Schedule

SCHEDULE

A printed schedule will be available at the conference.
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EACH SESSION and accessible room will have a projector, computer, LiveStream, video-recording, and photographer.

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 FEB 20 – FRIDAY

Common Table (2001 Riverside Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN)
Facebook Event Page for Rally and Show

6pm to 10pm

Not One More Murdered March and Hip Hop Show
6pm to 10pm
Feb 20, 2015
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Vigil for Malcolm X and all Black, Men, Women, and Youth murdered by the police and this corrupt government.

MARCH FROM Mayday Books
301 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis, MN

TO The Common Table
2001 Riverside Ave S. Minneapolis, MN, USA
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This march and Hip Hop Show is Feb 20th, the day before Malcolm X was assassinated. The goal of this event is to build community awareness around ending police brutality, political repression, and violence targeting Black America.

We will have a children’s corner for coloring, drawing, and play, along with a prisoner writing table.
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HIP HOP SHOW LINE-UP

MC: Marcus Shoberg a.k.a. EB

Performer
Excel & The Project

Teach-in
Marshaling as you Protest Police
Reies and LesleyAnne

Performer
SMYLADON

Teach-in
Security Culture 101 and Resistance Culture
Luce

Performer
Usbeforeme, from Chicago, IL

Teach-in
Know Your Rights
Tim, Lawyer

Performer
Mic Crenshaw, from Portland, OR

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FEB 21 – SATURDAY

Christensen Center Building (2211 Riverside Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN)
Facebook Event Page

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8:30 am to 9:00
Registration

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Kid-friendly event.
Child care will not be provided.

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9:00 to 9:10
WELCOMING

East Commons (capacity 120)

Introduction of 1st Annual International Hip Hop Activism Conference and Save the Kids
Facilitated by: Anthony J. Nocella II and Reies Romero

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9:10 to 9:20
FEATURED INTRODUCTION

Hip Hop Politics
Brother Ali

Facilitated by: Amber Gay
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-1

• Bio: Brother Ali is a highly respected Hip Hop artist, speaker and activist from Minneapolis, MN. His decade-long resume includes six critically acclaimed albums, mentorships with Iconic Hip Hop legends Chuck D and Rakim, and performances on late night talk shows with Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon. He’s been the subject of Al-Jazeera and NPR pieces and was a keynote speaker at this year’s Nobel Peace Prize Forum. He’s landed coveted press features, such as Rolling Stone’s 40th anniversary “Artist to Watch” and Source Magazine’s “Hip Hop Quotables”. Ali has won the hearts and minds of Hip Hop fans worldwide with his intimate song writing, captivating live performances, and outspoken stance on issues of Justice and Human Dignity. In 2007, Ali was flagged by The US Department of Homeland Security for his controversial critique of America’s human rights violations in his song/video “Uncle Sam Goddamn”. In the summer of 2012, Ali was arrested in an act of civil disobedience as an organizer of Minnesota’s Occupy Homes movement to defend Twin Cities homeowners from unjust foreclosures. Brother Ali’s latest album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color is his manifesto on the political, socioeconomic, and cultural suffering in modern American life, as well as a declaration of hope and possibility for a brighter future. The album is introduced by Dr. Cornel West.
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9:20 to 10:50
SESSION ONE

East Commons (capacity 120)

Panel
Facilitated by: Malick Ceesay
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-1

1. White Supremacy Verses Racism
Chris Lollie, Minneapolis, MN, USA

• Description: This presentation will examine the difference between racism and white supremacy. Racism, Lollie argues, is systematic, while white supremacy is an internal mentality that harms the individual and those around them. In this presentation Lollie will examine the two by providing historical examples and by sharing his own personal experiences. Finally, from a Hip Hop activist perspective, he will discuss how racism and white supremacy is negatively affecting youth and society, and destroying Hip Hop.

• Bio: Chris Lollie, a.k.a. Minnesota fr3sh, is a hip hop artist/activist dedicated to the physical and mental liberation of his people. He is known for standing against the police state in his hometown of St Paul, MN. His music consists of very socially conscious material and he has recently written a few speeches. He has a lot to say and apparently Hip Hop beats can’t contain it all.

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2. How Hip Hop is Affecting and Mentoring Youth in the Place of Positive Role Models
Ja’Nerio, Minneapolis, MN, USA

• Description: I will address the appropriation of Hip Hop; how Hip Hop is used as a tool to further the exploitation of “the black experience”, “black culture”, and “black heritage”. I will explain and debrief definitively the historical importance of what Africanisms are, how they are all throughout society, and are yet to be recognized as coming/originating from Africa. I will define what political oppression is and how it ties into the school-to-prison problem.i will define what economic exploitation is and also describe what economic detours are and how they intertwine into the school-to-prison pipeline. I will define what social degradation is and tie these things into why youth need good, sound, positive role models. I will discuss the decline of the role model, how to identify role models, define what a role model is, the importance of role models, and how they are helpful. I will explain how having a mentor and good role models are essential to community service work. I will explain how youth workers are directly role models. And, last but not least, define what revolution means and stands for historically; the historical context of revolutions; what is the black revolution is, and how it’s not the same as the negro revolution.

• Bio: Ja’Nerio was born in Indiana and moved to Minnesota in 1989. He grew up in the Minneapolis, MN public school system and the juvenile so-called justice system. He grew up fast (the street life) and was lost until discovering Islam in 2005 at 23 years of age. He has been the president and co-president of the Muslim Student Association of MCTC and was also a board member of the Association of Black Collegiates of MCTC, where they established prayer room space to be a place of respect and safety as well as hosting Islamic Awareness Week. He has been involved with  Cedar Riverside Youth Council and hosts roundtables against police brutality and racial profiling in The West Bank area. Ja’nerio has over 15 years of youth work experience involving structuring and supervising youth programs. A lifelong community activist, seeking justice for all, he stands against all injustices and in support of and for fighting to end all oppression, and for the Liberation of Black African-American Mind and Body. Ja’Nerio has had many leadership retreats, and trainings: 6-7 years as a cook, 3-5 years in maintenance, and an ample amount of life experiences that no school or institution can or could provide. Ja’Nerio is very frank and outspoken about whatever interests him or he finds passion in. As a person who will sometimes wear his heart on his sleeve, he doesn’t mind going the extra distance for those he’s into helping. For Ja’Nerio life has become a constant battle to get kids the truth in information.

