To me Emcee means Move the Class
Welcome to Doctor K's newsletter
Hip-Hop heads know that the term MC, spelled e-m-c-e-e, originally was sampled from the term Master of Ceremony and remixed by Rakim in the 1986 classic “Eric B for President” when he said, “‘Cause to me, emcee means Move the Crowd.” As a hip-hop educator, I follow in this tradition and to me, emcee means Move the Class.
Let me Reintroduce myself: My name is Dr. Kahlil Almustafa aka Doctor K. Many people know me as a Spoken Word Artist. Many others will know me as the Teaching Artist who visited their classroom, library or juvenile detention center for a hip-hop and poetry workshop.
When I started my first newsletter, it was shortly after the turn into this new millennium and I had dropped out of college again to travel with a hip-hop/rock band. I was profoundly disinterested in school but I was fully engaged as editor of The Paper. So I started my own newsletter and in only a couple of years had more than 5,000 subscribers.
Most of my “subscribers” were spam. It was email addresses I pulled from lists and emails I was cc’d on that I copy and pasted. Most people never opened my emails but I am sure people knew my name and there were others who opened it every week and eventually depended on it and let me know. It was through this newsletter that I was able to stay connected and connect with so many friends, communities and movements.
When I was growing up I wanted to write THIS newsletter. It is going to be filled with POETRY and PEOPLE. Oh yeah, and of course, POLITICS! If you are into it, you can expect a regular barrage of reflections about hip-hop, education and parenting - all directed towards social change, all-out r(e)volution or just simply getting through the workday.
POLL: How do you know Doctor K?
The first time I met Kahlil he was definitely performing a poem, I’m sure.
He used to be my poetry or hip-hop teacher OR I taught with him.
I went to school with him! Shout out to LMU, Goddard, Vermont College, City College, Hunter College, York College, Harriet Eisman HS, Queensboro College GED Prep Program, Bayside High School and IS 59.
I’m related to him OR I am his friend or co-worker and he told me that if I really care, I would not only read his Substack but take this stupid poll.
Thanks for taking my poll. Here is a 20% of subscription: https://movetheclass.substack.com/2024Launch
So, what’s new with you Doctor K?
This May 1, 2024 will mark my one-year work-anniversary at a LA County non-profit Community Partners. During my first year as a grant-maker, I have grown in my understanding and appreciation of the way my experience and educations as an educator informs the way I conduct my work. This is truly a dream job. Community Partners has superb leadership whom I trust, colleagues who I constantly learn from, and work which is truly fulfilling.
People ask me do I enjoy being able to ‘make decisions’ about which organizations receive funding. Now, I do not want to downplay the fact that the work of a grant administrator heavily influences the outcomes of a grant program, such as who and sometimes more importantly who does not get funded. I do not make decisions. I manage decision-making processes.
One of the projects I work on is Food Equity. Click the link and check it out.
What to expect on Move the Class?
The Classroom: for those interested in hands-on lessons, workshops and courses on poetry, spoken word, hip-hop, professional development, and critical thinking. Here you will have the opportunity to engage in a community of artists, scholars, educators, and lovely human beings. There will be discussions, dialogue, creative insights, and more. April’s Class will be focused on “Words Become Worlds: Spoken Word in Communities and Classrooms” with new lessons for each day of Poetry Month.
The Books: for those interested in reading stories, in-depth articles, reflections, educational research, this is the page for you. Also, to celebrate Poetry Month, April’s book will be “Move the Class: stories from teaching in New York City public school classrooms.” New excerpts will be released throughout the month.
The Lab: if you are looking to delve into the creative process and experience new material, go here. In May, you will be able to get a first look at Black Minds, a historical study of education for Black people in the U.S.
The Office: Here you will get behind the scenes access to the birthing of Move the Class as a digital platform and a physical performance space.
What are the subscriptions about?
Whatever way you know me from - the stage, the community, the page, or the classroom - you know that I am passionate about engaging in essential community dialogue through education, spoken word poetry and artistic expression. If you subscribe, you will play a pivotal role in supporting me.
Free subscribers get:
A weekly essay about the world
Access to poetry lessons, original artistic work, lectures, academic research and more
Paid Subscribers also get:
The ability to comment and engage in community dialogue
The ability to participate in monthly chats with me
Early access at all of my upcoming projects
Also, a special shout out to all of the more than 2,000 people who were on my original mailing list, Newsletter from the Nebakanezer which ran for 82 issues from 2002-2004.
Quick question: If a Poet shares a Poem on the internet and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? “NO.” I am nothing without YOU, my community.
Some notes…
[FREE] As a paid subscriber, you have access to more in-depth lesson plans and community dialogues in The Classroom and behind-the-scenes posts about my artistic process in The Lab. If you are not hearing from me regularly, please check your SPAM folder or your PROMOTIONS folder and add this address as ‘not spam’ to ensure that you receive my emails.
Please mark this address as ‘not spam.’ If the newsletter isn’t in your spam folder, either, you should look in the Promotions tab.
You will start receiving updates right here in your inbox. You can also log in to the website to read the full archives and other posts as they are published.
[PAID] As a Founder, you will have complete access to The Business Feed in The Office, a first-hand look into the building of Move the Class, an innovative educational enterprise, as well as the release of creative material still in process in The Lab.
Thanks again, and please tell a few friends if you feel like it.
Let’s get moving!