Abstract
This ethnographic study explores how Hip-Hop culture fosters belonging, identity, and agency among six Black male high school students who stutter in a public charter school in Baltimore, Maryland. Grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogy, DisCrit, and Hip-Hop pedagogy, the research draws on participant observation, interviews, and field notes to examine how students use freestyling, beat-making, and cyphering as expressive tools. Findings reveal that Hip-Hop repositions stuttering as rhythmic expression, cultivates emotional safety through peer collaboration, and challenges deficit-based speech norms. Participants described Hip-Hop spaces as sites of affirmation where their voices were valued and their identities celebrated. The study calls for inclusive education models that integrate culturally relevant practices and reimagine speech difference through affirming, student-centered frameworks. Implications are offered for educators, speech-language pathologists, and school leaders committed to equity and authentic belonging.
DOI
10.5703/1288284318227
Keywords
Hip-Hop pedagogy, stuttering, Black male youth, culturally sustaining pedagogy, inclusive education
Date of this Version
12-19-2025
Recommended Citation
Ellis, Antonio L.
(2025)
"Hip-Hop Culture as a Catalyst for Belonging Among Black Male High School Students Who Stutter,"
Journal of the Arts and Special Education: Vol. 5
:
Iss.
2,
Article 8.
DOI: 10.5703/1288284318227
Available at:
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jase/vol5/iss2/8
