The next guest speaker for the Hip Hop Education and Equity Virtual Speaker Series for Educators is:
Dr. Jason Rawls aka J Rawls.
Producer// DJ// Author// Educator// Speaker
Known for his music production work with artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Domo Genesis (Odd Future), Capital Steez (Pro Era), Beastie Boys, Del tha Funky Homosapien, Aloe Blacc and more, Dr. Jason Rawls is an educator with over two decades of teaching experience. A leader of the #HipHopEd movement, Dr. Rawls is an Assistant Professor of Hip Hop at THE Ohio State University. He is leading the team that is creating the FIRST Hip Hop Studies program in a School of Music at an R1 university in the United States. Before this, at Ohio University, Dr. Rawls helped develop the first Hip-Hop Based Education program in a College of Education. The program called H.O.P.E. is a series of four courses rooted in Hip-Hop Based Education using both Culturally Relevant and Relational Pedagogy and he was the coordinator of the Brothers R.I.S.E. program at Ohio University. Dr. Rawls is also co-author of a book entitled, Youth Culture Power: A #HipHopEd Guide to Building Teacher-Student Relationships and Increasing Student Engagement. Rawls is also featured in an exhibit on Hip Hop at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

The next guest speaker for the Hip Hop Education and Equity Virtual Speaker Series for Educators is
Sebastien Elkbouby

Sebastien Elkouby’s introduction to Hip-Hop culture began in 1981. The nine year-old kid, who had just moved from Paris, France, took to breakdancing as a way to make new friends. Like his peers, Sebastien participated in various elements of Hip-Hop culture, briefly experimenting with Graffiti and DJing but eventually finding his voice through rap and beatboxing. Inspired by Public Enemy, Sebastien recognized Hip-Hop’s impact on his generation and began incorporating his passion for history, self-empowerment, and social issues with Hip-Hop culture. Disgusted by a changing music industry, in 2001, Sebastien co-founded the Urban Youth Empowerment Foundation, a community-based organization dedicated to youth empowerment through Hip-Hop Culture. In 2007, Sebastien created The Global Awareness through Hip-Hop Culture (TGATHHC) course, which was picked up by a public charter school in South Central Los Angeles. This class was one of the only full-time Hip-Hop courses in the nation offered to middle/high school students during regular school hours. In 2017, Sebastien’s educational Hip-Hop program was designated as a University of California approved, college-preparatory elective, making it one of few Hip-Hop programs with such distinction. In 2019, Sebastien was invited by the Arts, Media, and Entertainment division of the CTE branch of the California Department of Education to bring TGATHHC course to schools across California. This is the first time in history that Hip-Hop education will be offered to middle and high school students as an official statewide elective.

The H2E2 Speaker Series is in partnership with @hiphop4change and @h2e2initiative