3. Hip Hop Curriculum
Reies Romero, Saint Paul, MN, USA

• Description: Hip Hop, in over 4 decades, has grown to a worldwide phenomenon. Babies are born immersed in the culture, the sound, style, walk, speech, dress, but what are the youth of today learning about the origins of this incredible and powerful culture? Reies, a lifetime Hip Hop lover turned activist, will share a brief history of Hip Hop and how it can be incorporated into today’s educational curriculum to empower, educate, unite, and mobilize youth to utilize Hip Hop ideas, culture, and mind state as tools for social justice, combat the Euro-centric teaching lens, and create positive life elements which are rooted in the true meaning of Hip Hop.

• Bio: Reies Romero is the Co-National director of Save the Kids, President of the Save the Kids Chapter of Augsburg College, Student Advocate on Augsburg Day Student Gov., DJ at STK Radio (Sun. 5-7pm). Former member of Los Nativos (RSE), DJ with SPStyle DJ crew, Hip Hop Activist, and Social Work major. DJ of 22+ years, Official Speaker with the Islamic Resource Group (IRG).

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Augsburg Room (capacity 30)

Panel
Facilitated by: Kim Socha
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-2

1. Can’t Breathe, Can’t Vote
Sarah Walker, Saint Paul, MN, USA

• Description: This presentation will discuss the urgent needs to restore the vote to individuals in Minnesota who have lost their right to vote because of a felony conviction. Currently, Minnesota has the 6th highest rate of people on probation in the United States and although these individuals are living in the community, paying taxes, and raising families, they are still denied the most fundamental right – the right to vote. Sarah will discuss efforts underway in Minnesota to Restore the Vote. Our current law denies 1 in 5 African American men the right to the ballot box each year. Sarah will address the link between police abuse and over-criminalization, and how we must be able to use the right to vote to change the dynamics.

• Bio: Sarah Catherine Walker is a government affairs expert with Hill Capitol Strategies, and is the founder of the MN Second Chance Coalition and the President of the Coalition for Impartial Justice.  Sarah is a graduate of Carleton College and is currently completing her doctorate in the Department of Sociology at University of Minnesota. She brings extensive research experience to issues of politics, inequality, criminal justice reform.  She is currently on the board of the Minneapolis Urban League, the Prison Policy Initiative, Outfront MN, and the Asian American Organizing Project. She is the recipient of the 2010 Minnesota Council of Non-Profits Statewide Advocacy Award, 2010 Hennepin County Bar Association Advancing Justice Award, 2010 and 2011, 2012, and 2014 winner of the Politics in Minnesota’s Leaders in Public Policy Award and 2012 Minnesota Associations for Children’s Mental Health’s Outstanding Service Award for her work in Juvenile Justice.

2. The Battle: Fighting to be Heard
Steve Shelito, Minneapolis, MN, USA

• Description: Battling has been a part of hip-hop since the beginning, as hip-hop is inherently competitive. Popular DJs in New York City would wire up the loudest P.A. they could and if their system was the loudest, that’s where the party would happen. DJs battle. Breakers battle. MCs battle. Arguments over who is the best add hype for the next wave of battles as the art form evolved over time. Battling has been a way to be seen and heard; to have your message presented to the masses. From Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee, to Cassidy vs. Freeway, to Eminem vs. whomever, to a vibrant underground battle scene; the art has now come full circle as mainstream artists are now entering / returning to the battle arena. The Battle: Fighting to be Heard is a exposition of the battle as an analogy of social change. In order to change, we must fight. We must unify. We must support those with strong voices and sound opinions. We must elect speakers who represent the people. These speakers have undoubtedly won many battles, and we call on them today to fight their biggest battle to date.

• Bio: Steve Shelito, a.k.a. Shelltoe, Twin Cities Battle League champion, is one of the most decorated MC battlers in Minnesota history. The list of battles he has won includes the 2008 Scribble Jam MPLS prelims, the Twin Cities Battle League season 1 and 2 qualifiers, as well as the TCBL Season 2 finals, the Death Session, and the MPLS Meltdown, amongst others. Steve was raised in Eagan and graduated from the University of St Thomas with a bachelor’s in business entrepreneurship. He credits MN local Hip Hop as the first time he felt truly accepted and comfortable with his place in the world.

3. Rebel Music: Resistance Through Hip Hop and Punk (Information Age Publishing, 2015)
Co-edited by Anthony J. Nocella II, Saint Paul, MN, USA

• Description: Arising from the street corners and underground clubs, Rebel Music: Resistance through Hip Hop and Punk, challenges standardized schooling and argues for equity, peace, and justice. Rebel Music is an important, one-of-a-kind book that takes readers through fun, radical, educational chapters examining Hip Hop and Punk songs, with each section addressing a particular social issue. Rebel Music values the experiences found in both movements as cultural capital that is de-valued in the current oppressive, standard, test-driven, rule-bound, and corporate schooling experience, making youth “just another brick in the wall.” This collection is a “rebel yell” to administrators, teachers, parents, police, politicians, and counselors who demonize Hip Hop and Punk to listen up and respect youth culture. Finally, Rebel Music is a celebration of radical voices and an organizing tool for those who use music to challenge oppression.

• Bio: Anthony J. Nocella II, Ph.D., author, community organizer, and educator is a Senior Fellow of the Dispute Resolution Institute at the Hamline Law School, Editor of the Peace Studies Journal, and National Co-Director of Save the Kids. Nocella is a scholar-activist grounded in the field of education, justice studies, and peace and conflict studies. He is co-founder of the Institute for Critical Animal Studies, Outdoor Empowerment, and Academy for Peace Education. He has published more than fifty scholarly articles or book chapters and published over twenty books. He has founded three book series and co-founded three journals – Green Theory and Praxis, Peace Studies Journal, and Journal of Critical Animal Studies, is on the editorial board of three other journals.

