Celebrating Community with Art and Poetry

What different types of communities exist, and how do the people in our communities impact us?

Know (knowledge):

• About creatives such as Chance the Rapper, Jamila Woods, Nico Segal, and the band The Social Experiment, who developed within the arts community in Chicago
• The work of poet Kevin Coval
• How communities differ in organization, and how communities impact people as individuals

Mastery Objective:

• Students will be able to consider different perspectives on what a community might consist of by creating and sharing their own poems that celebrate community.

Perform "Sunday Candy" with your class using Modern Band Charts provided by Music Will.

What is a community? We use the word often, but how often do we pause to consider what the word means? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a community is a unified body of individuals. Communities can be formed around physical spaces like schools and churches, or virtual spaces like internet groups and online gaming squads. Communities can also be built around mutual interests, from sports to music to TV shows; they can be built around identities, like race and sexuality; or they can be built around beliefs. And, of course, communities can be built between family, friends, and neighbors. But whatever way communities are built, they thrive in the diversity of individuals within them. Communities give us the opportunity to learn new things and think in new perspectives.

Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, is home to many kinds of communities. Different neighborhoods have been centers of ethnic and national culture, whether Jewish, African American, Polish American, or Puerto Rican. Aside from being a hub for identity-based communities, Chicago is also known for its arts community -- specifically for music, poetry, and spoken word which has produced some notable voices such as Chicago natives Chance the Rapper, Jamila Woods, and Nico Segal.

Listen to a mixtape or an album by these artists and you’ll most likely hear a shout out to the diverse Windy City. “I got my city doing front flips/When every father, mayor, rapper, jump ship...” raps Chance in his song “Angels,” boasting about supporting his city when others in power have overlooked its needs. Jamila Woods’ takes a protective stance towards Chicago in her song “LSD” where she sings, “I won't let you criticize/ My city like my skin, it's so pretty/ If you don't like it, just leave it alone.” But these artists’ support of the Chicago community go beyond song lyrics. Chance the Rapper, for example, has become known for his activism and philanthropy. His organization, Social Works, has hosted “OpenMike” events, festivals for teens, summer day camps for kids, projects to help Chicago’s homeless population during the winter, an initiative to provide mental health services, and a fundraising campaign that raised over $4 million for Chicago Public Schools.

In 2014, Chance and poet/singer-songwriter Jamila Woods collaborated with Chicago native trumpeter Nico Segal (formerly known as Donnie Trumpet) and the band Social Experiment to release the single “Sunday Candy” off of the joint album Surf. The song serves as an ode to a very special member of Chance’s community--his grandmother--and how the church community reminds him of her love, safety, and support.

In this lesson, students will consider the many kinds of communities that exist, and reflect on their own special ties to a community they are a part of. After watching the video for “Sunday Candy,” and hearing the poetry of Chicago-based Kevin Coval, students will hold their own poetry slam featuring poems about community.

• Bronzeville Boys and Girls (HarperCollins) by Gwendolyn Brooks (recommended).