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Dear York College Family and Friends,

This month’s newsletter pays tribute to the 50^th anniversary of Hip Hop, which we celebrated with a day of artistry, music, dance, and inspiration. We capped off the celebration with an evening reception paying tribute to Ralph McDaniels, a legend whose impact has been felt across the globe.

To launch this anniversary event, a committee was formed and Co-Chaired by Dawn Kelly, York College Foundation Board of Directors and Founder & CEO of the Nourish Spot; and Pat Robinson, who held key roles at Hot 97, WBLS, and WLIB, and is currently Chief Administrative Officer at Greater Jamaica Development Cooperation. Their involvement was central to our effort to ensure that Queens is recognized as a cultural influencer in Hip Hop throughout New York City, the nation, and worldwide.

In addition to Dawn and Pat, nothing is possible without our sponsors and partners! Thank you to Council Member Nantasha Williams, JCAL, Greater Jamaica Development Corp, the Nourish Spot, DJ Magic and the York College Alumni Association.

In addition to honoring Ralph McDaniels, I had the privilege of announcing the launch of the York College Hip Hop Scholars Fund. We created the Fund because not only is our history important – our future is as well. And, York students are our future! They are among the best and the brightest.

Through this new fund, Hip Hop Scholars will get the tools they need to secure competitive internships and leadership-track jobs. Generous donations will ensure help with tuition, emergency grants, career development workshops and career coaching. And, in the transformative spirit of Hip Hop, I am confident our Hip Hop Scholars are going to change the world!

For this year’s Giving Tuesday campaign, we are securing contributions for the Hip Hop Scholars Fund and funding to continue equipping our nationally recognized nursing program with the state-of-the art tools students need to excel.

It is an exciting time at York College and we thank you for ongoing partnership. We are One York!

Berenecea Johnson Eanes

President

Trailblazing Women Share Insights

The morning kicked off with a panel of influencers who shared their perspectives on the trailblazing role women play in Hip Hop. Pat Robinson hosted the panel of speakers featuring Amber Corrine, staff writer at Vibe.com; Jazzie Belle; multimedia personality; and Nye$, performer and musical producer. Watch the live stream

KEEPING IT REAL IN THE ATRIUM

Rap Cypher and Break Dancing

In a nod to deep creativity and the coming together of musical artistry, Chip Fu, international universal storyteller and lyrical engineer, curated a Rap Cypher in the College’s atrium. The Cypher opened with live music from York College students, led by Professor Tom Zablinger. It ended with legendary X-Fénz Crew Facing off against Team Wondrous in an epic breakdancing battle of gravity-defying moves, intricate footwork, and an explosion of creativity as these two world-class crews took the dance floor by storm. Watch the live stream

Talking About the Power of Hip Hop

A rapt audience listened to B.Dot, a South East Queens resident and a NYC-based journalist and broadcaster who hosted the viral series Rap Radar Podcast, Complex Brackets, and New Joints Live! and served as MTV News' Lead Music Correspondent.

He shared his insights with York College Performing Arts Professor and ethnomusicologist Abimbola Kai-Lewis. Over the years, B. Dot interviewed cultural icons, including Jay-Z, Drake, Nipsey Hustle, and countless others. At the event, he shared an inside look at how Hip Hop changed history and left its indelible mark on musical genres, social justice, and on lives everywhere. Watch the live stream

Showcasing History through Art

The day featured an exhibit in York’s Art Gallery curated by award-winning photojournalist Kenneth Harris that paid homage to the pioneers, artists, and moments that shaped the Hip Hop movement. In the Atrium, the vibrant world of graffiti art came alive as Eric Black showcased his striking creations.

Honoring “Uncle Ralph”

As the day turned into night, the community came together to honor Ralph McDaniels, founder of Video Music Box and a pioneer, historian, and true change agent. In his role at the Queens Public Library, he educates young people – all while continuing to manage Video Music Box Collection, his nonprofit where he and his team are digitizing more than 20,000 hours of music videos. He brought Hip Hop to the world when he founded Video Music Box, which became the longest-running music video show in the world and helped launch the careers of Jay-Z, Nas, Biggie, Diddy and Tupac. When Ralph launched Video Music Box he said, "I knew a lot of our history, especially in Black music, had been discarded and thrown away.” But Ralph didn’t let that happen. He is a true inspiration and we were honored to present him with an award of recognition. And, always keeping education front and center, he also signed copies of his book “Roscoe Learns About Video Music Box,” which will be given to the York College Children’s Center.

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