Hip-Hop is more than a music genre; it is a tool used by people to challenge the status quo and tell their stories of the injustices they face. True Skool uses Hip-Hop and other art forms to encourage and empower youth in the community. True Skool co-directors Shalina S. Ali and Fidel Verdin both grew up in Milwaukee attending public schools where they felt misunderstood and undervalued.
Having personally experienced the challenges that the system put in place for Milwaukee’s youth, Ali and Verdin have structured True Skool to be a safe place where, as Verdin says, “Anyone that walks in is respected, acknowledged and loved.” While the two had drastically different childhoods, they both used their own early life lessons to teach others about peace and social justice.
True Skool started 14 years ago when Verdin began hosting neighborhood events and using art to develop curricula for conflict resolution. “We built a community; we built a following, and that was the beginning,” he says. When Ali joined the team six years ago, she worked with True Skool’s teaching artists to refine their curricula and strengthen relationships between the staff members.
True Skool hires local artists to teach eight-week-long after-school programs on the subjects of DJing, emceeing, breakdancing, visual arts, music production, live band and video production. Students from ages 14 to 19 learn how to use art as a means of creative thinking and problem solving—whether or not they choose to pursue a career in the arts. Ali explains that the staff is there to guide the students by asking them: “What are your options? What’s the best life you want to lead? How can we help you get there?” At the end of the course, the students put together a showcase with one of True Skool’s community partners, allowing them to apply their skills to benefit the community.
Many students that finish the programs return to participate in the summer alumni program for ages 19 to 24, which focuses on career development. The goal is for these youth to be able to start their careers in Milwaukee—whether or not they choose to stay long term. True Skool presents opportunities that the youth may not have known were there and teaches them that they have the power to make a difference.
“You might have a little bitty voice in this whole global spectrum, but your little bitty voice better be heard on the right side of history,” says Verdin. It’s all about the youth, Ali and Verdin explain. If you can open up possibilities for them, you can change their future.
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For more on True Skool, visit trueskool.org. For more of Erin Bloodgood’s work, go to bloodgoodfoto.com.
