On Friday, October 9, 2009 the Hood2Hood movement organized an Open Mic “Less Than A Week’s Notice!” at Ellington’s Jazz Café (805 St. Clair West). The event was hosted by 9-year-old Chairmane “Lucky Charms” Asare-Chuck representing the northside of Jane. This was Lucky Charms first event and she held the event down from start to finish.
The open mic began with spoken word poets Derek Asante, Ebony Prince, Black Rose, Hood2Hood foundation Poet Black Chiney, as well as a special guest appearance by Afua Cooper, who recently published My Phillis Wheatly: A Story of Slavery and Freedom (2009) and Copper Woman (2009), a collection of her poetry.
The hip-hop was provided by a series of up-and-coming Westend artists: Priceless, Krymez, Dude Mania, and Kolumbus K.O., a from the First Class crew; Thesis and Wasun from Hood2Hood; Spawks and Heartless representing Vaughan / Oakwood; and upcoming Weston / St. Clair West female MC Shiki, who more than represented for her ends.
At the event, Wasun stated on the mic that Hood2Hood is beginning at home, but the object is to unify revolutionary-oriented Bloods, Crips, Gators, and students into a revolutionary youth movement throughout the city. H2H youth came through from Pelham Park, Southside Jane/Trethewey, Lawrence Heights and Etobicoke, and there was no violence – only positive vibes.
The last thirty years of neoliberal capitalism has hit the black community the hardest, leaving our community in perpetual depression. The social effects of this economic situation include high incarceration rates, high unemployment, health issues, and the militarization of black working-class communities with constant police occupation and surveillance. With deindustrialization, the black section of the working-class was hit the hardest. In the wake many black workers losing their jobs, drugs flooded into our communities making black youth the target of the “War on Drugs”.
Hood2Hood is countering the effects of this crisis by mobilizing, organizing, educating, and uniting youth and young artists who are in gangs about the real sources of their oppression in an attempt to try to halt the youth-on-youth violence in our communities and build a movement of revolutionary youth who can unite against their real enemies.
9-year-old Charmaine Asare-Chuck, a.k.a. Lucky Charms, was the host of the Hood-2-Hood Open Mic.
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