The Right to Rap
Two important pieces on the power of a longstanding Hip Hop therapy program in the Bronx
For over a decade, J.C. Hall, a social worker and 2024 David Prize winner, has run a one-of-a-kind Hip Hop therapy program at a Bronx high school. His work sits at the intersection of creativity and care, offering a powerful lens on the broader state of mental health.
J.C.’s work was recently featured in American Educator, a quarterly journal published by the American Federation of Teachers. The publication also featured an article from one of J.C.’s former students Ephraim Weir, a poet and Hip Hop artist who recently passed.
J.C. commented while announcing the publication of both pieces:
It is with both tremendous excitement and sorrow that the piece about Hip Hop therapy I worked on alongside graduate Ephraim Weir for American Educator, a quarterly journal published by the American Federation of Teachers, is finally here. It has been a year in the making, and I am trying to create space for the profound fulfillment I feel for the publication of my first peer-reviewed journal article and the gut wrenching emptiness in the fact that the young man who helped make it happen is no longer with us.
Ephraim has been integral to my story, and I could not have done this without him. The part he wrote is devastatingly beautiful. I feel incredibly blessed to have gotten to share such a special experience with him reminiscing on the days we first met and how far we both came. His story is a testament to the strength and hope of the youth I have the privilege of working with on a daily basis, and I could not be more grateful that we were able to do this together before his untimely passing.
I miss you brother, and I love you. See you at the crossroads.
In Ephraim’s piece Finding Connection and Confidence Through Hip Hop, he explained the power of words and music and believed all schools should have a Hip Hop therapy program:
When I wrote rap, I wrote about things everyone could relate to because we’re all just dealing. I liked thinking that maybe my words would resonate with someone and help them like other artists helped me… You don’t know what kids are going through at home. When I was coming to school with anxiety— feeling suppressed with no outlet—no one knew. But the studio gets you engaged with school. You learn to write your own story, and that gives you control over your life. That’s what it did for me.
Both articles provide a human perspective on the unique impact of Hip Hop therapy and the role schools play in young people’s mental health in New York City.
How Hip Hop Helps Students Heal from Trauma by J. C. Hall
Finding Connection and Confidence Through Hip Hop by Ephraim Weir
You can also learn more about J.C’s program and Ephriam’s story in Mott Haven: A Short Documentary