Not Very Common: Meeting Common

It's not often that students from Jamesville-Dewitt High School get to meet a Grammy-winning hip-hop artist. But on March 30, several J-DHS students got the opportunity. Rapper and actor Common delivered words of encouragement to local high school and college students at Syracuse University.

The Syracuse University Student African American Society and Muslim Students Association coordinated the lecture. The groups gave 15 tickets to J-DHS and 15 tickets to Nottingham High School. Thirteen members of the UMOJA club attended the lecture, chaperoned by school counselors Maura Piazza and Amy LeStrange.

Sophomore SeQuoia Kemp says that she was encouraged by Common's lecture. "He was so inspirational," says Kemp. "He said to "˜never dim your light.'" Common spoke about the challenges that he's faced in life and the ways that he's overcome them. He told students about tough times that he had gone through to show them that perseverance is key.

Kemp had the opportunity to rap for Common at a student reception after the lecture. She says that his assistant videotaped her rap and that the video will hopefully be posted to his blog, http://thinkcommon.com/blog/. Kemp says that the event was a great opportunity for the UMOJA club to bond as a group and show the community that they are proactive members of society.

Common is best known for his poetic lyrics about self-respect and love, prevalent themes in his eight hip-hop albums. His music has topped the charts and he is a Grammy award-winner. In 2007, he started a charity organization called the Common Ground Foundation, which seeks to empower urban youth and promote education. Common is the author of several children's books that teach lessons about identity, morals, and the human spirit. He has earned respect as an actor in popular movies such as "American Gangster" and "Wanted." Common began to travel as a speaker this year, visiting colleges across the country.