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HARLEM COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS Hip Hop Hall of Fame Café & Hip Hop Museum Gallery to Open in New York

The Hip Hop Hall of Fame™ is proud to announce that it will open its flagship Hip Hop Hall of Fame Café ™ & Hip Hop Museum Gallery in Harlem, NYC in 2021 post covid vaccine. The Official ‘Hip Hop Cafe’ hopes to serve as an inspirational and valuable partner in the Restaurant, Retail, Arts, Entertainment, and Small Business economic recovery, creating jobs, and revitalization of Harlem and New York City in association with our decade long partnership with the Annual Harlem Week Celebration and Harlem Hip Hop Festival™ with the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce.

The co-branded themed Café’ is the hip-hop version of the Hard Rock Café and Madame Tussaud’s. The venue includes the Café, Sports Bar, Concert Lounge featuring Live Events, Retail Gift Store, Museum Gallery, and Educational STEAM programs for youth cultivating job-training, and career preparation. The menu will honor past and present Hip Hop Legends & Icons and celebrities as we celebrate their legacies with memorabilia and interactive exhibits.

The Gallery will open with a themed ‘Hip Hop Activism & Black Lives Matter’ Visual Arts and Music Exhibition that will engage visitors with a series of impactful presentations on hiphop music culture artists, celebrities, athletes, and activists who have been at the forefront of the new Civil Rights and Community Socio-Economic Empowerment movement. The Gallery will feature other Hip Hop History Interactive exhibits and collections.

The Hip Hop Education programs will feature ‘Culinary Chef, Hospitality, and TV/Film Production’ training programs to accelerate our push for Diversity & Inclusion in the restaurant, retail, and multi-media entertainment industries in-conjunction with our NYC Schools Arts and Media programming with our Thrive Collective partners.

The main Official Hip Hop Hall of Fame + Museum & Hotel Mega-Entertainment Complex development project in Manhattan, NYC is making steady progress and is on track to break ground with site demolition later this year to open in Manhattan in 2023. The private stock offering IPO fund will provide a ‘co-ownership’ opportunity for private investors, fans, artists, celebrities, athletes, executives, and Wall Street firms to buy ‘equity stock’ in this historical real estate development project that will be ‘owned and operated’ by hip hop culture with our partners.

This historical project can become a galvanizing force of unity across all economic, educational, religious, and geographical barriers to unify our multi-generational audiences nationally and internationally to accelerate growth and opportunities in America growing with the protest stages to an actionable community ‘socio-economic empowerment and ownership’ stage leading by example by “owning our development projec."

The Hip Hop Hall of Fame is a Chartered Non-Profit organization whose mission is to preserve, promote and showcase the past, present and future of hip-hop music and cultural arts, founded by Sir JT Thompson, the creator and executive producer of the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards TV Show that premiered on BET Network in the 1990s.

For information follow the Hip Hop Hall of Fame on Twitter @HipHopHoF, Facebook @ HipHopHallofFame, Instagram @OfficialHipHopHoF, Website http://hiphophof.org.

EVENTS Andra Day to receive Breakthrough Performance Award for her striking portrayal of Billie Holiday in ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ Lee Daniels-directed film

By Audrey J. Bernard

Three-time Grammy Award-nominated singer and actress Andra Day, 36, will receive the distinguished Breakthrough Performance Award from the Palm Springs International Film Awards for her staggering performance in the film “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” directed by Lee Daniels, which is an intimate tale of a civil rights trailblazer whose defiance through music helped usher in the civil rights movement. Daniels explained the importance of bringing this story to light. “She was really dogged by the

Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Andra Day regards starring in the new Lee Daniels’ film, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” as “the role of a lifetime” (Photo Credit: Jay L. Clendenin-Los Angeles Times)

government for singing ‘Strange Fruit’ and they really, really -- they came for her,” he said. “So to me, she kicked off the civil rights movement as we know it to be, and I had to do it. I had to tell her story.”

“The United States vs. Billie Holiday” takes place in the 1940’s in New York City where the federal government targeted Holiday following the release of her 1939 civil rights protest song “Strange Fruit,” in a growing effort to escalate and racialize the war on drugs, ultimately aiming to stop her from singing her controversial and heart-wrenching ballad.

