Afrofuturism -  the cultural, political, and aesthetic movement that reimagines a future filled with arts, science, and technology seen through a Black lens

Annotate - add notes to (a text or diagram) giving an explanation or comment

Austerity - in economics, a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both

Bankruptcy - the legal inability to pay debts

Blues - a form of American music that became popular in the mid-1800s, closely related to jazz, often instrumental with sad undertones

Capitalism - an economic system in which land, factories, and other resources are owned by individual investors instead of the government, and are often a for-profit business

Comic - one or more series of cartoons, a form of visual storytelling

Contextualize - to think about or provide information about the situation in which something happens

Consumerism - the idea that the consumption of goods is beneficial to society or its economy

Criminal Justice -  a system of organizations that protects citizens and ensures fair treatment and accountability is served when a crime is committed, often led by legal experts including lawyers, judges, and law enforcement officials.

Deregulation - to remove government-enforced restrictions or control over businesses, community systems, or services 

Disco - a style of popular dance music from the 1970s with a heavy, steady beat

Economics - the study of how goods and services are produced and distributed

Free Markets - a market in which buying and selling are theoretically conducted without restriction

Funk - music emphasizing elements of Rhythm and Blues music with soul music. 

Gangster - a person who belongs to a criminal group

Genocide - the intentional attempt to exterminate all members of a certain race, nationality, or ethnic group

Graffiti - something written, scratched or drawn on subway cars, buses, walls, or other spaces in public places

Graphic Novel - a long-form comic or illustrated tool for visual storytelling 

Hip Hop - the culture of rap music and its associated styles of dance, dress, behavior, and speech, which originated among young, inner-city African Americans in the 1970s

Incarceration - to be confined to a prison, restricting basic freedoms as a consequence of committing a crime

Jazz - a form of music with strong, complex rhythms, often improvised, that started with African Americans in the late 1800s

Longform - a piece of writing or entertainment longer in length than usual, with greater details

Metropolitan - having to do with a large city and the communities around it

Memoir - an account of the author's own life; autobiography

Organized Crime - criminal activities that are planned and controlled by powerful groups and carried out on a large scale

Privatization - the conversion of an industry, business, or the like from government ownership or control to ownership or control by  private citizens or for-profit organizations 

Redacted - removing sensitive information from a document so that it may be distributed to a broader audience.

Signifying - a subtle performance of personal irony that satirizes the conditions of daily life in a society that claims to be free while attempting to dominate a marginalized person’s existence.

Social Safety Net - programs providing critical support to people during times of economic hardship

Soul - a type of music combining elements of Black gospel and rhythm-and-blues

Spoken Word poetry -  Characterized by rhyme, repetition, improvisation, and wordplay, spoken word poems frequently refer to issues of social justice, politics, race, and community

Suburbs - an area or community located just outside a city or town

Urban History - a field of history that examines the historical nature of cities and towns

White Citizens Councils -  an associated network of white supremacist, segregationist organizations in the United States, concentrated in the South and created as part of a white backlash against the US Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling

New American History Learning Resources may be adapted to a variety of educational settings, including remote learning environments, face-to-face instruction, and blended learning.

If you are teaching remotely, consider using videoconferencing to provide opportunities for students to work in partners or small groups. Digital tools such as Google Docs or Google Slides may also be used for collaboration. Rewordify helps make a complex text more accessible for those reading at a lower Lexile level while still providing a greater depth of knowledge. 

These Learning Resources are a collaboration between New American History, the Graphic History Co., and the NYCDOE Civics for All Comics Group. You and your students will need to access the comic from this link, then select the View button to open a .pdf version.   Note that this comic refers to acts of violence and examples of systemic racism. Please use discretion when incorporating this resource into your instruction. A YouTube playlist is included in the Notes. Please use discretion when incorporating these songs and lyrics into your instruction.  

The Right Question Institute’s inquiry strategy, the Question Formulation Technique, is included in this learning resource in the Engage activity. You may choose to have students make a copy of the QFT Google Slides, or project them for a whole class discussion. 

The S-I-T strategy is used as students create a visual timeline as a way to annotate the text.  This explainer from Facing History may help guide your work using this strategy. These templates may be printed or shared as a Google Doc for students to create their own comics. This S-I-T Google Slides deck may be used to create student timelines. 

Panels from the abbreviated, special edition comic .pdf version as distributed within NYC Public Schools via the Department of Education’s WE TEACH NOW Program are included throughout these learning resources with permission from the author/illustrator. You may select the View button and read online or print the full .pdf version as needed for learners who would benefit from a print copy. The full version in graphic novel form is available as a digital download. soft or hardback version and would make a great addition to your school or classroom library. We hope if you decide to purchase it you will support a local bookstore!  (Note: when we reference a page in the comic, we use the page numbers as they appear at the bottom of each page, not the .pdf numbers which may differ slightly due to the cover and author pages.)

These Learning Resources follow a variation of the 5Es instructional model, and each section may be taught as a separate learning experience, or as part of a sequence of learning experiences. We provide each of our Learning Resources in multiple formats, including web-based and as an editable Google Doc for educators to teach and adapt selected learning experiences as they best suit the needs of your students and local curriculum. You may also wish to embed or remix them into a playlist for students working remotely or independently.

Read for Understanding (for students)

Comics blend the narrative and insight provided by a writer with the vision and craft of a visual artist. As readers engage with the pictures and words, a rhythm takes root in their minds. The best comics provide a quick laugh and new insights. The Graphic History of Hip Hop challenges readers to experience half a century of social change—and then immerse themselves in the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions of New York City.