{"id":152663,"date":"2019-09-20T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T13:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?p=152663"},"modified":"2020-09-17T10:20:35","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T14:20:35","slug":"a-creative-outlet-to-process-incarceration","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2019\/a-creative-outlet-to-process-incarceration\/","title":{"rendered":"‘A Creative Outlet to Process Incarceration’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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September 20, 2019<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\"\"On a Friday afternoon in August, Master of Public Health student Rafik Wahbi handed blank sheets of paper to 25 people housed in a substance use treatment unit at the\u00a0Suffolk County House of Correction<\/a><\/span>, as the song \u201cI\u201d by rapper Kendrick Lamar filled the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about some pretty heavy subjects so far, but this song is more positive, and as you listen to it, I want you to look introspectively,\u201d he told the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can’t cause conflict or corrupt my spirit<\/em>
\nI’m on point like period
\nI’ve been there and gone before you get near it
\nOoh wee, that boy remind me of a young Martin Luther\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did the lyrics mean to you?\u201d Wahbi asked, after the song ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s saying that you shouldn\u2019t batter yourself, whether through drug addiction or any other type of addiction,\u201d said one member of the class named Daniel. \u201cYou have to take care of yourself, but also accept the uncomfortable parts about who you are, and be able to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

This conversation was part of a hip-hop writing class that Wahbi designed and taught at the House of Correction over the summer. The eight-week project was funded by the Activist Bucks<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>micro-grant program through the Activist Lab<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>at the School of Public Health.<\/p>\n

As a musician and avid fan of socially conscious rappers such as Nas, Kendrick Lamar, N.W.A., and A Tribe Called Quest, Wahbi understands the therapeutic power of the hip-hop genre, which originated as an outlet for black and Latinx communities to voice the realities of oppression and discrimination in America. Its messages of justice, equity, self-worth, and empowerment make hip-hop music a powerful medium that people can connect with, Wahbi says, and in Massachusetts, where black and Latinx populations are disproportionately incarcerated<\/a><\/span>, he wanted to develop a program that incarcerated people might identify with better than other programs in the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n

Throughout the summer, he taught the classes to 15 to 25 adult participants of all ages who were receiving treatment for substance misuse as they awaited trial. In addition to treatment for substance use, incarcerated individuals at the House of Correction have the opportunity to participate in programs dedicated to vocational training, anger management, and education, as well as gender-specific, trauma-informed, and reintegration programming\u2014but this is the first time that a hip-hop writing class has been offered.<\/p>\n

In each session, Wahbi explained writing techniques such as analogies, similes, and metaphors, before playing songs by influential artists from the early \u201890\u2019s to current-day artists. The participants analyzed the lyrics together, discussed themes, and penned their own expressive lyrics to share with each other.<\/p>\n

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Rafik Wahbi, MPH student<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMy goal was to provide inmates with a creative outlet to process their incarceration and the events that led to their situation, as well as their hopes for the future once they are able to reintegrate into society,\u201d Wahbi said after the class. \u201cCertain emotions and realizations can be easier to express on paper, rather than to a counselor or to themselves as they sit alone in a cell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participants enjoyed the writing sessions so much that Wahbi is planning to continue teaching the class this fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was pleasantly surprised about how well this class was received,\u201d said Rachelle Steinberg, assistant deputy superintendent at the Suffolk County Sherriff\u2019s Office. \u201cThe men loved listening to different music, discussing what the lyrics meant to them, and its relationship to their path or story. It also brought attention to how important music is in everyday life and taking it for granted when you have limited access to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of the August afternoon class, Wahbi told the participants that he appreciated their candor about their hardships, emotions, and experiences in each session.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of you are the most honest people I\u2019ve ever met in my life,\u201d he said to the group. \u201cI just want you to know that I\u2019ve learned a lot from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/em><\/span><\/strong>Jillian McKoy<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Through the Activist Bucks micro-grant program, MPH student Rafik Wahbi designed and taught a hip-hop writing class to people in the substance use treatment unit at the Suffolk County House of Correction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15205,"featured_media":152848,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[2833,2043,1736,3214,1781,1735],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[3519,3531,3541],"sphnews-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/152663"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152663"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/152663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173047,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/152663\/revisions\/173047"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152663"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=152663"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=152663"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=152663"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=152663"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=152663"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=152663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}