Riverside Room (capacity 20)

Native Lives Matter
Cody Hall, Eagle Butte, SD, USA
Chase Iron Eyes, Ft. Yates, ND, USA
Nataanii Means, Chinle, AZ, USA
Mike Clifford, Pine Ridge, SD, USA

Facilitated by: Maria Cruz
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-3

• Description: We will present statistics of native men and women killed by police in Indian Country and the role that marches, demonstrations, and protests play to help spread the word of mistreatment against American Indians. We will talk about the website we created – www.NativeLivesMatter.info – and how we plan to bring regional and national attention to our activism against police brutality.

• Bio: Cody Hall Co-Founder of NativeLivesMatter and writer for Lastrealindians

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• Bio: Chase Iron Eyes Co-Founder of NativeLivesMatter and creator of Lastrealindians

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• Bio: D. Mike Clifford, a.k.a. Witko, is an MTV Rebel Music NativeLivesMatter performer

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• Bio: Nataanii Means is an MTV Rebel Music NativeLivesMatter performer

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Student Art Gallery (capacity 60)

Panel
Facilitated by: Lauren Salgado
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room4

1. Hip Hop Practitioners Utilizing Lived Experience in the Classroom
Jason Noer, Minneapolis, MN, USA

• Description: Hip Hop is used in many classrooms by non-practitioners to teach an appreciation for lyrics but often does not go any further. A Hip Hop practitioner can use lived experience to create a pedagogy that encourages student to engage with social issues. Cypherspace is a Hip Hop theoretical construct that can help develop a liberatory mode of thinking in young people. I propose to present this theory, the application of cypherspace to my pedagogy, how other Hip Hop practitioners can use it, and have a Q & A.

• Bio J-Sun is a teacher and community leader in the Twin Cities; a competitor and an academic, recipient of the 2013 Sage Award for Outstanding Performance, and consultant for The Annual Groundbreaker Battle. His Bachelors of Arts degree is titled The B-Boy Movement within Hip Hop Culture. J-Sun’s current graduate work examines the way race, class, age, etc., engage with issues of power on the dancing body. He instructs traditional movement with historical moments as a veteran practitioner of breaking rocking, and new jack swing.

2. Terrorism, Insurgencies, and Rap Music
Ahmad Moussa, Bogata, Colombia

• Description: This presentation will begin by examining Gangster Rap as a form of revolution within the context of terrorism and insurgency by providing the historical and political context. Second, the presentation will discuss the response of the state and the political-economic system to this revolutionary movement, outlining the results that transpired within the terrorism-insurgency framework. Third, the presentation will demonstrate and conclude how the reconfiguring, resilience, and resistance of this form of insurgency is taking place by outlining the past, present, and future responses locally, including its expansion as a global solidarity movement as in the case of Palestine and the Palestinian cause making the connections once again to the terrorism-insurgency framework.

• Bio: Ahmad Moussa, a Palestinian of the Diaspora currently living in Cali, Colombia, but born in Winnipeg, Canada, holds a Master of Arts in International Law and Human Rights from University for Peace in Costa Rica, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Development Studies from the University of Winnipeg. As a scholar and a writer for various news agencies, he will be publishing his first legal book on the cause and effect of state laws imposed in marginalized and indigenous peoples in connection to their predominance in the prison industrial complex. As an upcoming War Studies doctoral candidate as well as an experienced human rights and legal officer as well as a prisoners rights advocate he understands the significant importance of rap and Hip Hop music as an art form for the facilitation and advocacy of those rights and human rights within the context of political violence such as the Palestinian Nakba that remains to be politically and academically undermined.

3. ProsaiC Minds Exercise- Lyrical Analytics
Luke Reynolds, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Sam Gates, Minneapolis, MN, USA

• Description: In this session, Luke will share an exercise for analyzing hip hop lyrics based on creative complexity, rhyming intricacy, and alliterative flow. The process will be applied to two revolutionary hip hop songs.

• Bio: Excel (born Luke Reynolds) comes from the Twin Cities, Minnesota. After exploringand touring various regions of the world (Japan, Mexico, Dominican Republic, California, and North Carolina) Excel’s placed his focus back home of the Twin Cities. Making music and seeding his contribution to a movement nationally in America, Excel has been working for the power of the people with his ProsaiC Minds and Progress Foundation families with the objective of helping others to empower themselves to reach for and produce positive growth in America. Within the last year he has been supporting national efforts of Save The Kids from Incarceration, as well as fundraising clothes and food through communities to benefit the homeless and hungry via benefit events with Progress Foundation. His efforts directing ProsaiC Minds, with biweekly events at Galactic Pizza, have been topic-oriented shows promoting positive topics while fundraising for Progress Foundation.

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• Bio: Sam Gates, Marketing Director, and Luke Reynolds, Development Director (ProgressFoundation), will present a brief presentation explaining the mission, vision, and direction of Progress Foundation. Handouts will cover our nutrition directive and our educational program as well as our future plans for the our homeless and hungry. Progress Foundation is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization dedicated to economic reform. We work through two active departments: education and nutrition. We also have a developing department, which you can read more about, dedicated to housing and employment for homeless and low-income individuals and families, and our Project Foundation Initiative. Luke Reynolds, founder and artist of ProsaiC Minds Movement, explains who ProsaiC Minds are, what their mission is, and what standard the artists hold. Handouts include a calendar of ProsaiC Minds events and affiliated organization events, protests, workshops, etc. (Progress Foundation, Save The Kids, Kheminite, I.A.M., Black Man Stand Up, MN Hip Hop Coalition, etc.). ProsaiC Minds is a collective of independent artists working to progressively influence the people with positive lyrical content. The basis of ProsaiC Minds as a so-called “record label” is a support system grounded entirely by independent artists working to gain success from one another.

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Student Lounge (capacity 50)

Panel
Facilitated by: Neil Taylor
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-5

1. Situating School Push-out on the Local School-to-Prison Pipeline
Lynn Harper, Saint Paul, MN, USA

• Description: This presentation will examine the most recent available data on school push-outs in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Local school district discipline and climate policies will be assessed using the Model Code on Education and Dignity created by Dignity in the Schools (2013), with particular focus on the limitations of policy in creating change.

