U.S. first girl Michelle Obama flexes her muscle groups as she workout routines with schoolchildren on the River … [+]
When DJ Kool Herc started MC’ing on August 11, 1973, he unleashed the transformative energy of hip-hop tradition, which has had an indelible influence on the world. He and artists like The Infamous B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Queen Latifah could not have envisioned that hip-hop would ultimately be used as a software to enhance the well being of underserved communities across the nation. But, that is exactly what iconic hip-hop artist Doug E. Recent and Dr. Olajide Williams, professor of neurology and vice dean of group well being on the Vagelos Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia Univwrsity, have achieved by means of their distinctive partnership.
The 2 met for the primary time about twenty years in the past and hit it off, partly due to their shared pursuits in hip-hop and public well being. This collaboration ultimately led to the creation of the Hip Hop Public Health initiative. HHPH has served as a conduit for hip-hop music to transition from the dance ground to the varsity flooring in underserved lecture rooms nationwide, impacting what occurs on the hospital flooring in a few of our most weak communities.
The pair began by creating lyrics for rap music that defined the signs of stroke. Their first challenge was launched in 2006 and was introduced at colleges in Harlem, NY, instructing kids acknowledge a stroke. They created a cartoon known as “Stroke Ain’t No Joke” with animated characters studying a dance known as “The Stroke.”
The music video has a catchy chorus: “If he don’t sound correct, then he’s doing the stroke. Sway when he walks, then he’s doing the stroke. Slur when he talks, then he’s doing the stroke.” It then urges the youngsters to “name 911” in the event that they acknowledge these signs of their family members.
Measures of Success
I used to be doing my neurology coaching at Columbia College and I labored with Dr. Williams at Harlem Hospital when he was first launching this program. I recall an early commentary of an elementary school-aged baby who just lately attended a workshop run by this program who noticed the signs of stroke in his grandmother, which led to the kid calling 911 and the grandmother getting emergency stroke care straight away.
The success of this system isn’t just restricted to anecdotes. After implementing this program at public colleges surrounding Harlem Hospital in New York Metropolis, there was a big improve within the variety of folks receiving emergency stroke care at Harlem Hospital, with numbers exceeding a few of their extra prosperous neighbors. This tangible influence is a testomony to the transformative energy of hip-hop tradition in public well being and its potential for the long run.
This system has developed from specializing in stroke to encompassing many facets of public well being, notably well being points that disproportionately influence underserved communities, like weight problems. This led to a 2013 music video that includes then-U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama as a part of her Let’s Transfer marketing campaign. These and different academic modules have been screened at colleges nationwide and have contributed immensely to lowering the adverse influence of stroke and different frequent circumstances in these communities.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 08: (L-R) D-Good and Doug E. Recent carry out onstage throughout A GRAMMY … [+]
THE HIP HOP PUBLIC HEALTH MOVEMENT
The beats, the break dancing, and the rapping had been key components celebrated final 12 months as hip-hop commemorated its fiftieth anniversary. However anybody who understands hip-hop is aware of it goes far past these three components. Younger individuals are drawn to hip-hop due to its themes that spotlight frequent experiences of traditionally deprived communities, corresponding to financial hardships, racial discrimination, and restricted alternatives.
Whereas the music and the motion sought to empower marginalized youth, the HHPH initiative is a logical extension of hip-hop that empowers those self same marginalized communities to take extra management of their well being. It is a highly effective software that may collectively transfer in the direction of “flipping the script” on the various well being disparities we proceed to see in underserved communities.
Dr. Olajide Williams, professor of neurology at Columbia College (left) is also referred to as the … [+]
Final month, throughout stroke consciousness month, I met with Doug E. Recent and Dr. Williams, who’s also referred to as the “Hip Hop Doc. ” The chemistry between the 2 was evident, and our dialog naturally flowed from discussing how hip-hop had impacted our lives to the significance of making certain that hip-hop continues to be leveraged to save lots of lives.
I used to be notably glad to listen to Doug E. Recent clarify that he all the time had an curiosity in bettering the well being of underserved communities, which is why he eagerly embraced the thought of beginning this program. The 2 males could have traveled completely different paths, however their fortuitous assembly allowed for the convergence of two roads that enabled their wealthy life experiences to blaze a novel new path for the way forward for hip-hop.
“Music has monumental therapeutic energy, and it isn’t being leveraged sufficient in well being care,” stated Dr. Williams. “Similar to we study our ABCs by means of tune, we are able to additionally use music to discover ways to higher look after ourselves and our communities.” Certainly, HHPH has utilized music to teach communities in regards to the fundamentals of diet and wholesome consuming in addition to methods to enhance caloric literacy.
The HHPH motion is rising and should already be in your group by means of their Well being MC program that trains educators and group companions on implement these packages regionally. “As a stroke program supervisor at a group hospital serving a various group, I am all the time in search of efficient messaging to get the phrase out to the group about stroke,” stated Sherin Ninan, DNP who manages the stroke program at WMCHealth’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, NY. “After I discovered about Hip Hop Public Well being, I knew it might be an amazing software to teach my group about stroke.”
HHPH now has further hip-hop artists, like Salt from “Salt-N-Pepa,” Ashanti, Chuck D, Ariana Grande, Jordin Sparks, and DMC from Run DMC, on board to assist unfold what I name “healthful” messages into communities.
As somebody who grew up in hip-hop tradition and nonetheless enjoys the beats, rhymes, and dancing, I’m deeply moved to see hip-hop altering and saving lives on this essential method. I eagerly anticipate seeing the place hip-hop goes subsequent.
