I struggled with what this first blog post would be. I had plenty of ideas. There are so many stories of people making moves with community first and foremost in their artistic visions. The things I want to write about are those that leave me asking how can I support, how can I be involved, how can I bring a vision like this to my neck-of-the-woods?  I want to spotlight stories that reflect our humanity and our culture intertwined.

Hip Hop Culture has taught me many things. One of the best – know your story, your own voice, your own perspective, your own vision. To me, those are part of a Hip Hop consciousness – state of mind – way of life. So, ima start this blog with a story of working in community here in Chicago – one of my current works in progress. As the blog continues this year, I hope to provide a platform for many visions turning reality to spread their story.

When I first started Breaking, I didn’t see a lot of Bgirl Battles in the Midwest. I saw more all-female Hip Hop shows or events being put on. For BTL 7, we had an all female judging panel which included Bgirls Narumi, Shie Chan, ABgirl, Rokafella & Lady Champ. Same year we did one of the only Bgirl Battles we ever threw at BTL in its 11-year history, which Bgirl Peppa won. I think between Jarius and I, we always approached it as though the ladies would get theirs in the open battles. And they always did! That said, over the last few years working with Hall of Femme in Nicaragua, I realized the power of having a gathering around women in Hip Hop coming together.  First off, Bgirls are BADASS! It’s not that we need spaces like these to show the scene that we’re good.  Nah, instead I think these spaces are empowering and fuel us to build with more women, to stop seeing each other as only competition but also as comadres (sisters & partners) in the culture.  Also, these spaces bring that amazing energy only a gathering full of women can – especially to a culture that so very much needs more strong female energy and presence.  At BgirlCity 4 in Houston, I did a spoken word piece that asked the question, “What happens when there’s a whole city full of Bgirls?”

Recently my crew, Goddistas, began talking about putting on events for Wombyn’s Herstory Month this March. We wondered how many young Bgirls there were in Chicago under 15 years old. We found out the answer is somewhere between 20-30 that we know of. Chicago is a city made up of neighborhoods. A lot of youth don’t have the access to move about the city on a regular basis to visit other practices, sessions and classes outside of their neighborhoods. So, we wondered if these Bgirls had the opportunity to meet each other before? Did they know each other existed? While some of them may have met before, we anticipate many have not. We thought the best way we could offer something needed to the community was providing a platform for young Bgirls in the city.  This is especially important as we’ve started to research how likely it is for these young Bgirls to continue in this culture.  Through our brief research into how many Bgirls are in that next age bracket (late teens/early twenties), it seems the numbers drop significantly.  In Chicago they drop to about 1-3 Bgirls in that next age group.  There’s a bridge to gap in supporting these young girls to continue.  To do this event best, we knew we had to reach out for wide support. New Moons: Break Girls Build is going down Sunday, March 13 (12pm – 3:30pm) at The Port Ministries (5017 S Hermitage Ave).

I always say ya gotta play call & response with the universe. When we put out the call, the community responded with mad love. We’ve gotten overwhelming support. We didn’t necessarily have a budget for the event. This one was gonna happen through sheer hustle, blessings, love and a lot of help. We reached out to Bgirls, Bboys, DJs, Visual Artists, family, friends, our FB community – people we talk to every week and those we haven’t seen in awhile. This event is going to be about youth in our community who are actively choosing Hip Hop culture to lift them up. We’re bringing the ladies and the fellas on board to show out in support of this endeavor. Since it’s all going down in a church on a Sunday afternoon, we ask you to be easy. Walk into The Port Ministries like we gonna get our type of church on. We want the dancers to show up and show out in their “Breakin” Sunday best, dressed to impress, and be ready to get spiritual the way we know best.

We gotta do it for the love
Make it something beyond a competition
Lift up the vibe and energy of the jam by creating an experience
Bring in as many people as we can to help, create and expand the vision
Humble ourselves to ask for help
Be amazed by the wealth of support
Be organized
Be kind
The dots connect when you coming correct

As the event approaches, my crew, we’re excited. We know this platform will provide a space for these young girls to grow. We know Bgirls from other states are traveling in for the love. Many of our sisters and brothers in this culture have stepped up to be involved, bring their students, talk to parents, or by just planning to show up and get down in support of these young girls. We’ve gotten to connect with Mujeres Mutantes, a dope female artist collective, doing a residency in a part of our city called Back of the Yards at The Port Ministries where the event will be held.

I write this as I’m thinking about the ‘Day Without Latinos’ protest in Madison, Wisconsin this month. The protesters rolled 20,000 deep fighting to have their voices heard. Same city where Jarius and I did a jam called Breakin’ The Law for 11 years that celebrated culture over criminalization. While the protest in Wisconsin asked what a day without would be like, we want to know what a day with turns out to be. While New Moons won’t be bringing together 20,000 people, I hope in its own modest way it can be the start of something great for Bgirls in Chicago and beyond. I hope it can start helping us answer the question, “What happens when there’s a whole city full of Bgirls?”

So just chill to the next episode…. dropping March 2016
I got $5 on it: Crowd Funding the Movement?

El La Katrina