Thank you for visiting our website and welcome to the world of Young Gifted and Black. Founded by educators in Ithaca, New York in 1981 and remixed in 2010 in Oakland California, YGB teaches and learns Black History through poetry, rap and freedom songs. Our group is made up of Black children grades 2 - 8 who are interested in performing on stage, learning Black History, becoming Black heroes and representing our ancestors as teachers for future generations.

YGB begins rehearsing Tuesday, September 17, 2024 in Berkeley, CA. If your child would like to join our program, please fill out an application.

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We have had over 200 youth participants who have performed for thousands of people around California, presented in 4 countries around the world, and performed in national and international events, festivals and broadcasts.  YGB has served as youth ambassadors for the Bay Area and for Black people in the United States for over 15 years in the Bay Area, and for 40 years since its founding in upstate New York..

The Pedagogy

Young Gifted and Black teaches Black History through historic poetry, contemporary rap and

liberation songs.  We arm the next generation with the words from their past to help them forge

a more glorious future.

We aim to restore the historic memory of Black people by reconnecting them to the heroes, stories, culture, words, and places of our past.

The Four Rules

1 - Stay on top of your game.

2 - Control all you can control.

3 - Influence as much as you can what you can't control.

4 - Respect yourself and others.

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance or conscientious stupidity."

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This Pledge written by Keddist Sellasie is recited at the opening of every YGB rehearsal a minimum of three times. It is dedicated to and in the spirit of the pledge of Marcus Garvey and the UNIA.  It serves to provide a behavioral framework for everyone attending the rehearsal and provides a reminder for the youth of the values of YGB and of community.

The African Pledge

We are an African People

We will remember the humanity, glory and suffering 

of our ancestors 

We will honor the struggles of our elders

We will strive to bring new values and new life to our people

We will have peace and harmony among us

We will be loving, sharing and creative

We will work study and listen so we may learn

learn so we may teach

We will cultivate self reliance

We will struggle to resurrect and unify our homeland

We will raise many children for our nation

We will have discipline, patience, devotion and courage

We will live as models to provide new direction and 

new life to our people

We will be free and self determining

We are an African People

And We Will Win

Some of the pieces have vocabulary that is advanced of difficult to understand.  Going through each piece line by line and discussing the nuanced language and references will help youth find meaning behind the words.  The primary goal is to challenge the young people to interpret the language, understand the historic context from which the words are written and be able to provide the appropriate emotion to make the delivery of each piece more compelling.

PRIDE EDUCATION

What the scholars say:

A number of scholars have been concerned with the development of a healthy sense of racial-ethnic identity in African American youth. For African American children, racial- ethnic identity has been linked to a number of outcomes in childhood. Children with positive perceptions of their own group have been found to exhibit improved identity formation, higher self-esteem, more proactive modes of anger expression, more prosocial attitudes and behavior, and better academic outcomes (Bowman & Howard, 1985; Jagers & Mock, 1993; Rotheram-Borus, 1990; Sellers, Chavous, & Cooke, 1998; Smith & Brookins, 1997; Smith, Walker, Fields, Brookins, & Seay, 1999; Stevenson, 1997; Taylor, Casten, Flickinger, Roberts, & Fulmore, 1994).

According to new research published in the Journal of Child Development affirming a Black child's desire to learn about their race does more than just give them a personal boost it helps them academically as well.  

The study, conducted by Ming-Te Wang and James P. Hugley of the University of Pittsburg and Harvard University respectively, found that "Racial socialization" - teaching kids about their culture and involving them in activities that promote racial pride and connection - helps to offset the discrimination and racial prejudices children face by the outside world.

“...racial socialization - teaching kids about their culture and involving them in activities that promote racial pride - helps to offset the discrimination children face in the outside world.”

Overall, the study found racial pride to be the most powerful factor in protecting children from the sting of discriminatory behavior.  It directly and positively related to three of four academic outcomes - grade point averages, education l aspirations, and cognitive engagement - and was directly related to resilience in the face of discrimination.  Preparation for bias was directly related to only one outcome - the sense of belonging to a school or community.

