Conference Description
The annual HipHopEd Conference is a unique event that brings together educators, school leaders, students, and community members to explore the intersection between hip-hop and education. This conference is the premier event in the field of hip-hop and education, and it is dedicated to advancing innovation, scholarship, and practice.
We invite proposals that address the following theme:
Legacy Work: Hip-Hop Education in Response to a Nation in Crisis
Contemporary Hip-Hop was born in the early 1970’s amidst chaos in the Bronx and throughout New York City. Hip-Hop over the years has continually been a voice for the voiceless and a vehicle of resistance and persistence in communities nationwide and beyond. In 2026 the nation is in chaos in ways that are testing the resolve of the people. In this moment, we believe Hip-Hop’s legacy will be shaped in a way that considers the needs of our communities, today, tomorrow, and in the future.
This year’s theme, Legacy Work: Hip-Hop Education in Response to a Nation in Crisis, is a call to educators, scholars, artists, youth leaders, and community organizers to gather at a moment that demands clarity, courage, and creativity. In a time marked by political unrest, attacks on public education, free speech, book bans and censorship, widening inequities, and the ongoing criminalization and erasure of Black, Brown, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities, this conference centers Hip-Hop education as both a tool for teaching and a practice of resistance.
This year’s theme invites participants to reflect on the legacy they are creating through their teaching, scholarship, and organizing: What are we choosing to protect, amplify, and transform in our schools and communities? What does it mean to teach for liberation while navigating systems in crisis? How can we leverage Hip-Hop’s creative elements to design learning experiences that affirm identity, strengthen civic agency, and expand what is possible for young people?
PAPER PRESENTATIONS
Paper presentations: These sessions will consist of 25-minute presentations followed by a brief Q&A session.
Paper presentation proposals will consist of a 500-word abstract.
The abstract must address and will be reviewed on the following five elements:
- Objectives or purposes
- Theoretical/Conceptual framework
- Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry
- Data sources and /or evidence
- Results and/or substantiated conclusions or warrants for arguments/point of view
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS
Interactive Workshops: These 60-minute sessions will be interactive and hands-on, allowing participants to learn a new idea, skill, practice, or technique that can be incorporated into practice.
Interactive Workshop proposals consist of (500 words max):
- At least three (3) workshop learning objectives – What skills, ideas, or understandings do you expect your participants to gain from this workshop?
- Workshop summary – Description of the proposed workshop detailing what the workshop will entail. What will participants do/experience? How will workshop objectives be addressed? How does this workshop exemplify the theme of this year’s conference?
- All proposals must be submitted by Monday, March 9th, 11:59 pm EST. Proposals will be evaluated based on their relevance to the conference theme, their originality and quality, and their potential to contribute to the field of hip-hop and education.
- Accepted presenters will be notified by Monday, March 23rd. We look forward to receiving your proposals and to seeing you at the HipHopEd Conference 2026!