• Bio: Lynn Harper entered the K-12 system as a means for direct youth and immigrant rights action. She is committed to furthering the values of dignity, mutual respect, and compassion through policy work, dialogue, and creative disruption. Harper is proud to learn from the students and families of Minneapolis Public Schools. She dedicates her work to furthering the legacy of her mentor, Buddhist philosopher, educator, and activist Daisaku Ikeda.

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2. Ugandan Indigenous Hip Hop
Gilbert Bwette, Uganda (Skype)

• Description: I will share my work with Bavubuka Foundation documenting hiphop culture & community activism in Uganda.

• Bio: Daniel Gilbert Bwette is the Ug Hip Hip Archivist of Ugandan indigenous Hip Hop. He is a photographer and has been working with Bavubuka Foundation, the first Hip Hop based foundation in Uganda that has been nurturing Hip Hop culture & community activism.

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3. Krip-Hop Nation Speaking & Rapping Politically & Culturally from Police Brutality to Hip-Hop
Leroy Moore, Berkeley, CA, USA (Skype)

• Description: Leroy Moore, founder of Krip-Hop Nation, activist, and poet, will speak, show videos, and plays songs about what Krip-Hop Nation is. Leroy will disuss international political activism through poetry and Hip Hop, spotlighting their cultural expression on issues like police brutality & profiling.

• bio: Leroy F. Moore Jr. is a Black writer, poet, hip-hop\music lover, community activist, and feminist with a physical disability. He has been sharing his perspective on identity, race, and disability for the last thirteen years or so. Leroy is also a contributing writer and performer for many Sins Invalid shows. He is also the creator of Krip-Hop Nation (Hip-Hop artists with disabilities and other disabled musicians from around the world) and produced Krip-Hop Mixtape Series. With Binki Wio of Germany and Lady MJ of the UK, he started what is now known as Mees With Disabilities, an international movement. Leroy currently writing a Krip-Hop book with Professor Terry Rowden and working on his poetry/lyrics book, The Black Kripple Delivers Poetry & Lyrics, that will be out in 2015. Leroy has won many awards for his advocacy from the San Francisco Mayor’s Disability Council under Willie L. Brown, to the Local Hero Award in 2002 from Public Television Station, KQED, in San Francisco.

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10:55 to 12:25
SESSION TWO

East Commons (capacity 120)

Panel
Facilitated by: LesleyAnne Crosby
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-1

1. Hip-Hop Culture and the Art of Public School Pedagogy
Michael Benjamin Dando, Madison, WI, USA

• Description: There is an emergent field of academic study and research regarding what Marc Lamont Hill calls Hip-Hop Based Education that centers student investment in hip-hop culture as an educational endeavor. The works done by self-described hip-hop scholars have proven that pedagogy that centers Hip-Hop Culture as an integral component of the classroom has positive ramifications for students in nearly every aspect. From academic content to socio-cultural concerns, pedagogy that affirms and supports students’ lived experiences has moved beyond conversations of usefulness, scaffolding toward traditional content knowledge and validation, to examination of the potential for transformative and emancipatory educational opportunities found in elements of hip-hop culture. These Hip-Hop Educational Studies have established themselves as thoroughly rigorous in scholarship and liberatory in scope. Though these previous projects have established centering hip-hop culture to be an effective educational experience to be effective that provides students with cognitive and social tools for agency, almost all have been limited to an individual unit, project, or assignment. Furthermore, many of these studies have been limited to “special” sections and/or confined to spaces outside the classroom. While these projects are beneficial, in that critically minded educators see that it can be done, there is little examination of whether what I’ll call Sustained Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy (SCHHP) is possible and what the social, political, academic, and cultural ramifications of such a project might be for both public school students and educators. Consequently, the scope of this study builds off previous works, but examines SCHHP as a long-term endeavor, meaning that the public secondary school classes participating in this project will last a full academic year. Moreover, the educators and students will be working in a mainstreamed, core content classroom during the school day. This project asserts that not only is this type of education possible, it’s necessary.

• Bio: Michael Dando is a Ph.D. student studying curriculum and instruction with a focus on multicultural education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work mainly deals with Hip Hop culture and its intersection with public education. Michael has served as an English educator in public schools for over a decade, working with students on literacy, critical media studies, and research studies. Michael has worked with Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis University, and the University of Nevada-Reno to develop educational curricula and is an avid photographer, vinyl collector, and student of popular culture.

2. He Has Me Up All Night, Tryna Figga Out a Way, How to Save His Children
Celina Marie Connors-Chaboye, Minneapolis, MN, USA

• Description: On August 13, 2010, I committed a crime to protect my cousin from being jumped. I was arrested and incarcerated August 14, 2010. I was released from Shakopee Detention Center on December 27th, 2012. I have suffered, my children suffered. 

• Bio: Connors-Chaboyea grew up in a loving family around the street life, and became involved in surviving “the hard way” at the age of 13. During this session, Connors-Chaboyea will share the wisdom won from her own struggles, the lessons taught to her by her father, and her experience turning incarceration into educational opportunity and a new life. Bio: Celina Marie Connors-Chaboyea was raised in Minneapolis, and has lived in the city her entire life. She is the daughter of Ronald Duane Staples (1963-2008) and Diana Marie YellowHammer. She is the wife of William “Billy” Dallas Chaboyea and mother of Emmanuel Lavelle Taylor (12) and De’Shawnte-Pierre Mirtheez Taylor (14). Connors-Chaboyea counts her priorities as God, self, children, family and friends. She extends the love of her own family and ancestors into the human services and child advocacy work she is pursuing.

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3. Spoken-Word, Activism, and Youth Organizing
Malick Ceesay, Minneapolis, MN, USA

• Description: This presentation will include spoken-word grounded in Hip Hop and racial justice. Following the spoken-word the presenter will discuss his personal journey into activism and social justice. Finally, this presentation will argue why spoken-word and poetry are key in having youth express themselves and for story-telling to youth.

