Thug Life Army

HHEAL! A Celebration of Culture, Education, and Social Justice During Hip-Hop Appreciation and Immigrant Heritage Week

HHEAL (HIP-HOP EDUCATES AND ADVANCES LIVES) is a three-day festivity focusing on culture, education, and social justice presented by the Hip-Hop Association, in conjunction with the Social Services of Hip Hop, We Got Issues!, Afro-Latin@ Project, and the New York State Youth Leadership Council. Additional support provided by African Ancestry, Third World Newsreel, Flocabulary, and Word Beats and Life.

Taking place from April 18-20 at the Raphael Hernandez School of the Performing Arts (IS 217) in the Bronx, HHEAL Fest combines the Freshest Youth Program, Hip-Hop Education (H2Ed) Summit, and a third day dedicated to a Town Hall Meeting and a special tribute by the first and only African-American, International Grandmaster Chess Champion, Maurice Ashley, dedicated to the Founder of Hip-Hop - Kool Herc and the First Lady of Hip-Hop - Cindy Campbell in homage of their Jamaican roots. 

During the three days patrons will enjoy a fair-like atmosphere with interactive workshops, panels, film screenings, and performances that will focus on Hip-Hop as a tool for education, immigrant history, media literacy, life skills, and youth empowerment. Community leaders, presenters, speakers and organizations will have a chance to engage with the public. Some of the organizations attending include: Life Camp, New York University, Hip-Hop4Life, Life Beat, Deep Sea Innertainment, Word Beats and Life, MNN Youth Channel, Stop The Violence Movement, Women’s Organization of Rebirth Through Healing (WORTH), and Breakthrough: Building Human Rights Culture.

There will be screenings of videos made by youth and young adults. On Saturday, Director - Angelica Macklin and Executive Director of the Seattle Debate League, Jennifer Johnson will present the Hip-Hop and Debate Project. On Sunday, Citizens of Nowhere will be screening by Betty Bastidas and Joel Mejia. The film gives a voice to the thousands of undocumented immigrant youth living in the US, with the constant fear of being deported while serving as resource for advocates of immigrant youth, the education sector and non-profit organizations serving immigrant communities

Other highlights include, Piper Anderson will be the Closing Keynote Speaker for the H2Ed Summit, and DJ Laylo (Dominican Republic), Eli Efi (Brazil), Jackie Rob, Slangston Hughes, Chosan (Sierra Leone), and El Ballet Folklórico Nuevo Amanecer (Mexico) performing during the Town Hall Meeting hosted by Caridad “La Bruja” De La Luz (Puerto Rico).

Make sure to register by April 17 at www.hiphopassociation.org/hheal08

Save $10 for H2Ed Summit, Admission at the door is $35

PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

Freshest Youth Program | April 18, 1-5 PM: Students from NYC Public Schools will participate in a day of FREE activities that include media literacy workshop, film screenings, and Hip-Hop aesthetic workshops (mcing, djing, break-dancing, graffiti, and beat-boxing). The Hip-Hop Association, in collaboration with its community partners, offers youth a fresh perspective on learning, the arts, and social justice.

Welcome/Intro (1pm)

Panel Discussion (1:15-2:30pm) - Express Yourself: Using Hip-Hop as a Creative Outlet

Moderator: Jineea Butler (Social Services of Hip-Hop)

Panelists: Franco Rosado (Activist/Hip-Hop Theater), Maria Rubio (Teaching Artist/Aerosol Art), Kazi Rolle (MC/Hip-Hop Project), GI Jane (B-Girl/Break-dancing), and Mazi Mutafa (Word Beats and Life)

Hip-Hop Theater Play - (2:45-3:15pm) - Excerpt Performances of "Eastside Story" presented by Deep sea Innertainment

Film Screenings | Concurrent Workshops (3:30-5pm)

H2Ed Summit | April 19, 9:30 AM-5 PM: The H2Ed Summit brings together noted Hip-Hop educators, historians, and community organizations to facilitate professional development workshops. The H2Ed Summit serves as a space for exchange of educational models, practices, theories, and multimedia training in order to build inter-generational relationships and future education leaders.

