The Curators of Hip Hop are teaming up with the City of Tallahassee to host the 2nd annual “Our Culture, Our History” event at the Jack L. McLean Jr. Community Center Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m.
“Our Culture, Our History” is a program that promotes literacy, black history and hip hop culture.
Curators of Hip Hop co-founder and FAMU alum Jermaine Fletcher, said that the main goal of “Our Culture, Our History” is to educate the community in Tallahassee, Fla.
“We want to open minds to different people and fight stereotypes,” said Fletcher.
Interim Assistant Director of Tallahassee Parks Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs, Tomica Archie Smith, said that having the event at the Jack L. McLean Jr. Community Center was the ideal spot.
“It’s very important because that’s the central location for the south side [of Tallahassee]. Many people have transportation issues and can’t get across town,” said Smith
The Curators of Hip Hop raised over 500 books for “Our Culture, Our History” last year. They will be giving away more books; free of charge this year.
The key event that will take place at this year’s event is a panel discussion that talks about knowing your rights.
The panel includes attorneys, candidates for the State Attorney’s Office, the Tallahassee Police Department, the Tallahassee Sheriff's Department, former judges, and the Dream Defenders.
Curators of Hip Hop co-founder Jimmie Thomas said that this panel discussion would be extremely important to not only the City of Tallahassee, but also citizens who live on the South Side.
“We’re not at City Hall. We’re in the heart of the South Side with TPD, the sheriff’s department, and the Dream Defenders on one panel. That’s monumental,” said Thomas.
The 2nd annual “Our Culture, Our History” has a little something for any age group. Thomas said the culture of hip-hop will be the tool to educate the youth.
“We need to educate our kids, ourselves, and we use hip hop to reach them,” said Thomas.
For more information, log on to the Curators of Hip Hop’s Facebook page.