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About the Website Author and Citations

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Morgan Saltz was born and raised in Oakland, California. She attended Oakland Public Schools throughout her adolescence before withdrawing from high school at 16 years old. Her following years were plagued by mental, emotional and economic struggles before her true passions of music and dance re-entered her life. Morgan had been trained proficiently in modern and jazz dance at the Shawl Anderson school in Berkeley, CA and ballet with the Oakland Ballet Academy, yet dancing hip-hop at Youth Uprising was the inspiration she needed to begin engaging with her world again. This reinvigoration mobilized her ambition and reinstated her confidence, and with the support of her community, her family, and her friendships, Morgan pursued her education and is now a year away from graduating University of California, Berkeley. The ability of hip-hop culture to uplift and inspire individuals,  unify diverse communities, and empower the voices of those who are systematically silenced is increasingly acknowledged as a legitimate form of activism.This website is dedicated to all those who use music, dance and art to express themselves, influence social/political reform, bond with their communities, and positively contribute to their world in peaceful and creative ways. 

Citations

  • BillyJam (2013, November 26th). Hip-Hop History Tuesdays: The Roots of Oakland Rap and The Birth of Bay Area Hip-Hop in the 1980s

  • Clay, A. (2012). The hip-hop generation fights back: Youth, activism and post-    civil rights politics. NYU Press.

  • Christen, R. S. (2003). Hip hop learning: Graffiti as an educator of urban                teenagers. Educational Foundations, 17(4), 57-82.

  • Lutz, J. (2001). Taking up Space: An Interview with Bio of TATS CRU, Inc. Dance Research Journal, 33(2), 102-111. doi:10.2307/1477807

  • Nocella, A. (2014). Chapter Thirteen: Transforming Justice and Hip Hop Activism in Action. Counterpoints, 453, 210-223. Retrieved April 28, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/42982340

  • Werner, M. (2012). Oakland in Popular Memory: Interviews with twelve              cutting-edge artists from Oakland and Beyond. Thought Publishing.

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