Honoring the Legacy of MLK With a Powerful Visit From Teacher, Author, and DJ Dr. Todd Craig

As an author, educator, and DJ, Dr. Craig explores writing, rhetoric, sound studies, and popular culture through the lens of the DJ and Hip Hop culture. He received his doctorate in English from St. John’s University, a master's degree in learning and teaching from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology, with a concentration in African American studies, from Williams College. He currently serves as the Marks Family Senior Director for the Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing at Penn. The Center is dedicated to teaching writing and to creating a community of writers across Penn’s undergraduate schools, strengthening the University’s commitment to developing students’ critical thinking, writing, and collaborative skills, according to the university. Prior to this, Dr. Craig served as Associate Professor of Urban Education and Associate Professor of English at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, and as Associate Professor of African American Studies at New York City College of Technology. 

Following his opening DJ set, which ran for about 25 minutes in the Tisch Family Auditorium, where the whole school was gathered, Dr. Craig presented “How Our Dreams Dictate Our Journey: Beats, Books, Hip Hop, and Life.” Acknowledging that we all live in an imperfect world, he delivered a message of “reimagining the impossible” and “dreaming beyond imagination.” He captivated his audience with stories of his time in boarding school, and what it was like when he returned home to spend time with friends who did not have the same opportunities. He recalled seeing the hip hop stars he grew up with taking the stage in front of tens of thousands of fans, and expressed the pride he has for his two daughters, and his dreams for them.

“We had a lot of engagement. The questions kept coming, and after the presentation there were 20 people lined up to speak with him,” said Ben Kang, Dean of Belonging of Inclusion, who invited Dr. Craig to Gunn to share his experience and speak about a career that meshes his love of writing, teaching, and music. 

“Mainly, I wanted students to see that as a person of color, who came from the projects in New York City, he had a very unusual path to success. I wanted the students to hear from a person who faced certain challenges while in boarding school and became as accomplished as he is despite the lack of resources he was given in life. His message was about the pursuit of dreams in the face of hardship and finding unlikely success,” Kang said. “He pursued excellence in creativity, which was mashed together from his love of music and creative writing.”

Speaking of that mash-up, Dr. Craig told students: “I say, dream bigger and dream bolder and find a way to make the way out of what might seem like no way. That is one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from hip hop: to make something out of nothing. To find a way out of no way.”

During his presentation, Dr. Craig acknowledged that if someone had told him when he was a student at St. George’s School in Rhode Island and earning Cs that he would become the senior director of a writing center at an Ivy League school, he would have thought it impossible. 

“There will be mistakes, and bloopers, and blunders. There will be epic fails. But how do grace and forgiveness and redemption all weave their way into the tapestry of which dreams are built? It is through those moments of turmoil that, if we are able to find empathy and understanding, that allows us the ability to connect with our own humanity, both for ourselves and others. But be clear: Dr. King was no fool. He knew that people in this world could be waiting. He also believed in the idea that the racism in our country was unethical and inhumane but it would also require that at some point, we have to acknowledge, forgive, and reset. Otherwise, we continue to perpetuate the same inhumane behavior in the years to come. He could see glimmers in the generations coming after him. Forgiveness and redemption and grace were all part of his dream," Dr. Craig said.

When Kang was planning this year’s MLK Day event at Gunn, he said: “I wanted to make it about celebrating Dr. King’s values, which is finding joy through activism, the pursuit of your dreams, and the celebration of one’s successes. I really wanted to make this about music, too, because I think a lot of hip hop is about that.”

Although Dr. Craig is an accomplished educator, DJing is something he loves to do all the time, Kang said, adding: “He is very relatable. He showed off his cool, fancy sneakers — he’s a sneakerhead — and he knows a lot about the hip hop scene. He’s connected to the hip hop world. He talked about relevant rappers, and he knows how to tell a story.”

During afternoon breakout sessions, students gathered in small groups to participate in a listening circle and practice poem or verse writing; select songs for a “justice mixtape;” and identify their top dream, role, and action by the time they graduate. Dr. Craig also spent time with seniors, talking about chasing their dreams after high school. He left students with a simple, yet powerful message to “put in the work” even when it is “not always easy,” because in the end, “doing the work will pay off.”

As he said: “Why not dream as big and broad and bold and fast as you can? Why not aim for Saturn? Because if you fall short and land on Mars, you’re still on another planet, way further than where you may have been, or where you thought you’d be.”