A University and Its Community

Connecting Kids With Their History




Omar Akbar Young '01, a France/Merrick Fellow at UMBC, has a deep-rooted knowledge and appreciation for African and African-American history, an interest he's helping to cultivate in children in Baltimore's inner city. Working through the Shriver Center's acclaimed Choice program, Young developed the "Ghetto Griot Program," connecting an ancient storytelling tradition with the contemporary language of rap.

"The griot was an historian as well as an educator in African cultures," Young notes. "Children would learn the history of their people through songs and allegory." Looking at rappers as the contemporary version of griots, Young was able to give a group of Baltimore elementary schoolers an alternative to the negative imagery they are bombarded with in their communities, developing a program in which the children read various pieces of literature about ancient black culture and synthesized it into a rap format. Their efforts culminated in a trip to UMBC's recording studio, where the kids had the chance to live out their fantasies and become young recording artists.

"This is a way for them to study things they would normally avoid and enjoy themselves while doing it," Young says. "But it is like giving a child fruit instead of candy as a snack. It's better than candy, but it still doesn't replace a balanced meal--a strong education." Taking his own words to heart, Young also is pursuing an advanced degree in education.

A University and Its Community Home