Khadafy Foundation,Hip Hop Congress,S.A.V.O.Y,Senator Don Perata Invites You to:
Peace Lucheon @ Geoffreys Inner Circle 410 14th , Oakland, CA
12-5pm, May 17th Free Food,Speakers,Community Discussions,Performances & More!!
Everyone Invited!! All Ages!! Please Spread the word and Come Thru
Note: forwarded message attached. Luncheon Flyer
Squash It Anti Violenve Song & Video by True Vibe Records fea. DLabrie and Keldamuzik
SQUASH IT - VIDEO LINK
Reservation Information
RSVP by Phone: KHADAFY Foundation for Non-Violence, Inc.
Wilma Haymon – (510) 677-4900
Marilyn Washington-Harris – (510) 839-1706
Urban Solutions, Inc. – Deana White – (510) 677-6364
RSVP by Email:
Khadafy35@sbcglobal.net or events@urbansolution.info
Luncheon Information
This luncheon is hosted for those who were left behind to remember and celebrate the lives of their loved-ones who have “gone-on” before us. This eloquent banquet styled luncheon offers live entertainment and a platform for words of empowerment, healing, encouragement, and love. Individuals, youth and families are encouraged to attend. Please call or e-mail the above to find out more information regarding this worthy event. We are a nonprofit 501(C)(3) agency. All contributions are tax deductible.
In the first months of 2008 Kenya’s travel industry was hit by political turmoil, however one specialist African tour operator is now looking to change the fortunes of Kenya with a campaign that spans both the virtual and the real world.
Acacia Adventure Holidays is launching “Crazy About Kenya,” a new Facebook campaign, destined to get people talking about the famed wildlife capital of Africa. The project, however, shows there’s much more to Kenya than the Big Five, as the tour operator is hooking up with T-skweyad, a Hip Hop collective, including Francis X Kamotho, producer at Kenya based BOMA Records; and DJ Wave, a member of the Nairobi based Hip Hop band, Paramedikz.
Artwork and music have been volunteered for the campaign, which hopes to generate a positive vibe for Kenya through online communities and in the real world. Facebook members will be able to spread the word using highly stylized artwork featuring graffiti and more traditional images, all inspired by real life in Africa. Virtual stickers displaying the strap line “Crazy About Kenya,” (accessible from the Acacia Adventure Holidays and Crazy About Kenya Facebook page) will be available to download onto members’ Facebook profiles, allowing them to show their support for the destination. Hip Hop sounds will also bring the page to life, as the latest tracks from the tour operator’s partners are to be posted in the online community.
Moving the project out of the virtual sphere, Acacia Adventure Holidays will be spinning the decks out on tour, with recent albums from some of their Kenyan Hip Hop partners carried on many of their overland itineraries. In June 2008, as the tour operator’s trucks cross the border into Kenya, adventurers will have the chance to hear the latest sounds direct from the streets of Nairobi; and since the musical genre has its roots in Africa it will certainly connect travelers with the destination.
The tour operator is also in talks with T-skweyad in the hope of adding dates for Hip Hop events, held at the British Council in Nairobi, to their scheduled tours. However, until the party plans are finalised adventurers can enjoy the capital’s vibes on the mathrees (local buses), which pump out Kenyan and International Hip Hop sounds on a daily basis. As much a visual attraction as they are a music lover’s dream, the mathrees also feature 50” LCD screens broadcasting the latest videos; their exteriors displaying expressive graffiti artwork associated with the popular music genre.
Acacia Adventure Holidays reinstated its Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha itineraries in April after the FCO advisories were lifted, “but the destination still needs our support,” claims Kate Plummer, Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator for the specialist African operator. “While reduced fares from airlines and discounted trips are all helpful, they will never really make up the margin, in terms of the recent losses, so with the help of our Kenyan partners we are creating a positive vibe. Facebook is an ideal mechanism to engage travellers, as the virtual world has no borders, allowing members to hook up with some of the artists and musicians working with us online. Essentially, “Crazy About Kenya” is about giving the Kenyan people a voice – in real time, and on a platform that will last for far longer than a media blitz.”