“Few jazz vocalists are more beloved than Billie Holiday, and Andra Day brings Holiday and her iconic voice back to life through a sympathetic and nuanced portrayal that sheds new light on the U.S. government’s role in seeking to muzzle a homegrown legend,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In her impressive feature film debut as an actress and her first leading role, it is our honor to present the Breakthrough Performance Award to Andra Day.”

The role marks Day’s first major acting performance which she does not take lightly out of a sense of accountability to Holiday. “I didn’t want to be a stain on Billie Holiday’s legacy,” Day said. For Day, Holiday was “the woman that helped me to own my voice, to make sure that whatever it is that I’m creating affects people, that it’s intentional.” To get inside Holiday’s skin, Day made some major lifestyle changes. “It took me forever to get improper,” Day said. “I did start smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and being more sexual.” Her efforts garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama!

The cast also includes Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Natasha Lyonne, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The film will premiere on Hulu on February 26, 2021.

Exclusive interview with JOCELYNNE RAINEY, President and CEO of Harlem’s “Getting Out and Staying Out “GOSO

By Maria Grazia CAVENAGHI

W W W W G O S O N Y C C O M

When I recently was made aware of GOSO’s approach to help solve the devastating problem of lack of opportunities for black and brown youths who get caught in the vicious circle petty crime/ jail, more serious crime/ more jail …I had to have a conversation with Miss. Rainey about the important mission of GOSO and its team of dedicated social workers.

What are the aims of GOSO?

Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO) envisions a world where neither a person’s race nor contact with the legal system determines their future.

Each year GOSO provides 1,000 16-24-year-old young men impacted by arrest and incarceration with the wraparound services and resources they need to further their education, secure meaningful employment, and achieve emotional well-being.

We achieve this goal by applying our “Goso approach” that is based on the three Es: Education, Employment and Emotional well-being. We believe that all three work together to form a foundation on which GOSO participants can build their future.

Which communities are mostly represented by GOSO participants?

About 95% of GOSO participants are Black or Latinx youth from marginalized communities characterized by poverty, crime, and incarceration, including many from Harlem. Most have experienced significant childhood trauma, and about 50% are experiencing housing insecurity and/or homelessness. About 65% lack a high school or equivalency diploma at the time of their enrollment; approximately 70% have no prior work experience or marketable skills. About 60% of Community Program participants are formerly incarcerated, and about 40% are at risk of incarceration and have been referred to GOSO by justice system practitioners.

GOSO’s impact is very impressive: 86% of the participants stay out of prison or jail; 69% of those placed in subsidized GOSOworks internships achieve full-time employment upon completion and 71% are engaged in work and/or school. According to you what is the reason of this success?

GOSO’s approach is person-centered, and we tailor our services to meet the individual abilities and needs of each participant. Our job readiness and placement program, GOSOWorks, places participants in subsidized internships with 100 employer partners across New York City. For many participants, this is their first job and many are hired in full-time jobs after going through the program. Through the assistance of the array of supportive programs that we offer, many of our participants become outstanding employees, ready to grow with the challenges of the job.

Despite the challenges they face, GOSO participants demonstrate maturity, resilience, and a strong desire to reshape their lives. For the young people we serve, we dream of justice transformation, infused with trauma-informed care, healing, and dignity. We dream of a world where we do not need to exist.

For more info: d: 646-383-2201 | p: 212831-5020

gosonyc.org | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

This shouldn’t be how we say hello...or goodbye.

It’s our reality right now. But it won’t be if we do what it takes to beat COVID-19. Vaccines are coming, but until enough of us are vaccinated, we all still need to wear our masks, stay at least six feet from others, and avoid indoor social gatherings. The more we slow the spread, the faster we’ll return to normal hellos … and fewer goodbyes.

Learn more about vaccines and slowing the spread at cdc.gov/coronavirus

Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

AUDREY’S SOCIETY WHIRL

Over 3,000 virtual guests attend One Hundred Black Men’s virtual gala

By Audrey J. Bernard Society Editor

The luminous lighting beaming from Manhattan’s sweeping skyline emanated from three celebrated New York structures – One World Trade Center’s spire, One Bryant Park, and One Five One in Times Square – were made possible by The Durst Organization in celebration of Black History Month and the One Hundred Black Men of New York’s (OHBM-NY) 41st annual fundraising gala on Thursday, February 18, 2021, honoring influential leaders from across business, politics, media and entertainment, as OHBMNY continues over forty years of unwavering commitment to empowering Black communities.

