Friday, May 14, 2010
MAY DAY FREEDOM FEST A SUCCESS!!!
The May Day Freedom Fest was a complete success! On Saturday May 1st, thousands of people came to Union Square to stand up for Immigrant Rights and say no to the racist anti immigrant laws passed recently in Arizona. There was also a strong stance taken against the supposed reform of the Schumer-Graham bill. The reality is is that we need legalization for now and an immediate stop to the deportations and raids. ICE seems to have become a rogue agency that terrorizes immigrants and divides families. Whats going on in Arizona is the revival of Jim Crow!
The response led to the largest rally that Union Square has seen since the marches of 2006. Families, students, workers, students Hip Hop artists and many different organizations came out. It helped that it was a beautiful 80 degree day under the sun.
The day started with the morning set up team meeting up at RDAC BX at 7am. From there we all rolled up to Union Square and set up shop. The whole RDAC sound system was put to use! We chalked up the whole area and there we had it: Hip Hop was back in the Park. Outdoors. For the people and free!
Around 11am the people started arriving, folks gathered....and the rally was on!
There was much teamwork that went on to put on the May Day Freedom Fest. RDAC BX came together with The May 1st Coalition ( www.may1.info ) and put out the calling to the masses. The result was a really dope program in that there were speakers for 30 mins and then culture for 30 mins. This led to a great balance between politics and culture and also between the generations. There were artists from all over that came to support. Artists like Hasan Salaam and Bad Sportt from New Jersey, Reyes del Bajo Mundo from El Salvador, Marcel Cartier, Fascious,GTP and Division X from The Bronx, Crosby from the Lower East Side, Immortal Technique from Harlem, Rebel Diaz from Chicago/S.Bronx, Dj Ethos from Los Angeles and Dj Charlie Hustle reppin Milwaukee. We also were blessed with the participation of Rev. Claudia De la Cruz from the revolutionary, La Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas. We also had the solidarity of some striking students in Puerto Rico and the son of PR Political Prisoner Avelino Claudio Gonzalez. Hip Hop was united that day and it wasnt only in performing. In true solidarity the artists not only performed but also helped take down the sound system and load the trucks afterwards. This type of camraderie is whats needed yall!! The march continued to Federal Plaza but we stayed back to take the sound system down.
This march was only the beginning of much work that is needed and that the RDAC BX will continue to support! We need Legalization 4 All! Lets not forget, besides the Native Americans and the forced Migration of Africans thru slavery, we are all immigrants. Like Immortal Technique said " We may not run America, but we make America run!!"
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
ALL OUT MAY 1ST FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS!!!!!
JOIN US! SAT. MAY 1ST AS WE HOLD THE 3RD ANNUAL MAY DAY FREEDOM FESTIVAL. THIS YEAR WE ARE DOING IT BIG AS WE FINALLY GOT THE NYPD TO GIVE US A SOUND PERMIT FOR UNION SQUARE. LETS BUILD OFF THIS ENERGY AND STAND UP FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS. WITHOUT IMMIGRATION THERE WOULD BE NO HIP HOP. THEREFORE, ITS HIP HOP'S RESPONSIBILITY TO DEFEND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS. WE SHALL BE THERE FOR THE RALLY AT NOON AND THEN AT 2PM THE SHOW WILL START. COME AND CHECK US OUT AS WE HYPE UP THE CROWD FOR 2 HOURS AND THEN AT 4PM ALL OF US JOIN THE MARCH TO FEDERAL PLAZA. WHATS GOING ON IN ARIZONA SHOWS US THAT RACISM STILL LIVES IN THIS COUNTRY. LETS NOT FORGET THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE THE BATIVE AMERICANS AND OUR FAM FROM AFRICA THAT HAD A FORCED MIGRATION. LETS STAND UP AGAINST THE ATTACKS ON OUR PEOPLE! ON SAT. MAY ST. SEE YOU THERE!!!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen 3 Finale!!
Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen 3 was a super success. We once again packed out the auditorium at Hostos Community College with more than 1,000 people in attendance. The show was off the hook. From the elder community leaders who dressed up in outfits from the times of the beginnings of the Womens Rights movement, to 12 yr.old Ne-Ne Ali, the spoken word MC, to the hip hop violin of Misnomers, to Bless Roxwell, Kalae All Day, Rokafella came out with her crew and showed us that true NY BGirl flava! Here check out the footage of the grand finale with RDAC BX members Lah Tere and Patty Dukes bringing down the house. What a wonderful way to commemorate International Women's Day and 100 years of that struggle.
RDAC Under Construction!
Yes ma'am! We are under construction again to better serve the community... With help from our good friends at the electricians union and Tito, Jose, and Nelson from Facing Reality Car Club, we are expanding our performance area once again, as well as renovating our bathrooms (yes, they needed it badly!). We will be open only for previously scheduled private events at RDAC, and will resume with regular programming on Monday April 10, for our Youth Open House. More info to come!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen 3: Sat. March 6th @ Hostos Center for Arts and Culture
Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen Volume 3, Back to Our Roots, will be honoring International Women’s Month by shedding light and creating awareness on Environmental Injustices and Educational Inequalities and their impact on women of color.
Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen will bring together women of color educators, students, environmentalists, djs, emcees, b-girls, poets, visual artists, dancers, healers, pastors, organizers and activists. We will come together through a hip hop showcase to express our solidarity with women’s rights!
This event will take place in the South Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop, and the poorest congressional district in the nation, also called “The Forgotten Borough.” In reality, the borough of the Bronx is not forgotten because one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city, Riverdale, lies just northwest and has every amenity a human can ask for.
Hostos Community College will be hosting Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen event for the second year in a row. Hostos Community College was created in 1968 in response to demands from the Latino community who were urging for the establishment of a college to serve the people of the South Bronx. Hostos was the first bilingual higher education institution in the United States.
The South Bronx is a community that has been in constant resistance, seeking justice in education and the environment. It is a community resisting pollution, asthma, toxic wasteland, and budget cuts for art, music, and gym programs. It is a community that lacks access to healthy fruits and vegetables, adequate health care and after school programs. The South Bronx’s need for reproductive and sexual health education is highly reflected in its high levels of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.
In place of access to healthy alternatives, the South Bronx has an over abundance of jails and prisons.
However, the South Bronx is not lost. It has experienced a period of healing through leadership guided by community organizations and collectives. This leadership has lead to the creation of new parks, food co-ops, recycling programs, and successful cultural community centers. We have won many amazing victories as a community!
Join us as we fuse our energy, our politics, our ancestry, our traditions, art, song and dance into a brew for Environmental Justice and Education Equality.
Turn Up the Heat and Let the Soul Simmer, as We Stir this Soup for the Hip Hop Soul!
When: Saturday, March 6th, 2010
@ the Hostos Center for Arts and Culture
450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.) Bronx, NY
(Main Theater)
Time: 2-5pm
This event is FREE and open to all ages.
for more information about the event, please
visit our website @ http://www.mhhk.org
or email hiphopkitchen@gmail.com
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