The Kanye West Foundation is launching the College Drop In Program in collaboration with the Dr. Ralph Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA on Saturday, November 14th. This program will expose students from the Lou Dantzler Middle School to UCLA faculty who are conducting research pertaining to hip hop, jazz and African American culture and will introduce them to college level curriculum, activities and campus life. This program will occur during four Saturdays throughout the 2009/2010 school year.  By giving middle school students first hand exposure to the college atmosphere, both academic and fun, the Foundation hopes to spark their continued interest in their studies and to help them create connections to a world class university located right in their city.

The Ralph Bunche Center and its faculty will create 4 lectures that focus on African American contributions to music and the arts, and will teach these lectures as a part of each Saturday experience. Lectures will be supplemented by campus activities such as tours, scavenger hunts and sporting events. Students will also engage in classroom work at their school to prepare them for each session of the program.

This Saturday, 40 kids from Lou Dantzler Middle School will travel to UCLA’s Bunche Center for their first music-based lecture on African American History. This lecture will be taught by Professor Scot Brown and Writer & Director Gina Prince Bythewood (The Secret Life of Bees, Love and Basketball). After the lecture, the kids will have lunch, interact with 20 current UCLA students and take a tour of the campus.

Our next lecture is scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2010 and will include attendance to a UCLA basketball game.