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Urban Books Each One Reach Thousands by Albert Kelly
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Urban Books Each One Reach Thousands |
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Education
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As the black community tries to make sense of the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin and some are calling for a new civil rights movement, many community leaders realize that any positive revolution must start in the heart of the community. Mindsets must change. Lifestyle changes are in order. Kids in the black community need to know that someone out there in the world cares about them and their plight. They also need more knowledge because knowledge is power. For this reason it is a great time for urban books with positive messages for the youth to reach the masses. Many black youth are consuming urban lit hungrily. Street lit is a powerful genre that became popular in the early 2000s. Many credit Sister Souljah's book The Coldest Winter Ever, published in 1999, with making the genre hot. Sister Souljah's book had a message for the youth -- the young main character, Winter, went steadily in the wrong direction, chasing money, designer clothes and men with nice cars, and she learned the hard consequences of living that lifestyle. If you talk to many librarians and teachers in urban areas, they will attest to the popularity of urban books among young people. Many educators are just thankful that these books are getting more young people to read. As Audra Robb of Columbia University's Teachers College Reading and Writing Project explains in a New York Times article on the subject, "When you can see yourself inside the book that you're reading, you don't feel so outside." (Campbell, 2011) These titles have mainly gotten a bad rap because of the street themes (drug dealing, prostitution, cursing, money, cars, "bling" and overtly sexual covers). But the rush to judgment causes many to miss out on great urban stories that come with positive messages. Now urban fiction has an opportunity to come full circle, in the tradition of the visionary trailblazer Sister Souljah. Many urban authors have a strong platform to get their message out. Many young girls of color and also boys today are hardcore fans of urban books. Popular rap artists like Tupac, Nas and Lupe Fiasco have consistently tried to reach this young core audience with positive, progressive music lyrics -- books also have an opportunity to make the same footprint in the black community. Something to Think About According to Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, there are now more black men in prison than there were enslaved in 1850. (Pitterson, 2011) Only the black community can change that sad state of affairs. The revolution starts with more black people starting and owning their own businesses, supporting each other and educating the youth. There is a saying: "each one reach one." Well for urban authors, each one can reach thousands with one story. buy essay online
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