Young Gifted and Black was featured on KQED in this short video. YGB is a youth performance ensemble based in Oakland. More than 50 performers - ranging in age from 6 to 18 - learn and memorize compilations of historical black poems and contemporary raps, which they perform around the Bay Area.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

New Study Shows Racial Pride Enhances learning (2013)

https://www.blackenterprise.com/new-study-shows-racial-pride-enhances-learning/

Study Finds a Program in Racial Pride Can Enhance Academic Success for African American Girls (2018)

https://www.jbhe.com/2018/01/study-finds-a-program-in-racial-pride-can-enhance-academic-performance-of-african-american-girls/

Black Students Excel in School When They are Taught Racial Pride (2015)

https://blackmattersus.com/5022-black-students-excel-at-school-when-they-are-taught-racial-pride/

Ethnic Pride Key to Black Teen Mental Health: Prof. Jelani Mandara discusses ethnic pride and mental health • Northwestern EDU • November 30, 2009

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2009/11/ethnic.html

Ethnic Pride may Boost African – American Teens Mental Health • Society for Research in Child Development • November 15, 2009

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113083259.htm

Studies show ethnic pride linked to success in Youth • The Brown Daily Herald • February 10, 2014

http://www.browndailyherald.com/2014/02/10/studies-show-ethnic-pride-linked-success-youth/

Racial – Ethnic Pride and academic achievement linked • Penn State • October 2003

http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2003/G/20035056.html

Generations of Pride: African American Timeline • Illinois Historic Preservation Agency • Curated by Kathryn M. Harris

https://www.illinois.gov/ihpa/Research/Pages/GenPrideAfAm.aspx

YGB ONLINE

In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic raging around the world, we have developed an ONLINE portal to the YGB experience. We have uploaded a series of lessons built around YGB content and art to aid our parents in reinforcing the principles and practices of YGB at home. This includes interactive practice opportunities, Black History lessons, and other ways for young people to engage with YGB. All it takes is a subscription to our channel and you can join our parents, and help your children to become Young Gifted and Black.

The Origins of YGB

WE AIM TO RESTORE THE HISTORIC MEMORY OF BLACK YOUTH BY RECONNECTING THEM TO THE (S)HEROES, STORIES, CULTURES, WORDS AND PLACES OF OUR PAST

TEACHES BLACK HISTORY THROUGH HISTORIC POETRY, CONTEMPORARY RAP AND LIBERATION SONGS.  WE ARM THE NEXT GENERATION WITH THE WORDS FROM THEIR PAST TO HELP THEM FORGE A MORE GLORIOUS FUTURE.

YGB and the Future

Young Gifted and Black is a model for empowerment for African American people all over the United States.  It is an attempt to restore the memory of our youth for future generations, and reinforce the importance of our knowing, protecting and teaching our history.  Toward this effort YGB engages in specific activities aimed at spreading the word about Black history and the model of Young Gifted and Black.

YGB International

Young Gifted and Black makes biannual international trips to affirm the importance of learning Black history and spreading our message around the world.  YGB takes these trips as experiential learning opportunities for the participants and for engagement and diplomatic opportunities for the organization.  We are spreading the word of of YGB as  method to affirm our history and pride for future generations.  We align ourselves with organizations that are seeing African Unity through the lens of Pan Africanism, and believe our contribution to the world community is reflective of the commitments and partnerships we serve at home.  We are Missionary in our intention to affirm Black pride among African people no matter where they are in the world.  Our work is part of a broader mission to stand as proud representatives of our own unique history in the United States while also asserting our role as global citizens and descendants of our ancestors.

YGB National

Young Gifted and Black has been performing in the Bay Area for the thousands of audience members in and around the Bay Area.  Over the past 5 years, YGB has averaged over 50 shows per  year, including performances for audiences as large as 3000, and as small as 30.  We have also been building curriculum guides, handbooks, and implementation programs to help in the replication and deployment of the model around the United States.  We are actively pursuing collaborations with African American Achievement programs, locally and Nationally to establish chapters of Young Gifted and Black around the country.  We are currently available to provide technical assistance for organizations interested in the model, and to do public speaking on the importance of pride education and African American History both with and without our performance ensembles.