Hip Hop-A New Way

As a program officer at ZeroDivide, I was excited to be given the opportunity to explore creative new ways that encourage positive social change for low income, youth of color in California.

During the idea stage, our CEO, Tessie Guillermo, and project consultant, Alan Watahara, felt that whatever initiative we developed had to recognize the innate talent that exists in these communities and honors the culture that is present.

My charge was to figure out a way to blend two interconnected phenomena - technology and youth culture - into a new philanthropic model. I recommended we use the youth-inspired art, called “Hip Hop” to anchor our work. This idea was met with more than a few raised eyebrows from our philanthropic colleagues who were convinced we were crazy. In their minds, Hip Hop was destructive and only promoted negative, stereotypical images for youth.

Yet, the truth is, Hip Hop culture is rooted in positive social change. When viewed holistically, it can encourage innovative thinking, promote entrepreneurship, and develop technology and business skills.

For these and many other reasons, we are proud to release the Hip Hop and Social Justice Initiative Report in digital form and the companion report by Hip Hop expert and author, Bakari Kitwana. 

These reports chart our journey of discovery. Bakari Kitwana, Arnold Chandler, and Rebecca Wilson, three dedicated, devoted and talented individuals, were directly involved in researching, editing, and documenting our work. Without their contributions, this report would not have been possible.

Special thanks goes to the Kitchen Cabinet members that advised us and the Hip Hop Initiative Grantees whose work inspired us.

Please share these publications widely so that others will learn the true power of Hip Hop and be inspired to support this new philanthropic model.