
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Dyson spoke in opposition to anti-immigration feelings in America.
"It's a bunch of immigrants who got here trying to dog the immigrants just getting here. You all got in by the boat, the plane, the train or however you could get here. We ain't mad at your group, but we mad at Jose," Dyson said. "We don't mind German immigrants coming here trying to build the information superhighway, but we don't want the Joses of the world coming through here….We want to build a wall to keep them out. Who gonna build it? The Mexicans."
Dyson told the men at the summit not to quit working in school no matter how hard their classes are, even if they have a hard time at home because of money or because it's a single-parent home.
"I understand how difficult that is … that's the more reason to get there," Dyson said.
He said anti-intellectualism is an American phenomenon.
"I'm asking you to be a dissenter," Dyson said.
He also talked about how schools may not be teaching minority students correctly.
"There are cultural differences that sometimes manifest themselves in styles of learning, how people talk and speak ain't the same as everybody else," Dyson said. "So we get written off as pathological, you know, can't learn. We can learn, you just got to learn how to learn us."
He spoke about Ebonics' role in America
"The purpose of black English is to allow black people to communicate with each other in … a way they could understand, but the enemy couldn't," Dyson said. "English without people of color would be a darn sight ridiculous."
He also said all the uproar about sagging pants is unfounded.
"I'm not worried about sagging pants; I'm worried about sagging dreams," he said.
One of the last pieces of advice he had for the AALo summit focused on working within the system in the U.S. in terms of working hard in school, not speaking in Ebonics while trying to get a job and clothing. He encouraged the men at the summit to fit in so they could become successful.
"You ain't sellin' out, you tryin' to buy in," Dyson said.
He also encouraged the men to treat women better.
"Black and brown men, lighten up on the misogyny," he said.
Cheryl Ellis, Kansas City resident, agreed the teaching system must change in the U.S. Ellis does volunteer work for the Police Athletic League (PAL) and said her organization gave free haircuts to boys and girls before school started this year.
"Kids can't think if they don't like the way they look," Ellis said.
The idea of the free haircuts was to relieve one more worry for school kids and allow them to focus on academics.
Tyrone Harris, freshman at ITT Tech, liked the speech.
"He can relate to us," Harris said. "He gets to the point."
Harris also liked the speech wasn't focused on one race.
jburche@gmail.com
"It's a bunch of immigrants who got here trying to dog the immigrants just getting here. You all got in by the boat, the plane, the train or however you could get here. We ain't mad at your group, but we mad at Jose," Dyson said. "We don't mind German immigrants coming here trying to build the information superhighway, but we don't want the Joses of the world coming through here….We want to build a wall to keep them out. Who gonna build it? The Mexicans."
Dyson told the men at the summit not to quit working in school no matter how hard their classes are, even if they have a hard time at home because of money or because it's a single-parent home.
"I understand how difficult that is … that's the more reason to get there," Dyson said.
He said anti-intellectualism is an American phenomenon.
"I'm asking you to be a dissenter," Dyson said.
He also talked about how schools may not be teaching minority students correctly.
"There are cultural differences that sometimes manifest themselves in styles of learning, how people talk and speak ain't the same as everybody else," Dyson said. "So we get written off as pathological, you know, can't learn. We can learn, you just got to learn how to learn us."
He spoke about Ebonics' role in America
"The purpose of black English is to allow black people to communicate with each other in … a way they could understand, but the enemy couldn't," Dyson said. "English without people of color would be a darn sight ridiculous."
He also said all the uproar about sagging pants is unfounded.
"I'm not worried about sagging pants; I'm worried about sagging dreams," he said.
One of the last pieces of advice he had for the AALo summit focused on working within the system in the U.S. in terms of working hard in school, not speaking in Ebonics while trying to get a job and clothing. He encouraged the men at the summit to fit in so they could become successful.
"You ain't sellin' out, you tryin' to buy in," Dyson said.
He also encouraged the men to treat women better.
"Black and brown men, lighten up on the misogyny," he said.
Cheryl Ellis, Kansas City resident, agreed the teaching system must change in the U.S. Ellis does volunteer work for the Police Athletic League (PAL) and said her organization gave free haircuts to boys and girls before school started this year.
"Kids can't think if they don't like the way they look," Ellis said.
The idea of the free haircuts was to relieve one more worry for school kids and allow them to focus on academics.
Tyrone Harris, freshman at ITT Tech, liked the speech.
"He can relate to us," Harris said. "He gets to the point."
Harris also liked the speech wasn't focused on one race.
jburche@gmail.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 5
Will S
WS
posted 10/08/07 @ 4:45 PM CST
You know what's even more 'gangster'? Not making mockery of yourself by demonstrating you know absolutely nothing about the local and state government's responsibilities instead of just claiming that George W. (Continued…)
D. Coates
posted 10/08/07 @ 6:46 PM CST
Dyson makes a lot of sense by preaching responsibility, but he dilutes it by accepting some of the hip hop behaviors. Oh yeah (and I have to say this now-a--days) his views do not represent ALL black people. (Continued…)
John Bertrand
posted 10/09/07 @ 8:58 PM CST
He is an embarrassment to my university.
I am withholding my contribution to the annual fund until he is terminated.
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