This week's freshman seminar lecture was given by Alton Pollard, whose topic was Civil Rights, Hip Hop and Hope: The Power of Young People. Mr. Pollard's lecture focused on the power that young people have had throughout history and how they have made great changes not only in America but internationally as well. He then later compared the young generations of the the Civil Rights Movement and other eras to our generation and told us that we are a generation of hope and change and that we should define what our generation wants to be.
I was especially intrigued when Mr. Pollard talked about not only the great civil rights leaders but also the lesser known civil rights leaders that helped make a difference. Although he was a little rushed due to time constraints, he still enlightened us on some of the people besides Rosa Parks, MLK and Malcolm X who still made a difference through bravery and courage. However, by far my most favorite part of his lecture was his focus on those involved in the modern day struggle for equal; including, hip hop, R&B, caribbean artists whose words and actions changed the way people thought. Among the artists that he mentioned, the ones that stuck out to me the most were Common, Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott because to me the things they have done have been very influential for the advancement of the African-American community. They are one of the few artists who are still prevalent in today's popular music who talk about things that matter and don't merely make a song just for album sales. They are certainly no Soulja Boys who make song that only progress the stereotypes of black people. Common's lyrics honestly talk about problems within the community and by the end of the songs he usually seeks to find a solution to the problems or at least bring the problems to all listeners' attention. He has survived in the game for decades and is one of the few rappers that has yet to sell out due to fame and money. However, just as Mr. Pollard said, the man is great rapper but the poor boy just can't act...he should probably stick to the booth. Also, Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott are real singers who make songs that speak to modern day black culture. For example, Jill Scott's "A Long Walk" was her breakout song yet it actually had some substance and wasn't just an auto-tuned version of her "singing". In addition, Lauryn Hill's cd The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was filled with inspiration of songs that greatly influenced they both black men and women thought. Songs like "To Zion" and "That Thing" were both deep and emotional and spoke about real things in the lives of African-Americans.
Finally Mr. Pollard equated the influential people of our past to our generation and said that we can be even better than the ones who came before us since they have laid the foundation for us. I found this part to be very inspirational because our ancestors have done so much for our generation to be successful and it is only right that we honor their memory and do something greater and better. Like Mr. Pollard said our bounds are limitless. We have a black president for the first time in history, a strong foundation on which to stand and now it is our time to shine and show America just how great the black race can be. What great way to start off our experience at Howard University.
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