As May resumes into June, El Centro de la Raza & 206 Zulu’s Hope For Youth program completes it’s Spring ’08 season. Hope For Youth is a youth development and educational support program providing year-long Hip Hop educational courses to over one-hundred students attending Denny Middle School, Second Bilingual Orientation Center, and Garfield High School through various workshops, special projects and performances. Students experiment with core artistic elements through hands on activities, reading, writing, even recording and performing at community events.
As a result, these schools have expressed an increase in student grades, attendance, and self-esteem. They have reported a greater sense of connection between the students and the school. The graduation ceremony for the seniors of this program, held on June 3rd at El Centro de la Raza, carried much excitement as many of the students celebrate there accomplishments with food, live music, entertainment and motivating words from guest speakers.
Similarly, the afternoon of May 30th was an exciting time in South Seattle as members of 206 Zulu and the Seattle Hip Hop Community performed at an end-of-year assembly for the students of Rainier Beach High School. Performances included Dakota, El Dia, Language Arts, Gabriel Teodros, Suntonio Bandanaz, Diez, Julie-C, King Khazm, Audio Poet and DJ Proh-Ceih. The performance climaxed with a freestyle session from many of the students themselves, that continued even after the bell rang and school was dismissed.
Also in June, 206 Zulu finished it’s pilot quarter of Hip Hop after-school classes at Meany Middle School in the Central District. Facilitated by BeLoved 1 and King Khazm, the classes have been well received by the participants and they hope to see it again next year. These after-school sessions combined with the recent assemblies and dances held at Meany, have attributed to the great support with the students and staff.
-Julie C repped for the SEA on the Hip Hop Activism panel at the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform. The panel, facilitated by Shamako Noble-president of Hip Hop Congress, included Mojo from Sillicon Valley Debug, Rosa Clemente from the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, J.R. Flemming from the Coalition to Protect Public Housing, Toki Wright from YO! the Movement, and Cheri Honkala , from the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign. You can hear audio from the panel here!! Also, check out Twin Cities Daily Planet article on the panel called ““Hip Hop heads remix the media reform agenda, stir controversy at the NCMR.”
-After being targeted for months by Seattle Neighborhood group’s Weed & Seed, and being continuously harrassed by police, Hidmo Eritrean Cuisine , owned by our sisters Rahwa and Asmeret, was burglarized twice in the past month! The Hidmo fam is looking to the community to help rebuild, and is hosting a birthday celebration (Rahwa’s 30th, go ahead girl!)/fundraiser on June 13th, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center featuring Blue Scholars, Gabriel Teodros, Khingz and more. Check the calender for more info and get tickets at www.hidmo.org!