• Bio: Malick Ceesay is the President of Augsburg College Save the Kids and a student at Augsburg College. He is a highly-respect poet in the Twin Cities, who can commonly be heard at a rally, protest, or Hip Hop benefit show.

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Augsburg Room (capacity 30)

Combating the Matrix: A Survival Guide for Professionals and Students of Color to Survive in Predominantly White Ideological Institutions and School Systems
Marcellus Davis and Alexander Hines

Facilitated by: Reies Romero
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-2

• Description: This presentation has been designed through the theoretical framework of Critical Race Theory, in particular the color-blind ideology and interest convergence, and how double-consciousness and nihilism impact equity. Many educational institutions nation-wide have written checks to professionals and students of color for education only to be checks that have insufficient funds in regards to providing the most equitable learning experience possible for all. Institutions are infested with token people of color and racist white people that uphold White Supremacy, causing a survivor mentality of those who encounter micro-invalidations, micro-assaults, and micro-aggressions in hostile work environments on a daily basis.

• Bio: Marcellus Davis is currently the Program Director of Integration American Indian Education. He has over 15 years of experience working towards educational equity in education (K-12 & Higher Education). He has held numerous positions through his educational career ranging from Professor, Cultural Liaison, Transitions Advisor, Summer Program Director, Educational Program Designer, and Diversity and Multiculturalism Director. He is a Critical Race Theorist that specializes in student development, in particularly, racial identity formations. Marcellus has recently co-authored a book chapter titled the Miseducation of Nigger in American Public Schools in the book Talking About Race, Alleviating the Fear, and co-authored an article in the International Journal of Critical Pedagogy titled “African American male teachers and African American students: Working subversively through hip-hop in three urban schools.”

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• Bio: Alexander Hines is currently the Director of Inclusion and Diversity at Winona State University. He served 12 years in the United State Air Force as a non-commissioned officer. He has 23 years of experience in higher education in student and academic affairs. Alexander’s passion is African/Black identity and consciousness and specifically working with Black males and males of color. Alexander has recently co-authored a book chapter titled the Miseducation of Nigger in American Public Schools in the book Talking About Race, Alleviating the Fear, and co-authored an article in The QUEST: The Journal of Higher Education Excellence titled “The Light of Knowledge and Reason: What faculty in B-20 Institutions Should Practice and Provide to Facilitate Student Success.”

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Riverside Room (capacity 20)

Bigger by the Dozens: African American Language as a function of Battle Rap
Shingi Mavima, Michigan, USA

Facilitated by: Neil Taylor
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-3

• Description: An integral part of the hip-hop culture from the very beginning, Battling has grown into a stand-alone sub-genre in the 21st century. Because of its oft-unadulterated raw energy, it is often relegated to a second tier art form that represents all the social ills embodied by hip-hop. This presentation argues that battle rap is not a diversion from Black culture: it is the modern incarnation of long-held oral, competitive, and communal traditions that can be traced throughout the African American experience and back to the motherland. Understanding the deep-rooted cultural significance of battle rap’s elements allows the sub-culture to be recognized for the intricate art form that it is, as well as be explored for its didactic and restorative potential.

• Bio: Shingi Mavima is a first year Ph.D. student in African American and African Studies at Michigan State University, with an emphasis on the evolution of Pan-Africanist solidarities. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Mavima obtained his BA at Grand Valley State University and Master of International Affairs at Penn State University. Aside from being a scholar and avid hip hop fan, Mavima is a creative writer and poet, and has published Homeward Bound, an anthology featuring pieces by young Zimbabwean poets.

Student Art Gallery (capacity 60)

Roundtable
Facilitated by: Lauren Salgado
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room4

Community Self Defense
Caleb Murphey, Minneapolis, MN, USA

• Description: I’ll be facilitating a round table discussion that focuses on community self-defense as a method of phasing police out of our communities. Prisons and police are barbaric and anachronistic. They have only encumbered the advancement of interpersonal human relations and development. The government and private corporations have used the over­criminalization and subsequent mass incarceration to maximize their own profits while circumventing the false notion of slavery abolition in this country. It is from this perspective that I wish to facilitate a dialogue on how best our communities can begin to implement and exercise our own security measures, not just to mitigate reliance on police but to protect ourselves against their terrorism as well as any other threats to safety that are presented in the community. I’ll begin by introducing the idea of direct community involvement and organization as well as introducing the concepts of strength in numbers, synergy, and restorative justice. From these catalysts I hope to not only obtain a more solidified method of introducing these programs into communities, but to also plant the seed of overcoming the fear of police that’s become so ubiquitous. Moreover, I hope to make personal connections that can facilitate growth within my own organizing endeavors.

• Bio: I’m an ex-knucklehead/wanna­be gangbanger turned Muslim, as well as an activist/organizer from north Minneapolis. Growing up in the environment that I did and being locked up as many times as I have, combined with my autodidacticism, deemed my involvement with, and passion for, freedom, truth, and equality an inevitability. My environment, behavior, and their respective results, collaborated with my powers of curiosity and observation to illustrate for me the root of contemporary social and economic injustice and inequality. This subsequently led to the realization of just exactly what it meant to be oppressed and helped me determine the direction my activism/organizing would follow. My love for, and immersion in, the true culture of hip hop only strengthened my passion for truth and freedom as well as solidified my involvement in the struggle against oppression.

