In this week's episode, we sit down with Jamila Sams—educator, speaker, and founder of We Do It 4 The Culture™—to explore what it means to reclaim education through hip-hop. Drawing from her experiences as a Black woman navigating institutional spaces, Jamila unpacks how hip-hop serves not just as a genre, but as a pedagogical tool for healing, identity affirmation, and social-emotional learning. From the challenges of resisting cultural erasure in schools to her mission of centering student voice, Jamila speaks candidly about the state of SEL, the current sociopolitical climate, and how hip-hop continues to be a vehicle for protest, empowerment, and cultural preservation.
To learn more about Jamila's work, you can visit the We Do It 4 The Culture website at wedoit4theculture.com or follow her on Instagram (@sel4theculture) and LinkedIn.
BIO: Jamila Sams, MA.Ed. is the creator of We Do It 4 the Culture™, a culturally responsive social emotional learning curriculum grounded in hip-hop culture for grades 6-12. Jamila is a self-proclaimed hip-hop head and educator with more than 20 years of experience working with youth of all ages and backgrounds. Her areas of expertise include educational leadership, youth development, nonprofit management and strategic partnership development.
Through Go to Ms. Sams Inc., her education consulting company, Jamila works to provide services to educators, nonprofit professionals and members of the business community around three core areas: School Climate and Culture; Youth Program Development and Training; and Strategic Partnership Development.Her clients include the Maryland State Department of Education; the New York City Department of Education; QLIK Corporation; Mentor Foundation USA; The University of Maryland Baltimore; Mentor International and El Desafio (The Challenge) in Rosario, Argentina.
Jamila has been a featured speaker for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the National Gathering for the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color and the Center for the Promotion of Social Emotional Learning National Conference. Jamila’s breakout TEDX entitled “Why Are You” has been viewed over 900 times to date.
Jamila is a proud native of Philadelphia and a first-generation college graduate of Lincoln University. She obtained her Master’s degree in Educational Administration & Supervision from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and serves on the executive board of Words Beats & Life.
LINKS:
Instagram
Apple Podcasts
