In a culture that’s continually berated by bad news, it’s often difficult to find the silver lining. Mass shootings, religious wars, murders, and the vacuous bubble of celebrities dominate headlines, when really people are in need of a little hope.
Oakland-based emcee, award winning poet and educator Karega Bailey delivers that hope in the form of “Hope Dealer,” the latest video from the SOL Development collective. Filmed at Roses in Concrete school in East Oakland, the video takes the viewer through a day in Bailey’s life, where educating the next generation through arts and music is his daily mission.
“I don’t spit dope no more/I’m pushing medicine,” SOL Development artist Lake Stovall sings, the perfect hook to communicate what is needed right now. Hope can be medicine.
“Hope dealing requires the hope dealer to give portions that others may see as fatiguing, but that is the cost to disrupt hopelessness,” Bailey says.
Bailey is a founding member of the Roses in Concrete school and was recruited as the Director of Special Education. He also co-designed the arts program, giving him the ability to relocate the entire SOL Development collective. Roses in Concrete just wrapped up its first year.
“We opened a door to freedom.” Bailey explains. “They had a great year at a brand new school, where they learned about their indigenous identity, and experienced arts and humanities.
Students were immersed in subjects like classical ballet, the Black Panther Party (including visits from former Panther leader Erica Huggins and Minister of Culture Emery Douglas), robotics, and gardening. With dual emersion in Spanish and English programs, “Hope Dealer” provided the soundtrack to their unforgettable inaugural year.
Before she passed away, Tupac Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur, blessed the school and was immortalized with a sizable mural painted in her honor. Much like a rose growing in concrete, against all odds, a child can always blossom despite their environments. Bailey was put on Earth to prove that.
Check out the SOL Development - "Hope Dealer" video here.
By Kyle Eustice for RAPstation.com
