An OG Education

Discussions happen in our class. Whether it’s the second amendment, philosophy, or indigenous nations, we’re going to have a discussion and it’s going to become a debate and sometimes a full blown disagreement. 

I don’t see anything wrong with students disagreeing (as long as no one is disagreeable). The status quo has given us nothing. Children should disagree with the way things are, so they’re searching for the solution. We need to provide the forum to expand their minds and deepen their understanding.

Which brings me to the question I was asked yesterday by one of our brilliant minds. “Ms. Pvel, what’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?” Random? Not really, we were talking about ‘Stand Your Ground laws’. Off topic? Yeah.

My story starts like this… In my first year at college, I went to Brixton (Black London, in case you don’t know) to a Public Enemy concert. What happened next in my classroom has deeply disturbed me, I’m still thinking about it the next day, and I want to share it with you.

Hold on to everything that is dear to you because here goes. Their response. “Who’s Public Enemy?” One after the other they asked me this question. I was silent, remembered my age, shook that off, remembered that OGs don’t age (not me, I mean Public Enemy) and questioned their home life and upbringing. 

Parents, there are important parts of your child’s education that have to happen at home. We can’t have an OG class at school, people will start asking questions. So, we’re relying on you to teach the next generation about the roots of hip hop when rappers used their powers for good. 

You all know I’m joking about most of this, but the fact that rap has become the medium for Black girls to learn their future’s bright if they look good, live fast, and get used to being called out of their names. And for Black boys to learn to disrespect women, idolize drug culture, and make materialism a religion.

How do I know about the first Black civilizations? KRS ONE. Discover that I’m a queen? Queen Latifah. Realize that “most of our heroes don’t appear on no stamps”? Chuck D of said same Public Enemy. 

Do your job, parents, Apple Music, Spotify, I don’t mind. The First Ladies of Hip Hop is on Netflix. When you watch, listen to how many of the forerunners went to Afrocentric schools or were homeschooled. Coincidence? Probably not.

Oh, my near death story … I got to the stadium early, stood in front of the stage (no seats on the floor), and didn’t realize until the concert started that behind me were hundreds of male rap fans. The bass dropped. Everyone started jumping. I couldn’t hold myself up. But here’s the magical part, some young man, I’ll never know who because I couldn’t turn around, held me up through the entire concert - Beastie Boys, Run DMC, then Public Enemy, and I was saved! Moral of this story, don’t let your children go to college, they do dumb stuff. 😂 Or, maybe, that an angel will appear when you need one. 

But the bigger moral of this story. Parents, we’re relying on you to do your job. Please provide an adequate OG education for your child. Or what’s next, “Who’s Tupac?”!



Tara Pvel