Tristan Douglas had a vision to help young children and adolescents with basic reading and writing skills through one of his favorite mediums—hip hop.
The 28-year-old native of San Bernardino spends his days off from his State of California human resources position helping community leader Edwin Johnson teach young participants of the Creating Hopeful Opportunities and Resiliency by Developing Skills (C.H.O.R.D.S.) program about the essentials of constructing poetry verses and producing music.
Douglas along with local hip-hop artists Samuel “Oxymoron” Montes, poet Ipyani Lockert, and others will be holding workshops, now through March.
Douglas, a member of local hip-hop group West Coast Avengers, believes the urban medium can help youth tell their stories.
“We’re not trying to tell them what to write,” Douglas said. “We’re telling them how to write the truth.”
Emcees Douglas, Montes, and poet Lockert have given workshops on developing ‘bars’–the hip-hop concept of matching a measure of music to a line of poetry. A skill that requires an understanding of basic math.
“It’s really inspiring, even though it wasn’t a big classroom full of kids; there were a lot of kids interested in what we were teaching.” says Epyk Saga, who participated by guiding the youth in real time practice, counting bars over a live beat.
Johnson, who started the C.H.O.R.D.S. program in 2011, said the elements of Hip-Hop provide children a gateway out of the hardships of poverty and violence. The lifetime San Bernardino resident believes it is important for young people build up their writing skills and tell their stories of hardship and success.
“Nowadays the young generation is reliant on Hip-Hop. The latest fashion, the lingo, and lifestyle is all based on this genre,” explained Johnson. “Because it’s culturally driven, why not take [Hip-Hop] to do positive things?”
Maurice ‘Fruit Snacks’ Parson, 13, believes Hip-Hop should not be used for glamour, but instead should be medium that allows for critical thinking and free expression. He said his songs tell stories of his days as a student at Del Rosa Elementary School–times that the Public Safety Academy student explained were tumultuous.
“I saw a lot of things that weren’t right, that shouldn’t be taking place at a school,” he said. “There were kids acting like gang members, getting jumped. Personally, I didn’t take care of things and I had bad habits. This program has helped me grow and has made me believe I could be something.”
Parson said Lockert’s influence has resonated with his personal development.
“Yani’s words brighten my day up,” said Parson. “We get along with one another like we are family”
Fox 11 anchorwoman Christine Devine will be giving a workshop on communication and artist development at C.H.O.R.D.S., located at 3041 N. Sierra Way in San Bernardino. For more information, contact Edwin Johnson at (909) 723-0480.
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