2019 HIP HOP IS GREEN HEALTH & WELLNESS SYMPOSIUM WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON
The 2019 College Speakers Symposium is grounded in the backdrop of the 10th Element of Hip Hop: Health & Wellness (see below) and explores how young people and their families can benefit from taking part in this new health paradigm. Many young people are faced with severe health issues and hip-hop culture is responding to those needs by informing and inspiring a whole new generation to make health and wellness a priority in their lives by speaking in a language they all understand to move them in a positive direction through our empowering events.
The Symposium seeks to shift consciousness through exploring hip hop culture in the context of health and wellness. We also discuss the power of art, music and culture to influence and heal our community as well as the importance of connecting with the land through exploring nature, gardening and farming. This communal gathering provides celebrity role models, experts and vital information to further strengthen and empower those who want to take control of their health.
Health & Wellness – (The practice of wellbeing, self-discovery while living in balance with ourselves and the planet). People in Hip Hop that are a personal mission to achieve and promote holistic health and this personal mission is a lifestyle has taken on many forms, such as plant based eating, organic gardening, fitness, meditation, sobriety, food justice and animal rights activism.
It is the study of the inner voice and the connection to the soul. It is in this silence and introspection that we find our true selves and through this self-discovery it has led many in Hip Hop to share this knowledge with one another. This path leads us to make the connection to all living things, the animals, the forest, the seas and our environment and challenges us to make a change as a society.
On April 21st 2016 we helped to move Hip Hop culture forward by adding a new 10th Element, which is Health & Wellness. As part of the tour in each city we will be holding our 10th Element speakers series events and panel groups all around the country in various cities and at colleges and universities.
Topics:
The Roots: Intersection of Racism, Food Justice, Food Security and the Transformative Powers of Urban Gardening and Group Healing Through Reclaiming Outdoor Space
Reframing Fitness and Health and Wellness through Hip Hop Culture
Practicing Indigenous Foodways by Incorporating More Whole Foods Into Your Diet
How Plant Based Eating effects your health, community, and hip-hop culture?
Kale and hip-hop, can you dig it? Cultivating Culture
What does it mean to be vegan from a hip-hop perspective?
Vegan World Star: The Science behind the future
Animal Rights and Racism
Each form of the 10th Element "Health & Wellness" will be discussed in-depth such as plant based foods, organic gardening, fitness, meditation, animal rights activism and food justice.
CLICK TO VIEW THE 10th ELEMENT OF HIP HOP HEALTH & WELLNESS PROCLIMATION
Click if you are a local business, city agency, college or university and organization and would like to be a partner or sponsor. contact us at hiphopisgreen@gmail.com
Tour Speakers vary from City to City..
John Salley
A proud na
tive of Brooklyn, New York, John found a love for basketball at an early age. He accepted a Basketball Scholarship to Georgia Tech to play for legendary head coach Bobby Cremins. From there Salley went on to become a 15-year NBA veteran and was the first NBA player to win four championships with three different teams. During the 80’s, Salley was a member of the Detroit Piston “Bad Boys” squad. Salley went on to Chicago playing with Michael Jordan as part of the Bulls 1996 championship team. In 1999, Phil Jackson invited Salley to come to Los Angeles to provide experience and leadership to the 1999-2000 Lakers’ championship team.
John is actively involved with Operation Smile, PETA and the fight against Diabetes. In addition, John is involved with PCRM and visited Washington in Nov ’09 and May ’10, speaking to Congress about the Child Nutrition Act, asking Members to support legislation that would increase vegetarian options in meals served in public schools.
John has adopted a plant based (raw vegan) lifestyle, and is a frequent speaker at VegFest’s across the USA. As a Wellness Advocate, one of John’s main missions in life is to continue to educate people on the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle thru better eating habits. With a passion for real food, wine and spirits, John has contributed articles to Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado and LA Confidential.
Ashel Seasunz Eldridge
Ashel Eldridge aka Seas
unz, originally from Chicago is a frontman emcee, vocalist, producer, and the founder of Earth Amplified. Based in Oakland, he performs and presents his conscious music, poetry and spiritual activism nationally. Seasunz has shared stages with the likes of Bassnectar, Wisdom, Dead Prez, Midnite, Blackalicious, Jazz Mafia, KRS-One, Zion I, Ozomatli, Damien and Stephen Marley, Michael Franti, Steel Pulse, Anthony B., Killah Priest, Warrior King, and more. His acclaimed CD release, Earth Amplified, is a fierce tribute to the Earth and peoples’ liberation.