Over 3,000 virtual attendees participated in the exquisite event which raised half a million dollars to benefit the pivotal work of the historic non-profit organization. Proceeds will go toward OHBM’s Junior One Hundred scholarship program for promising high school students, Citywide Hunger Relief program to support seniors and families in need, and local COVID-19 relief efforts.

Each year the Harlem-based organization hosts an annual gala honoring high-profile leaders who share the organization’s goals. This year’s event, modified due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was named “The Day of the One Hundred,” and featured a day of service dedicated to honoring transformative leaders working to strengthen the fabric of Black communities, spearheading citywide community service, and raising critical funds for OHBM’s programming.

The magnificent black tie virtual presentation was regal from start to finish. Hosted by the incomparable Midwin Charles, Attorney, Contributor to Essence, Radio Host, and Founder of Midwin Charles & Associates LLC, the program focused on virtual discussions on critical issues facing the Black community and included performances by world-renowned musicians, community outreach panel discussions with distinguished leaders, and a stellar award ceremony. The evening concluded with a fabulous LIVE stream performance by DJ Envy, Host of Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club.

“Every year, OHBMNY’s Gala event brings together influential leaders from across New York and around the country who share our goal of empowering the next generation of Black men and women,” said Courtney A. Bennett, Executive Director of One Hundred Black Men of New York. “After a year like none other, while the structure of this event had to change, our mission remains the same—and its importance is greater and clearer now more than ever. Our distinguished honorees and participants understand our vision and have worked tirelessly to help achieve it throughout their lives and careers. We thank them for their efforts, and we look forward to working with them to achieve our common goals for years to come.”

This year’s distinguished roster of honorees who gave brief but powerful acceptance speeches included: Governor Andrew Cuomo, 56th Governor of New York; Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder, Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th Mayor of New York City (Dr. Roscoe C. Brown Courage in Corporate Leadership Award). New York Attorney General Letitia James (Judge Robert Magnum Excellence in Public Service Award). Hon. Ritchie Torres, U.S. Representative for New York’s 15th Congressional District (Hon. David D. Dinkins Political Trailblazer Award). Joy Reid, Host, The ReidOut, MSNBC (Excellence in Political Journalism Award). Jere Hester, Founding Editor-In-Chief, THE CITY (Leadership Through Local Journalism Award). Alvin Patrick, Executive Producer, CBS News (Leadership in Journalism Award). Valerie White, Executive Director, LISC NYC (Economic Development Maverick Award).

The virtual gala’s centerpiece was a series of virtual panels and “fireside chats” with influential leaders in business, politics, and journalism on topics as follows: Activism & Advocacy Panel-Moderator: Michelle Miller, Co-Host, CBS This Morning: Saturday. Economic Empowerment & Banking Panel-Moderator: Sharon Epperson, Personal Finance Correspondent, CNBC. Education Equity Panel-Moderator: Madina Touré, New York City Education Policy and Politics Reporter, POLITICO. Fireside Chat: Bakari Sellers, CNN Commentator and former Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives; and Hon. Jamaal Bowman, U.S. Representative for New York’s 16th Congressional District

“After a tremendously challenging year for our city and communities, OHBM-NY’s continued leadership is more important now than ever,” said Aldrin K. Enis, President of OHBM-NY. “From scholarships for promising young students to our COVID-19 community relief services, the donations raised this evening will support impactful programs that directly improve the lives of hundreds of people across New York. We’re endlessly thankful for all our honorees, donors, and guests, who helped make this evening so special.”

About 100BM

About 100 Black Men of New York

One Hundred Black Men of New York was founded in 1963 as a non-profit organization of like-minded leaders who met to advocate for improvement in conditions in their communities. Today, it leverages the collective talents, abilities and energy of its 600 members and corporate partners for the intellectual development of youth and the economic empowerment of the Black community based on the following precepts: respect for family, spirituality, justice, and integrity. To learn more about OHBM and its initiatives, including its annual gala, visit www.ohbm.organd https://dayoftheonehundred.org/.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Alvin Patrick Michael Bloomberg

Joy Reid NY Attorney Letitia 'Tish' James

Valerie White