On the Monday after Spring Break, students in Margaret Ramsey’s Lyric & Lifeline English elective hustled to the train station for an art tour of San Francisco. The destination wasn’t the SFMoMA or de Young, but the alleyways of the Mission District. And their tour guide wasn’t a museum docent but Bay Area artist, graffiti writer, emcee, skateboarder, and DJ, Tion “Bukue One.”

“We’re going to study the different words, shapes, how certain shapes, certain colors can affect different emotions, can evoke different thoughts,” Tion told the group as they ascended the 24th Street BART Station stairs.

After studying the powerful, energizing history of Hip Hop throughout the semester, the graffiti tour offered students the chance to get out and see an element of its culture firsthand. Their understanding of Hip Hop’s evolution from political, spiritual, and economic perspectives through the lens of major artists, tracks, and styles allowed them to make direct connections from the classroom to the community. “I think it ties into trying to look beneath the surface and trying to find deeper meaning within art,” said Diego ’26.

Writing on the Walls

As Tion led the students through the maze of colorful alleyways, he described the various forms of graffiti, from tags and throw-ups to pieces and full murals. He challenged students to try and decipher each word and explained the lettering styles—fonts, fills, and flourishes. He even engaged them in a battle, where half the students had to defend one piece and the other half had to back the one next to it. “My piece burns your piece because I can read it,” proclaimed Matthew ’26. “Our piece burns your piece, because it breaks convention,” countered Claire ’26. As with any good rap battle, a collective “ohhhhh” erupted from their classmates between punchlines.

Beyond the art form itself, a deeper message of purpose prevailed, as Tion shared the benefits of transforming alleyways into art galleries. “The most obvious one is because we wouldn’t be in this alley if it didn’t have art in it,” he said. Tion explained that, before street art was legalized here, these alleys were dangerous and primarily used for drugs. Now, they are bright, vibrant spaces for the community to ride bikes, walk dogs, and admire the colorful views. “I really liked that he depicted graffiti in a way that doesn’t seem like it’s vandalizing,” said Niko ’26. “I already knew about some of the positive effects that it could bring to communities, but I feel like a lot of people have a hard time seeing that.”

“I liked how Tion said ‘hi’ to almost everyone we would see in the alleys because it shows me that most of these people are not dangerous or bad, they may just be struggling but have good hearts and are good people,” said Libby ’26.

Bringing it Home

The following day, Tion brought the lesson back to the Loop, offering a live graffiti demo for the class to create their own “Earn the Armor” mural. They learned about backgrounds, blocking in fills, and building dimension. They practiced can control and discovered the optimal distance for outlines and effects. Most importantly, they collaborated on a piece to help beautify the senior breezeway and remind passersby what it means to be a Knight.