Brick012610: Dr Yohuru Williams

Hey Gang!
In my quest to bring you quality material, I've tapped the shoulder of an old buddy of mine - Dr. Yohuru Williams.Yohuru and I not only went to school together, we DJed parties,hung out , done hip hop shows ( The "Klein", Bridgeport, CT circa 1980s) and a lot of things that "homeboys" do.
Note: This included Chuck , Glenn, and Yotisse...Don't wanna forget anybody!
As time went on, we'd see each other, years would go by, and we'd find one another again. In one of our separations, when I found him, he had books published !! We continue to be buddies, as a matter of fact, he is a member of Team Inky Mann..More on that as time goes on. I took the oppurtunity to interview him.
Here it goes:

Ink:Going to Prep together, I remember you were a rapper/MC, a DJ, and a son of the Black Power movement. Now, you're a scholar and published author. Why such a huge leap?


Hey Ink, Thanks for having me. Like most African American youth in the late 80s I was fascinated by Hip Hop Culture. As you know, my father is a musician. As a child my brother and I studied music, including African drumming and were part of the African Guides Program where we learned a great deal about the history of the African continent and African cultures. When I got into Hip Hop, my favorite artists were those that included a political message. I was a huge fan of KRS One and of course Public Enemy, not to mention Lock M. Shabazz. All of this to say I don’t think it was a great leap at all. Becoming a historian allowed me to wed many of my interests and passions in a profession that has allowed me to grow tremendously as a person. I feel like have been researching and writing about Civil Rights and Black Power my entire life and documenting it either in music or in print.

Ink: What books have you published? Where do you find them?

I have written and or edited eight books, including four textbooks. The first was on the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement in the Urban North entitled Black Politics/White Power: Civil Rights, Black Power and Black Panthers in New Haven . I have listed the four most recent books below. You can purchase them on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com.

Yohuru Williams. Black Politics White Power, Civil Rights, Black Power and the Black Panthers in New Haven. Blackwell Press, January, 2008. (originally published by Brandywine Press, 2000)

Yohuru Williams and Jama Lazerow, Eds. Liberated Territory: Toward a Local History of the Black Panther Party, Duke University Press, 2009. Yohuru Williams. Teaching U.S. Beyond the Textbook: Six Investigative Strategies, Grades 5-12. Corwin Press, 2008.




Yohuru Williams and Jama Lazerow, Eds. In Search of the Black Panther Party: New Perspectives on a Revolutionary Movement, Duke University Press, 2006.
















Here is a link. http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Cp_27%3AYohuru%20Williams&field-author=Yohuru%20Williams&page=1.



Ink:You've contributed music to my show , The Benjamin Brothers Program. Are your colleagues aware of your history in Connecticut Hip Hop?

Music is such a big part of my life it would be very difficult to hide. A lot of colleagues do know about that I am what I like to call a “beat farmer” meaning I cultivate beats, the way a farmer grows and cultivates crops. It is an organic process that sometimes begins with the scraps (samples) of beats gone by and culminates through the mixing of new nutrients, back beats, bass or loops, a new creation. Someone really needs to write a history of Hip Hop in CT and not simply on a nostalgic tip. Bridgeport truly was NY sixth borough in the 80s and 90s and I think a lot of insight could be gleaned from looking at he experience of Bridgeport in its efforts to combat crime and drugs and the emergence of Hip Hop. While the three are often linked, I believe, at least initially that Hip Hop was the antidote to crime until it became commercialized. Much longer discussion than we have time for here.

Ink: What were some of your MC names? What's your fondest Hip Hop memory?

My top five back in the day were KRS One, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, LL Cool J and of course PE. When it came to rap duos Run DMC, Salt and Pepa and EPMD were my favorite groups. But I really love the classics and I still listen to a lot of the real early stuff like Master O.C and Crazy Eddie and the B-Boys. As I got older I really began to appreciate the DJS. My favorites in order were Terminator X, of course Eric B, there is no greater example of cutting than Chinese Arithmetic, DJ Jazy Jeff who does not get nearly enough credit for the innovator he was and continues to be, Bob Cat and Cut Creator, Doug E. Fresh’s DJs Chill Will and Barry B, EPMD’s mixmaster DJ La Boss and last but not least Davey D.

Ink: Ever consider going full time in Hip Hop?

Just waiting for the call . . . but keeping my day jobs.

Ink: What are your books about?

Most are about the Black Panther Party, African American History and Social Studies Teaching Methods. My most recent project, Six Degrees of Segregation is on lynching and capital punishment.

Ink: Being a son of the Black Power movement, give me a memory.

Playing the drums at the Harambee Fiesta in Bridgeport with my Dad, dressed in Dashikis and chanting African Proverbs. . . I was six or seven. Second sharing a panel with Bobby Seale, who co-founded the Black Panther Party and Audrea Dunham, a dynamic woman who ran the Boston Chapter of the BPP at Delaware State University in 2003.

Ink: I see you are a member of the American Institute for History Education. What is your position? What does the group do?

I am the Vice President for History Education. We provide teacher professional development for history and social studies educators throughout the country. I have given lectures or talks in 38 states including Arizona , Alabama and Alaska ! It’s demanding but meaningful work and I work with wonderful teachers from all over.

Ink: Can I have your autograph?

I am putting a copy of Liberated Territory in the mail for you today.

Ink:  What inspired you to educate?

My parents heavily influenced me. Both were educators. I should also mention my experience with the Jesuits at Fairfield Prep and later the University of Scranton . The President of AIHE is also a product of Jesuit Education. I truly believe that something about Jesuit Education calls people to find meaningful employment in service to others. I had the added bonus of earning my PH.D from Howard University were service was also emphasized.

Ink: Who in Hip Hop are you listening to these days?

I only listen to the classics.

Ink; We were in Prep at a time of racial tension (Tawana Brawley, Howard
Beach).Some say, now with President Obama in office, racism is "dead".What do YOU say?

Read my edited book, The Colorline Revisited: Is Racism Dead by Inc. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Yohuru R. Williams PH.D, and Baruti N. Kopano (Paperback – 2002. All is answered there.


Ink: How did you get your books published?

Lots of heartache and hard work, but when you are dedicated to something the most difficult tasks don’t seem so bad I really like researching and writing about the African American and American experience.

Ink; Any last words?

Yeah, love the blog and the show. Keep doing what your doing.


2010: The Year of the Affiliate...I'm not playing with this slogan!! I know people!
As for the music, I figured I'd give you some "Yohuru Originals"..I didn't ask his permission, but..I know he'd want you to hear them.

Michael Mix
Underground Love
Up Early in the Morning


Cheers...oh, and ...yohooooo!