In Philadelphia, there is a growing number of violence inside schools across the city. The community is noticing that the conduct of the streets is being mimicked by children in their schools. The children are learning violent behaviors in the communities they live in and are showcasing it at their schools in forms of bullying, fighting, stabbing and shootings. Leaders are trying to decrease the rates of violence in schools through forums and zero-tolerance policies enacted in the school system.
In this article, rappers from the Philadelphia area return to a school in South Philadelphia where there was a violent uprising a couple months prior. Rappers, Freeway and Young Chris, wanted to educate the youth on the dangers of violence and why they need to live a positive life. The rappers are natives of the same areas that these students are growing up in so they can relate to their troubles. The music the rappers write is a reflection of their past experiences with violence. But, they have since changed their life around and are advising the students to do the same. The goal of the rappers is to encourage students to stay in school and not be influenced by the negative and violent behaviors see in their neighborhoods. Although the rappers came from the same streets and were once part of the violent activities, the have learned from it and know the consequences of what violence in a young person can do. They do not want students to go down the same path they have been down.
The organizers of the event were skeptical of having the rappers speak at the event because of the content of their song lyrics. They changed their minds when they realized that the students can relate to the rappers experiences. It is important for the students to learn some key points from the rappers. The music they are writing is a reflection of what they have been through, it is not something they want children to emulate in their lives and school. I think this is where the misconception begins. Children who come from communities where violence is high and also listen to these rappers music get the idea that this behavior is okay. The rappers that are involves in taking a stand against school violence should be clear about this difference. Express to the students, the music they produce is a replication of the troubles they have been through and it is not an example of behavior they want the students to mirror.
Students need to be exposed to people who have made it out of the same situations and violent neighborhoods they are growing up in by doing positive things. It is important for students to be influenced by positive figures who have experienced the same things they did. For some students, these antidotes will allow them to change for the better but for others it will go on deaf ears. The fact that the students will have a choice to change and will be given the opportunity to know what positives can come out of violent environments they live in will make the most difference for them. It will also decrease the violence that is occurring in schools across the city because of violent environments the students are coming from.
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