This makes the project a unique departure from most forms of responsible tourism as people can choose to connect and share interests with the Kenyan artists and Hip Hop producers on an individual rather than tour operator led basis – an approach that might even ask people to question whether ethical travel starts on the holiday or in virtual communities.
Plummer continues: “What happened in Kenya in the first few months of 2008 was unthinkable, but now more than ever, we need to present the positive side (or vibe) of the destination and our campaign will ensure that Kenya is alive and kicking!”
Telephone Acacia Adventure Holidays on 020 7706 4700, email info@acacia-africa.com or visit www.acacia-africa.com.
If you are interested in any of the events below (they are in the New York area mostly) CLICK HERE
Rha Goddess LOW: Meditations Trilogy Part 1
Fri May 9, 2008, 8:00 pm to Sat May 10, 2008, 8:00 pm EDT
$25.00- $5 OFF!!! Use code: LOW2108
Miami Light Project and the Adrienne Arsht Center Present Rha Goddess LOW: Meditations Trilogy Part 1
Learn more about LOW!
WLRN 91.3 FM “Topical Currents” call-in program features Rha Goddess and Dr. Peter Fraenkel from the Hip-Hop Mental Health Project on Wednesday, May 7, 1 pm.
Participate in a unique collaboration of science and art!
Hip Hop Mental Health Project
Join us for a pre-concert research session led by Dr. Peter Fraenkel that documents people’s views of mental health on Friday, May 9, 2008 at 6:30pm. Stay with us after the show for a discussion about the work as a therapeutic intervention and evaluate its impact on audience members’ views of mental health and illness.
Need more information? Call 786-468-2270
Carnival Studio Theater, The Adrienne Arsht Center [Read more →]
The Nashville Homeless Power Project led a march of poor and homeless families for housing, Wednesday which culminated with the takeover of vacant HUD homes. The march began at 1:00 p.m. in front of the Metro Court House then proceeded to Dickerson Road, an area that has been recently rezoned for luxury development. The homeless group is concerned that redevelopment will again not prioritize the needs of the poor and may push families out of the area. “In this time of foreclosures, many of us are facing homelessness. We need our city to prioritize poor and working families above luxury development. Despite repeated promises from local government the homeless are left the die in the streets while their demand for housing is ignored” said Clemmie Greenlee, formerly homeless grandmother and organizer with the Power Project.
The march then became a caravan and participants were driven to Tom Joy Elementary School where the group held a brief prayer vigil for the estimated 1,800 homeless school children in the Nashville area. The march ended where one of the vacant HUD homes has been reclaimed. Homeless people vow not to leave the homes voluntarily.
Cheri Honkala, National Organizer of the Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign, also participated in the march and takeover and cited the City of Nashville for “ their failure to address the homeless crisis and rise in foreclosures. “ Representatives of the power project vow that the May 7th march and takeover is the next step in a fight that will not end until everyone has access to safe and affordable housing. Jeannie Alexander, program director of the Power Project further stated that the takeover was the first public takeover of a vacant HUD home by the Power Project but that the organization has “covertly taken over more than a dozen other vacant houses in the city” and will continue to take additional houses “as long as there are people who do not have homes.”
Granted you normally wouldn’t see an artist of popularity on a site such as Hip Hop Congress, but from the information I got from my boy Ralph, Sean Kingston is not just another up and comer but already pumping resources back into his community. The video below looks like a blatant Intel commercial (umm it is…) but read what they are doing with profits and proceeds. “Philantrapenuer” is my new favorite made up word.
Sean Kingston, the 17-year old platinum selling music artist best known for his hit single “Beautiful Girls” and recent chart-toppers “Take You There” and “Me Love,” has just released a new Internet-only single “Gotta Move Faster” on iTunes.
Directed by Lil’ X (Usher, Faith Evans), the video gives an exciting, behind-the-scenes look at Sean’s life as a top-selling artist and how he uses technology to make music and stay connected with his fans.
The elegant use of Intel branded-entertainment made the video clip possible and Intel is donating its profits from sales of the new single and ringtones to the Computer Clubhouse Network, an after school technology-learning program that enables youth in underserved communities to acquire tools necessary for personal and professional success.
The Intel Computer Clubhouse Network currently supports over 100 Computer Clubhouses around the world, providing thousands of youth with access to resources, skills, and experiences to help them succeed in their careers, contribute to their communities, and lead outstanding lives.
In 1997 the Museum’s Clubhouse program won the Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation , recognizing that the program has made a difference in the lives of the people it serves, and serves as a model that others can learn from.
With all the talk about hip hop being dead, indie label Thug Life Army Records sets forth a project that proves hip hop is alive and well: outside the boundary of corporate ‘boardroom’ hip hop.
‘In the Shadow of an Icon’ is an amazing tribute to the teachings and thought process of hip hop icon; rapper, activist, poet Tupac Shakur (2Pac). Tupac connected with the street because he was from the street and understood the messages that the street needed to hear.
Artist from all across the country including California, New York, Georgia, Texas, St. Louis as well as Canada have contributed to this project set in the mindset of Tupac Shakur (2Pac).
‘In The Shadow of an Icon’ brings no bling, or spinning rims, no meaningless repetitive hooks - just good quality hip hop with a message from unsigned artists relevant to hip hop culture in a time when real thought provoking hip hop seems to have left the scene. [Read more →]
One of our favorite writers and Hip Hop Congress members Roosevelt Treasurechest had the chance to catch up with Shamako “The Prez” Noble and Dr. Ben Chavis in separate interviews earlier this week. Below are some snippets and links to the full articles.
People talk, write, and rap about Hip Hop’s power for social change, but there is perhaps no one more familiar with that power than Shamako Noble. Noble is a Bay Area emcee, organizer, and current president of the Hip Hop Congress, which has grown ten-fold since its inception almost a decade ago. And Noble has been there every step (and mis-step) of the way.
I first came into contact with him in 2000, as a freshman at Indiana University. On my way to math class I saw a flyer for the Hip Hop Congress, which at the time, was just forming on the campus of Indiana University. I skipped my math class that day, and made a decision that has played a prominent role in the direction of my life. I can’t say with 100% certainty that without Hip Hop Congress, I may never have become a DJ, or Hip Hop journalist. But I can say that without Hip Hop Congress I would have not have become a student leader at IU, a corps member of Teach For America, or gained the cultural and historical understanding of Hip Hop and its community that simply cannot be attained through De La Soul, Public Enemy, Dilated Peoples, and Beastie Boys records. But this article isn’t about me. It’s about Hip Hop Congress, and how while many speak of the Hip Hop Generation’s lack of commitment or interest in social and political issues, Noble is able to produce clear evidence that contradicts the notion that Hip Hoppers are simply selfish…But, as demonstrated in his song by the same name (which I tell him all the time is my absolute favorite), Noble also knows that they most certainly can be…CLICK MORE HERE
April was a busy month for Dr. Ben Chavis and The Hip Hop Summit Action Network. The non-profit organization designed to empower young people connected through Hip Hop music and culture held two large summits last month. The summits focused on political and financial literacy, and used the appeal and influence of Hip Hop artists as a means of motivating young people to do their own further exploration.
Empowerment is not a new field for Dr. Ben Chavis, who sits among the leaders of Hip Hop Summit Action Network. While Russell Simmons’ name often leads press releases, and news stories related to HHSAN, it is the efforts of Chavis as well that continue to make the organization run. A veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, former Robert Kennedy campaign worker, and past leader of the NAACP, Chavis has made it his mission to immerse himself in Hip Hop as a way to connect the youth of today with the struggle of the past. While many see Civil Rights leaders from a generation ago as being out of touch with the needs and expressions of the Hip Hop generation, Chavis hears a different song.
In this Ruby Hornet exclusive interview, conducted a day before the HSAN Financial Empowerment Summit in North Carolina, Dr. Chavis talks about bridging the generational gap, Hip Hop as an empowerment tool, and also shares his take on Nas’ new album. It may shock you to know that perhaps Hip Hop’s biggest supporter just turned 60...MORE CLICK HERE