Student Lounge (capacity 50)

We Rock Long Distance (Film Clip Showing)
Tou SaiKo Lee

Facilitated by: Maria Cruz
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-5

• Description: Discussion on how ethnic groups with roots from other parts of the world and who live in the Twin Cities have embraced Hip Hop and utilized the music to document their history, represent their struggles, express challenges of living between cultures, and connect with new American neighbors. The artists flow in native languages and include relevant content to connect world-wide and give a sense of cultural pride and identity. With the continuation of traditional influence on their music, these artists have embraced their grandparents’ generation for intergenerational collaborations and honor the OGs with a fresh arts movement they live for, Hip Hop. We Rock Long Distance, a film by Justin Schell, weaves together the sounds and stories of three Twin Cities hip-hop artists – M.anifest, Maria Isa, and Tou SaiKo Lee – as they journey home to Ghana, Puerto Rico, and Thailand to create unique and unexpected cross-generational collaborations. In addition to overturning dominant stereotypes and creating unexpected cross-generational connections, each of these artists is well-known for strengthening their local and global communities through their words, music, and actions. Whether founding Hip Hop spaces to keep youth away from gangs or protesting unjust incarcerations half a world away, these artists harness the power of Hip Hop in achieving aims of social justice. We Rock Long Distance amplifies their stories, offering an intimate look at the process of creation while engaging artists and audiences in conversations about music, home, tradition, and family that resonate long after the recording sessions have ended and planes have left.

• Bio: Tou SaiKo Lee is a spoken word artist, MC, and community organizer. Born in a Hmong refugee camp in Nongkhai, Thailand, he moved to Syracuse, New York when he was one month old, then moved to Providence, and finally came to St. Paul, Minnesota in his early teens. He founded the first socially-conscious Hmong hip-hop group, Delicious Venom, with his brother Vong, and now works as a solo artist as well as being a member of the funk-rock band PosNoSys (Post-Nomadic Syndrome). Tou regularly performs with his grandmother, Youa Chang, as “Fresh Traditions,” mixing his own hip-hop and spoken word with his Grandma’s style of oral poetry, kwv txhiaj. Tou has worked in schools around Minnesota and around the country, and with non-profit organizations such as the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT), Hmong American Partnership, and In Progress on projects as various as the Fong Lee police brutality case, mental health and Hmong Americans, and The H Project, an album created to increase awareness about the Hmong genocide occurring in Laos. Tou is currently completing his debut solo album. In 2008, Tou visited Thailand for the first time since his birth in Nongkai, and is excited to reconnect and build upon his experiences in his return trip as part of We Rock Long Distance.

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12:25 to 1:30
LUNCH AND GAMES

East Commons (capacity 120)

Games
Facilitated by: Anthony J. Nocella II and LesleyAnne Crosby

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Hip Hop Jeopardy

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Name that Song

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Piñata for Youth

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1:35 to 2:35
SESSION THREE

East Commons (capacity 120)

• Description: Chicago Chapter of Save The Kids will present UsBeforeMe as a panel of Black men who have risen from different street organizations of the ghettos around the country. UBM travels to schools and prisons, informing the young (and old) of the importance of taking a better path in life as well as educating on the forces that exist to hold them back.  These Brothas overcame  that bondage and now strive to remove others. Based in Minneapolis, MN, these men are outstanding mentors and examples of what going against the grain’ can develop in any individual, group or community.

• Bio: Usbeforeme is an organization built upon empowering minorities. Our commitment is to help represent the people of poverty around the world, giving our communities more positive sources to become a positive force in they’re communities. We also serve as a motivating force helping our youth learn how to utilize they’re talents/leadership roles in life, also providing solutions to the problems our communities are faced with, teaching and learning how to make the negative situations we are faced with in life into positive situations. We will be giving our communities the opportunity to express their talents using our writings to encourage “positive lifestyles” within our communities.

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Augsburg Room (capacity 30)

Introduction to The Black Man Stand Up Movement’s Plan of Action for Political/Socio-economic Independence
Bertrand “Marcus” Shoberg, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Facilitated by: Luke Reynolds
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-2

• Description: In this presentation you will learn a brief history of The Black Man Stand Up Movement and how it came about in 2008. Our founder will share his story of how he built this movement, and why. We will visit how to correct the family and community structure, why it is important to be involved in the community and local government, cancer in the family body, and the parable of the garden keeper. Supporting these facts with lessons from history, you will be presented with The Black Man Stand Up Movement’s plan of action to turn our current situation around via a political socio-economic revolution. Be sure to take notes; you will have the opportunity to discuss what you’ve heard, as well as ask any questions you may have for our founder.

• Bio: Bertrand “Marcus” Shoberg founded The Black Man Stand Up Movement, in 2008. A three-time felon with 2 years in prison under his belt, he learned from his toxic relationships and broken dreams, that resulted from his bad decisions, and found a way to recover from the lifestyle that may have killed him otherwise. Mostly self-educated, Marcus has served as a Residential Sober House Manager since 2012, and continues to help people on an individual basis to this date. With the right education, discipline, and selfless dedication, Marcus believes we can be the change we want to see by becoming who we need to be to get it done.

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Riverside Room (capacity 20)

Whitewash: A Community Expresses Pain
Kym Young, Superior, WI, USA

Facilitated by: Maria Cruz
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-3

• Description: A viewing of the animated short “Whitewash”©® (1997) by Ntozake Shange, author of ‘For Colored Girls who have considered suicide…’, accompanied by a discussion of the historic and socio-cultural effects of art as activism, and use of activities designed for talking with young children about racism.

• Bio: Kym E. Young is a Human Rights advocate working in the Duluth Superior Area for social justice and equal rights for PoC and all marginalized groups. Kym received her M.A. in Art History from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 2012. She uses both her artwork and her knowledge and experience to educate and advocate for those whose voices are not heard in mainstream society. In 2014, after recovery from a debilitating illness, she founded the group #politicsoffmybody in response to the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision. Kym and #politicsoffmybody now sponsors and promotes social justice work on a national level, and Kym is also a co-administrator with Twin Ports Save the Kids.

