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1st Annual It’s All About M.E.E. Festival – A Celebration of Media, Expression and Education Stop Bullets in The Hood, Explore Hip-Hop Novel Vs. Street Literature + Peer-Peer Mediation & More Sponsored by SoonR, African Ancestry, St. Martin Press, The Ave Magazine, the Institute for Urban Education at the New School University, and Breakthough TV.

The ‘It’s All About M.E.E.’ (Media, Expression, and Education) Festival is a 3-day multi-media celebration taking place from February 23–25, 2007. It’s All About M.E.E combines the best of our Freshest Youth Program, the Urban Word NYC Poetry Slam Final, and the Hip-Hop Education Summit [H2Ed].

Over 15 community arts and media organizations will participate in the celebration, representing cities like San Jose, Oakland, L.A., Chicago and DC, as well as countries like Mongolia, Brazil & Canada. Workshop Facilitators include Full Circle, The Grassroots Artists MovEment (G.A.ME), Beatbox Entertainment, What's the 411 Initiative, Words Beats and Life, and Hip-Hop Congress. Special celebrity guests include Roxanne Shante, Doug E. Fresh, Raqiyah Mays and Pharoahe Monch, as well as notable Educators and community leaders such as Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Tamara Dawit, Professor Dave Stoval, Mark Gonzales, Ora Wise, Lavie Raven, and Professor Andrew Ryan will engage in dialogue and workshops. In addition to three days of programming, the Hip-Hop Association will celebrate the official release of the Hip-Hop Education Guidebook: Volume 1, a comprehensive tool for those interested in Hip-Hop Education.

“Teachers have no other choice but to learn how to use hip hop in the classroom. It's the language of the children. They have to respect the culture of Hip-Hop." --Talib Kweli, Hip-Hop Artist

Schedule:

Media & Activities | February 23, 2007 | 12pm – 6pm:

Setting off the festival, the Freshest Youth Program will be filled with engaging edutainment activities for youth that include break-dancing (b-boying), graffiti art, DJing, MCing, as well as compelling performances by youth in Hip-Hop theatre and film screenings.

Also taking place on this day will be the panel discussion, "When the Gun Draws: Addressing the Epidemic of Gun Violence and the Propaganda Behind It" featuring Legendary Lyricist, Pharaohe Monch, who will be joined by distinguished panelists to examine the rash of gun violence sweeping the nation and strategies to alleviate this preventable plague which is disproportionately effecting Black and Brown communities nationwide.

Panelists include Raqiyah Mays of The Ave Magazine (Moderator), Piper Anderson of Black Out Arts Collective, Hezues R of Guns 4 Camers, Monifa Bandele of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and Terrence Fisher, Director of Bullets In The Hood, winner of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Short Filmmaking award.

Panel will include a Special Screening of Pharoahe Monch's New Music Video, "When the Guns Draws." 

+This event is FREE and open to the public and will be taking place at the Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School.

Expression | February 24, 2007 | 7pm – 10pm:

In the Urban Word NYC Annual Teen Poetry Slam Final held this year at Brooklyn Academy of Music | Howard Gillman Opera House, hundreds of teens representing every borough and most ethnicities come together in celebration of youth spoken word, to determine which five teens will form that year’s NYC Teen Poetry Slam Team and compete at Brave New Voices, the National Teen Poetry Slam.

Seats are almost sold out! To Purchase Tickets  visit www.h2ed.net/itsallaboutmee

Education | February 25, 2007 | 7:30am – 7pm:

Closing up the festival once again at the Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School, the H2Ed Summit will give opportunities for educators, social workers and parents to learn and participate in workshops that will teach how to use Hip-Hop as an educational tool across a multi-disciplinary curricula.

Workshop Schedule:

11:50-12:50AM (1st Hour Facilitator)

Workshop A: Literacy | Rhythm & Reason: Utilizing Hip-Hop to engage literacy, critical thinking and creative writing facilitated by Urban Word

Workshop B: History | African Ancestry: Tracing Your Roots by Gina Paige

Workshop C: Music | Human Rights Are For Young People Too! –Supporting Children's Rights & Participation Through Hip-Hop by Tamara Dawit & Tristan "Collizhun" Graham

Workshop D: Immigration, Social Justice & Leadership | From West Coast to West Bank: Understanding Ideas and Imperialism Through Global Hip Hop by Mark Gonzales

Workshop E: Media - Global Action Project Youth Presentations

Workshop F: Tolerance - Slingshot Hip Hop: Culture and Resistance from Brooklyn to Palestine by Ora Wise

2:50-3:50PM (2nd Hour Facilitator)

Workshop A: English Language Arts - Hip-Hop Novel Vs. Street Literature - Facilitated by Kwan

Workshop B: Global Studies | Global Education Through Hip-Hop – HIV/AIDS by Tamara Dawit & Eternia

Workshop C: Math - Edu Rap: Improving Test Scores and Discipline for the Hip Hop Generation by Dr. Ron Kelley

Workshop D: Peer-Peer Mediation – By Cashus D, Federation for Hip-Hop Preservation- Chicago

Workshop E: Technology - By Andrew Ryan, Hip-Hop Matters

Workshop F: Diversity – By Lavie - BCAM/University of Hip-Hop

Sponsors of the 1st Annual It’s All About M.E.E. Festival include SoonR, African Ancestry, St. Martin Press, The Ave Magazine, the Institute for Urban Education at the New School University, and Breakthough.tv

For more information and registration visit www.h2ed.net/itsallaboutmee.