Seasunz is an educator with the Alliance for Climate Education in Oakland, CA, and a Green For All Fellow. He is a co-founder of United Roots – Oakland’s Green Youth Arts and Media Center, where he serves as the Health and Sustainability Coordinator. He is also a co-founder of CommuniTree, Oakland Resilience Alliance, and the father of a new baby boy
Dr. Milton Mills
Dr. Milton Mills is the Associate Director of Preventive Medicine with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and co-author of PCRM’s report on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. Dr. Mills serves as the Race & Nutrition Specialist and Board Adviser for A Well Fed World. Whether internist Dr. Mills is practicing at Fairfax Hospital in Virginia or at free clinics in Washington, D.C., his prescription for patients is likely to include some dietary advice: go vegetarian. “Medical research shows conclusively that a plant-based diet reduces chronic disease risk, so that’s something I absolutely encourage my patients to move toward,” says Dr. Mills, a graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Mills doesn’t limit his message to his patients. He takes it to audiences around the country as well, speaking at hospitals, churches, and community centers.
Afya Ibomu
Afya Ibomu, B.S., CHHC is a Holistic Nutritionist that has been successfully living a plant based lifestyle for over 25 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and is Certified in Holistic Health Counseling.Afya is a best selling author, educator, yogi, entrepreneur, organic gardener, meditator, mother and a nutrition counselor for fitness competitors. Afya excels at creating and teaching how to prepare soulful and internationally inspired, plant based cuisine.
Stic of Dead Prez
Khnum “Stic” Ibomu (of dead prez) is a world-renowned motivational hip-hop artist-activist, songwriter, producer and author. He created a new genre of hardcore hip-hop music with motivational lyrics for authentic healthy living called “fit hop”. Stic is a long distance runner, certified running coach (RRCA), meditator, student of the martial arts, entrepreneur and columnist for national publications including Origin and Mantra Yoga + Health Magazine.
Chef Lauren Von Der Pool
Lauren Von Der Pool’s hunger for healthy living began in 2001 when she was only 16 years of age. When Von Der Pool realized that what was going on in her life and community was happening globally, she began to educate herself, her community, and the world about healthy living! The rest is history.
A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Los Angeles and Paris Culinary School, Chef Lauren Von Der Pool has worked closely with renowned chefs and celebrity clients such as Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters, Dr. Sebi, Patti Labelle, Stevie Wonder, Common among many others. Her A-list celebrity events include The Oscars, Grammy's, Screen Actors Guild Awards, American Music Awards, Golden Globes, The Olympics, Wimbledon, The Congressional Black Caucus, BET Honors, The Espy's, MTV Video Music Awards and countless movie premieres.
Dr. Breeze Harper
Dr. A. Breeze Harp
er is a diversity strategist and analyst with Critical Diversity Solutions and the founder of the Sistah Vegan Project. Dr. Harper has a PhD in Social Science with emphasis on leveraging diversity challenges for social impact. She holds a MA in Educational Technologies (emphasis in black feminist theory, social impact, and educational technologies) from Harvard University, where she received the Dean’s Award for her masters thesis work. She earned her BA in feminist geography from Dartmouth College and received the Innovative Thesis award for her work on heterosexism in rural geographies. She has 10+ years career experience as a diversity and inclusion consultant, ranging from curriculum development, to conference planning, to research and reporting, to publishing books and articles. Harper is also an accomplished writer.--
Lauren Ornelas
laur
en Ornelas is F.E.P.’s founder and serves as the group’s executive director. She is also the former executive director of Viva!USA, a national nonprofit vegan advocacy organization. lauren has been active in the animal rights movement for more than 20 years. After spending four years as national campaign coordinator for In Defense of Animals, lauren was asked by Viva!UK to start and run Viva!USA in 1999. In cooperation with activists across the country, she worked and achieved corporate changes within Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, and Pier 1 Imports, among others. She served as campaign director with the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition for six years. Watch lauren’s TEDx talk, The Power of Our Food Choices.
METHUZULAH
The New Jersey born young griot Methuzulah has ghostwritten for numerous American platinum selling hip-hop acts, recorded songs and shared stages with the likes of; Afrika Bambaataa, Dj Premier, Pete Rock, Dj Red Alert, Dj Qbert, Rza, Raekwon, