Hip hop gives students a voice in new initiative

For many Black and brown youth in the Denver area, the Lyripeutics Storytelling Project is more than a way to express their creativity. It’s survival.

Founded by a collective of CU Boulder scholars, artists, educators and community organizers, Lyripeutics’ mission is to empower Black and brown youth through a medium many connect with—hip hop. The program is embedded in schools in the greater Denver area and aims to offer alternative learning environments for students who find themselves overlooked in traditional education systems.

“We don’t all learn the same, yet we have this system of education that’s been around for hundreds of years and is really geared for only one very particular type of student,” said Shawn O’Neal, an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies and Lyripeutics’ founding member and co-director.