Welcome (9:30am)

Opening Keynote Address (9:45am) - Dr. Daniel Banks (Director of Hip-Hop Theater Initiative - Tisch School of the Arts, NYU)

Panel Discussion - The Impact of Hip-Hop in Education Reform and Social Justice Movements (10-11am)

Moderator: Sarah Montgomery-Glinski (Co-Director of H2Ed)

Panelists: Erica Ford (Life Camp), Cristina Jimenez (NY State Youth Leadership Council), Capital X (Death Penalty Abolitionist), Minister Server (Hip-Hop Ministries), and Dr. David Kirkland (Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development - Department of Teaching and Learning, NYU)

Morning Workshops (90-min) (11-12:30)

Conscious Women Rock the Page (Literacy) - J-Love, We Got Issues!

Palestinian and Israeli Education Project - Ora Wise

Rapamatics - Derrick “Rapmatician” Phillips

Hip Hop Life Skills - Minister Server (ATL)

Lunch (1-2pm)

H2A Resources + Community (15-min presentation) Andrew/Sarah

Breakthrough Presentation of ICE (15-min presentation) Sandy Shin

I Am Hip-Hop/Skills Board Game (15-min presentation) Nicole Duncan Smith

Matinee Movie Screening 2-2:45pm (45-min) Hip-Hop Debate Presentation (Seattle) Jen Johnson/Angelica Macklin

Afternoon Workshops (90-min)(3-4:30pm)

Stop The Violence Curriculum - Hakim Green

The Message (Literacy)- Felicia Pride (DC)

Beyond Bars and Borders - Mark Gonzales (LA)

Closing Keynote Address/Performance (4:45-5pm)

Piper Anderson

Closing Reception- (6-7pm)

Town Hall | April 20, 3-5 PM: The Hip-Hop Association (H2A), the Afro-Latin@ Project, and The New York State Youth Leadership Council invite you to: The Truth About Immigrants Through the Voices of HIP-HOP, an evening of poetry, songs, music, games, and conversation about the real story of our immigrant communities. This forum will explore issues on heritage, race relations, and immigrant contributions. It will include a screening of Citizens of Nowhere by Betty Bastidas and Joel Mejia. The film gives a voice to the thousands of undocumented immigrant youth living in the US, with the constant fear of being deported while serving as resource for advocates of immigrant youth, the education sector and non-profit organizations serving immigrant communities. A special tribute dedicated to Kool Herc and Cindy Campbell to pay homage to their Jamaican roots.

About the Hip-Hop Association:

The Hip-Hop Association [H2A] is a 501(c)(3) media, education, and arts community building organization. Our projects are designed to encourage critical thinking, education reform, cross-cultural unity and civic engagement. The H2A empowers the community through the use of media, technology, resources, social entrepreneurship, and leadership development. We are producers of the largest annual international Hip-Hop film festival, and Hip-Hop Education forums. www.hiphopassociation.org

About the Social Services of Hip Hop:

The Social Services of Hip Hop is a psychology based service agency that identifies and remedies issues that affect the growth of the Hip Hop community by presenting revenue generating and community building activities.  The company serves as a technical assistance intermediary that organizes and enhances programs that interact with the Hip Hop Community. Our mission is to empower Hip Hop citizens to their maximum level of functioning by providing effective tools, resources and services. www.ss-hiphop.com

About We Got Issues!:

We Got Issues! mission is to awaken a new brand of feminine centered leadership and social/political activism in America.  Through rigorous training and development we strengthen young women’s internal resources and capacity to lead, through outreach and education we facilitate the creation of networks and collaborations that leverage young women's best knowledge, skills and resources and through advocacy and recognition we promote new models of bold courageous and empowered leadership by honoring the often overlooked contributions young women make to their respective communities and to society as a whole. www.wegotissues.org

About the Afro-Latin@ Project:

The Afro-Latin@ Project aims to document, promote, and support the development of Afro-Latin@ studies and grass roots activities in the Americas, particularly in the United States.

www.afrolatinoproject.org

About the New York State Youth Leadership Council:

The New York State Youth Leadership Council is a network of young advocates representing high schools, colleges, communities of faith and community-based organizations committed to promoting the advancement of immigrant youth through leadership development and advocacy. http://www.nysylc.org