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Student Art Gallery (capacity 120)

Anticipating the World’s Worst Famine in History: 21st Century Humanitarian Crisis In South Sudan
Moses Tut

Facilitated by: Malick Ceesay
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room4

• Description: This conflict is very personal for the thousands of Sudanese residents of Sioux Falls. In response, John Buay Tut and Moses Tut have hosted 7 forums raising awareness about the crisis. The distinguished list of presenters included Miyong Kuon, who worked as a journalist in South Sudan covering former Vice President Machar, the Honorable Reath Mouch, a member of the Parliament of South Sudan, Dr. Isaac Gang, PhD, a professor at Mary Hardin-Baylor’s College of Sciences (UMHB), and Steinar Bryn, Director of the Nansun Dialogue Network and Senior Advisor of the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue in Lillehammer, Norway, who will give insightful tips to possible solutions to this conflict via webcam. A free-will donation is taken, with all proceeds going to relief efforts. Since the fighting began, over 500,000 have fled to bordering countries while over 100,000 are packed into the eight UN compounds around South Sudan. This conflict has displaced over 2 million civilians and a third of South Sudan’s population. A third of South Sudanese are facing starvation at a difficult time with 50,000 children facing starvation due to the lack of farming, caused by this war. Oil production has fallen drastically, a disturbing condition as South Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries, gets 90% of its revenue from oil. Violence is escalating as ethnically motivated killings have been frequent in the last months. The worst famine in the world’s history is going to take place in the next upcoming months and we must do something to raise awareness about this unfortunate situation and the negative ramifications which will come of it.

• Bio: Moses Tut is a young entrepreneur, CEO and founder of ALM, LLC, a clothing and apparel company in our midst. Moses is a young man who was born in South Sudan. Moses was one of eleven nominees for the city of Sioux Falls 2014 Humanitarian Award hosted last month and shared the great honor of being selected for such a humbling recognition. He came to America at 6 years of age and has shared that he has no early memories of those first years of his life in camps in South Sudan, a war torn country, where millions of people have been driven from their homes due to attacks from opposing armies.

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Student Lounge (capacity 50)

The Womb of Hip Hop: Women Who Bring Life to the Culture
Maia Maiden, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Facilitated by: Lynn Harper
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-5

• Description: Fire. Passion. Intelligence. Women have paved paths and broken barriers to cultivate and nourish Hip Hop since its inception. Risk taking and rule breaking is not unknown territory as they connect cultural elements to display reflections of themselves. While simultaneously uplifting and providing awareness to the people, it is necessary to know who they are and celebrate their significant contributions. With gifted hands, lyrical words, strategic movement, conscious knowledge, and open eyes; they bring the truth. Say word. The womb of Hip Hop lies within them…they bring life to the culture.

• Bio: Scientist by day, dancer by night, Maia Maiden has been in the dance community for over 15 years. Born and raised in South Minneapolis, she has studied all genres of dance primarily focusing on West African, Hip Hop, and step. She is the creator/curator of ROOTED: Hip Hop Choreographers’ Evening (2014 Sage Dance Award for Outstanding Performance) – the first choreographers’ evening dedicated to Hip Hop dance and its roots in the Twin Cities, showcasing high school to professional choreographers. She is the creator/curator of Sistah Solo and Being Brothas. She is also the founder/artistic director of Twin Cities’ based ConsciousSpirit.

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2:40 to 3:40
SESSION FOUR

East Commons (capacity 120)

Youth Voice through Creative Expression
Keem Anderson, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Facilitated by: Kim Socha
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-1

• Description: YVTCE is a discussion/activity based workshop that gives participants the opportunity to practice the art of creative expression. Participants will engage in team building games, discussions, and activities all about music and how an idea can turn into a song, poem, dance, or picture. The participants will also have an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences using their favorite song. This workshop is designed to engage all ages and all levels of writing experience.
• Bio: Keem Anderson is a 23-year-old Hip Hop Artist/Poet. Raised in North Minneapolis, Keem has been writing, recording, and performing music since he was in sophomore year at Hopkins High School studio. At 22 he released his first solo project titled “Anti-Social”. Also apart of rap group Empire X, in 2014 the group released their first self-titled project. Keem is heavily involved in the community. He is a SPEAC graduate, participant and later coordinator for the Minneapolis Youth Congress, and a member of Voices Merging. He was a participant, Intern, and Site Coordinator for Kwanzaa Freedom School, and worked with organizations such as the Peace Foundation, Kwanzaa Church, Youthrive, and Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board. He currently serves as Senior Coordinator for the Sheridan Beacons Center.

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Augsburg Room (capacity 30)

Using Community Radio as a Platform for Hip Hop: A Workshop for Emerging Artists
Brittany Lynch, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Emily Krumberger, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Facilitated by: Caleb Murphey
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-2

• Description: Presenters Brittany Lynch & Emily Krumberger will review how young emerging artists, especially those often ignored by mainstream media outlets (young artists of color, young LGBT artists & young women artists) can use community radio as a tool to share their stories and promote their art. The workshop will review cases of community radio stations that facilitate local art scenes, sharing of knowledge and support of young artists. The workshop will also teach participants basics of using radio to promote themselves as artists, including how to do a successful interview, how to get a quality audio product, and how to promote oneself on social media as a professional artist.

• Bio: Brittany Lynch is an artist, activist and educator from the Twin Cities. She currently serves as Director of Operations with Soul Tools Entertainment and as Co-host on Soul Tools Radio. She is a spoken word artist and actress who teaches after school programing in the digital and performing arts and does community organizing for Neighborhoods Organizing for Change. She has a passion for artist development and community radio and serves on the KFAI Board of Directors and the KFAI International Women’s Day Committee.

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• Bio: Emily Krumberger is a youth worker from Minneapolis, radio host of Versed Radio on KFAI Fresh Air Community Radio, organizer & DJ. She is on the International Women’s Day and Training Committees at KFAI, where she also coordinated the Youth News Initiative program in the summer of 2012. She also serves on the Headwaters Social Change Fund grant committee.

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Riverside Room (capacity 20)

Hip Hop as an Objective Science and Nationality
Gonkama, Saint Paul, MN, USA

Facilitated by: Luke Reynolds
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-3

• Description: Hip Hop can be used as a science as well as an identity for those in the United States who due to oppression have had their birth right, blood line, and scientific knowledge stolen or lost. By placing the 4 lenses or viewpoints of Empirical Evidence, Matter, Elements, and Ways of Measuring Objective Reality and comparing them to Hip Hop; Hip hop can be used as an objective science which allows us to explain, explore and interpret our world. By placing the 4 lenses or viewpoints of Identity, Rights VS Privileges, Class & Status, and the subjects of Nationality/Freedom/Slavery; Hip Hop can be seen as a cultural identity tool for those who have been stripped out their natural rights to exist and express themselves as human beings by blatant attacks on their persons.

