2023 Peekskill NAACP Freedom Fund Event

This year, we celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop. But not just hip hop, we celebrate our voice through music. Jazz, Gospel, Rhthym and Blues and Rap genres have been our voice for more than 50 years. Our expression of struggle, pain, joy and victory has been the one way that has been universal. We can cry, laugh, dance and sing the lyrics that effect us to our core and scream out loud without consequence. Why? because the song and lyrics may be just that for an “average” listener but to others, it allows the pain and anquish of life to know they are not alone. It allows US to say what they have been feeling without words we cannot formulate. From slavery to now, we use song to ease the pain of work, to worship, to commuicate and for entertainment. Hip hop is often used interchangeably to refer to rap or just the culture of Black music. Lyricism, dj’ing, break-dancing, graffiti and the overall culture of the hard-hitting rap scene comprise hip hop. Wikipedia says “The hip hop genre is so popular because it is more than just a genre, it is a culture that has influenced America since the 1970’s. The culture of hip hop has four elements involved in it. The elements are mcing, djing, break dancing, and the art of graffiti. These four elements together make up what we call hip hop. But, we cannot have hip hop without Gospel, R&B, Jazz or any other expression through the lives of Black people. That is what we are celebrating on November 12, 2023 at the Paramount theater! Fun Fact: In 1919, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) dubbed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” the “Negro national anthem”, for its power in voicing a cry for liberation and affirmation for African American people. See all 2023 Freedom Fund Honorees HERE!