The Hip-Hop Association [H2A] in its sixth year proclaims freedom, justice, and restoration. Tackling some of the most important issues affecting the Hip-Hop community today, they intend to elevate women, heal the community, and celebrate the positive messages within Hip-Hop culture.

Setting it off this year will be the HHEAL [Hip-Hop Educates and Advances Lives] Festival, a 2-day festival happening on April 18-19 at Raphael Hernandez IS 217 in the South Bronx. The festival will focus on the fusion of social justice in the Hip-Hop movement, exploring the role of women and immigrants, and teaching how everyone can be an agent for change. Through numerous community partners, the H2A will offer a day of Freshest Youth workshops in media literacy, Hip-Hop aesthetics (mcing, djing, graffiti, beat-boxing, and break-dancing) to cultivate a new generation of Hip-Hop youth. While the next day, the Hip-Hop Education Summit will provide a series of professional development workshops to exchange educational models, practices, and theories in order to build inter-generational relationships and future education leaders.

The first Kings and Queens Classic (KQC) will be held on May 18th during Hip-Hop Appreciation Week, at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial & Education Center. The KQC is a celebration of Chess, Art and Photography. The goal of the KQC is to promote the powerful influence of using Chess, Art, and Photography as a viable teaching tool to empower youth to develop important skills such as creative expression, intuition, memory, and problem-solving abilities. The KQC is being hosted by the first and only African-American International Grandmaster, Maurice Ashley, and will include a panel discussion, a youth speed chess tournament, celebrity games, performances, photography exhibit, and a silent art auction.

The Sixth Annual H2O International Film Festival [H2OIFF] will take place from June 25-29, 2008 in New York City. One of our hallmark events, the H2OIFF works with independent and established filmmakers to provide an alternative wide lens into the culture of Hip-Hop. H2OIFF offers networking opportunities, educational resources, panel discussions, and an exhibition platform for video and filmmakers to display and define the variety of images and stories that depict Hip-Hop and its communities. This year a portion of the film festival will be streamed online.

On June 29, 2008, all the stars come out to participate in the infamous Odyssey Awards at BB Kings Club and Grill in Times Square. The Odyssey Awards is the closing ceremony for the H2OIFF, where we announce the winners of the festival and acknowledge the most important Hip-Hop filmmakers, industry professionals and pioneers.

Additionally, the H2A will be teaming up with a dozen community partners to offer film screenings, workshops, seminars, and live webcasts, so stay on the look out for these events all-year-round.

For more information on these events visit our website: www.hiphopassociation.org