• Bio: Gonkama, Born on November 17th 1987 in Saint Paul Minnesota, comes from a first generation African family that moved to America in the mid 80’s. Gonkama Johnson is a former student of Psychology at Concordia University, Saint Paul who now resides in South Minneapolis. Upon graduation Gonkama worked in the Saint Paul Public School system for four years being a teaching assistant and also conducting Hip Hop Workshops for youth with emotional Behavioral Disorder. Gonkama is currently working on a two volume book, the first being philosophy based, while the second will be based more on objective science principles. Gonkama is also a local Hip Hop artist with a style that strives to merge intelligence with art.

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Student Art Gallery (capacity 60)

LGBTQIA Ally Workshop
Koal Williams, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Brid Henry, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Facilitated by: JT Harney
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room4

• Description: The workshops focuses on learning ways on being intentionally supportive to LGBTQIA communities and working to dismantle systems of cisgenderism and heterosexism. The workshop aims to confront myths and stereotypes about the LGBTQIA community, discuss terminology, dissect heterosexual and gender-conforming privilege, and practice potential scenarios.

• Bio: Koal Williams is a Gender, Sex, and Woman’s studies major at Augsburg College. Ze is an advocate for public education and justice for LGBTQIA folks and other oppressed communities. Koal began hir career in facilitation at Augsburg in hopes of creating a more positive and inclusive space for queer leaders on campus. In hir spare time Koal is an artist in many forms. Ze is most fond of drawing, cherry pie filling, film photography, and spoken word poetry. Ze hopes one day to create positive social change and radical acceptance for trans youth worldwide.

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• Bio: Brid Henry is in her third year with a major in Theater Performance and Directing, Dramaturgy and Playwriting, and with a minor in English Literature, Language, and Theory. During her first year at Augsburg, she was honored to fulfill the role of an Orientation Leader, which sparked her passion for social justice. Since then, she has been able to view the world more critically and challenge those who oppose anti-racism work, the LGBTQIA community, persons with disabilities, and other areas of human difference. Brid aspires to use theatre as an outlet for promoting awareness and creating social change.

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Student Lounge (capacity 50)

Truth Maze’s Beatbox Philosophy: The Law of Rhythm & Personal Power”
William Harris aka Truth Maze, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Facilitated by: Linda Otero
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-5

• Description: “This presentation will highlight the 30+ year experiential journey of Minneapolis’s own Hip Hop pioneer Truth Maze and how he’s come to embody his Immortal Beat Master title and status. He will take you back into the history of drumming, of purposefully holding space, and how this is just as relevant and needed today as ever before. He’ll offer an explanation of the Hermetic Principle of Rhythm and how it’s the catalyst for all master beat makers. Everything is Rhythm – Communication thru sound, rhythm, and music is part of a larger reality, and the greatest beat boxers throughout Hip Hop’s history all embodied this truth. Truth Maze will discuss how beatboxing is evolving and why we might reconsider its direction. We ARE Hip Hop. Please join Truth Maze in this beneath-the-surface presentation: Truth Maze’s Beatbox Philosophy: The Law of Rhythm and Personal Power.”

• Bio: “Truth Maze: One of the pioneering Hip Hop artists of Minnesota. He was the I.R.M. Crew’s beatboxer, one of the first Minnesota Hip Hop recording groups that reached national presence. He’s since ventured into the spoken word genre and as one of the most dynamic spoken word artists on the scene, infuses his performances with everything from live African drumming to neosoul. He’s a Hip Hop activist, writer, singer, percussionist, emcee, beatboxer, actor, and teacher.”

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Featured Presenter
4:00 to 5:00

East Commons (capacity 120)

Reflections on the Afrikan Hiphop Caravan, Global Cultural Activism and Hip Hop
Mic Crenshaw, Portland, OR, USA

Facilitated by: Anthony J. Nocella II
Livestream URL: https://www.ustream.tv/channel/hhac-room-1

• Description: Crenshaw will talk about his history of activism and how it brought him to be involved with the Afrikan Hiphop Caravan: hiphopcaravan.net. Mic will also share photos, music, and observations from his travels with the Caravan and explore the broader potential of the project as a tool for social transformation through lecture and Q &A.

• Bio: Mic Crenshaw is an independent Hip Hop artist, emcee and Cultural Activist from Portland Oregon. Crenshaw is originally from the South Side of Chicago and Lived in Minneapolis in the 80’s where he got his start in activism as one of the founding members of ARA: Anti Racist Action. Crenshaw moved to Portland in the 90’s and quickly become one of the most respected emcees and spoken word artists in the Northwest, fronting Hungry Mob and other projects. Crenshaw has toured extensively in Africa, collaborated with Dead Prez, and become the Lead U.S. Organizer for the African Hiphop Caravan. Crenshaw is the Political Director of Hip Hop Congress and the Station Co-Manager of KBOO Community Radio.

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5:00 to 6:30
DOCUMENTARY AND DINNER

East Commons (capacity 120)

Facilitated by: Reies Romero

• Description: Time Is Illmatic is a feature length documentary film that delves deep into the making of Nas’ 1994 debut album, Illmatic, and the social conditions that influenced its creation. Twenty years after its release, Illmatic has become a Hip Hop benchmark that encapsulates the socio-political outlook, enduring spirit, and collective angst of a generation of young black men searching for a voice in America. Time is Illmatic tracks the musical legacy of the Jones family, handed down to Nas from his jazz musician father, Olu Dara. It also examines the social conditions and environmental influences that contributed to Nas’ worldview. Along the way, Time Is Illmatic shows how Nas —with the support of his Queensbridge neighborhood crew; the loyalty of his younger brother Jabari “Jungle” Jones; and sacrifices of his mother, Ann Jones — overcame insurmountable odds to create one of Hip Hop’s greatest works.

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8:00 to 2:00am
DILLA DAY SHOW

• Facebook Event Page
  https://www.facebook.com/events/795552197172346/

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