cummings speaks to University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff about hip-hop and the Constitution
The next time you listen to a rapper, pay close attention to the wordplay because there may be a lesson about the United States Constitution in the rhyme.
鈥淚 believe that hip-hop artists from the jump have been critiquing the U.S. Constitution in a way that makes sense,鈥� said Professor andr茅 douglas pond cummings, an associate professor of law at the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, during a Sept. 17 speech at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Professor cummings, a graduate of Howard University鈥檚 Law School, addressed the student body during 糖心Vlog传媒PB鈥檚 Constitution Day program. The California-born lawyer and author outlined how 鈥渟lavery is embedded in the Constitution鈥� and the way the document has been interpreted to oppress Black Americans.
鈥淚 love this Constitution, but I don鈥檛 worship it,鈥� cummings stated.
Growing Up Near South Central
As a teenager growing up in Southcentral Los Angeles in an area that 鈥渟traddled the 鈥榟ood,鈥� cummings recalled having friends who were 鈥渟urfers鈥� as well as friends who were African-American and Polynesian and 鈥渓ooked like the hip-hop group N.W.A.鈥� According to cummings, both groups of teenagers used marijuana.
鈥淢y white surfer friends were never stopped by police,鈥� cummings shared. It was a different story, though, for his friends who were Black. He remembered being stopped one night and ordered out of his car along with the three Black teenagers riding with him and forced to stretch out on the ground while police removed the seats from his car in a clear illegal search and seizure. 鈥淚f you just think for a moment, if those surfers got thrown down and locked up, what would those parents have done?鈥� queried cummings. 鈥淭hey would call the mayor鈥he police chief would be fired and the War on Drugs would have been over.鈥� It was this unfair application of the law that forged cummings鈥� determination to become an attorney.
The Trauma of Neighbors
cummings cited the trauma of the inequities prevalent in law enforcement, making the case with rapper 鈥檚 song,
Uh, my mama used to pray that she鈥檇 see me in Yale
It鈥檚 f up she gotta see me in jail
On the visit with Lil Papi, it hurt even though I seemed to be well
They got a smoker with a key to my cell, damn
And even worst, my judge black don鈥檛 wanna see me do well
It鈥檚 either that or black people for sale . . .
The ambulance, they coming baby, just breathe
That鈥檚 what the old lady said when she screamed
This nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th
And in the 13th Amendment, it don鈥檛 saw that we kings
They say we legally slaves if we go to the bing
cummings explained, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know many 13, 14, 15-year-old kids who are reading the Constitution, but they鈥檙e listening to Meek. And, he鈥檚 teaching them that the 13th Amendment, in my opinion, is jacked up. And, he鈥檚 suggesting that adverse childhood experiences that impact children are harming their ability to have bright futures, and live long productive lives in the country.鈥�
. cummings and other critics of that portion of the Amendment suggest it is a significant factor in the mass incarceration of Black men.
According to cummings, took on the and the issue of illegal search and seizure with his hit,
Wait, I think police is at the door
Okay, the neighbors think I鈥檓 sellin鈥� dope
Hm, I guess the neighbors think I鈥檓 sellin鈥� dope sellin鈥� dope
Every n***a feel like a candidate
For a Trayvon kinda fate
Even when your crib sit on a lake
Even when your plaques hang on a wall
Even when the President jam your tape . . .
I can鈥檛 sleep 鈥榗ause I鈥檓 paranoid
Black in a white man territory
Cops bust in with the army guns
No evidence of the harm we done
Just a couple neighbors that assume we slang
Only time they see us we be on the news, in chains
鈥淛. Cole鈥檚 talking about racial profiling, he鈥檚 talking about stereotypes, he鈥檚 talking about probable cause,鈥� cummings remarked. 鈥淎nd he鈥檚 essentially saying, 鈥業t doesn鈥檛 matter if your house sits on a lake or the President jams your tape鈥ou鈥檙e Black in America.鈥欌��
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Cummings urged students to 鈥渟tay woke鈥� and get involved, working to harness the 鈥減olitical willpower鈥� to change the Constitution. He pointed to sections of the Constitution that are mostly irrelevant but remain in the document: refers to Black Americans as 3/5ths of a person and contained in Article IV, Section 2 would permit a slave owner to pursue an escaped slave who fled to a free state for a return to enslavement.
University Instructor, Felicia Cooper, listened to cummings speech with the same rapt attention that students did.
鈥淚t was very interesting to hear and see a Caucasian discuss hip-hop and the Constitution,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t afforded us an opportunity to relate it to the past and present and to gain insight on what are some of the solutions for the future. It is important for us to be woke!鈥�
As his speech ended, cummings emphasized, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want you to be depressed about this, I want you to recognize that hip-hop, in my opinion, offers a powerful critique of the state鈥nd, we can change the way the state does its business.鈥�
This article was written by Vickie Newton for 糖心Vlog传媒PB News on Sept. 23, 2019. Reprinted with permission.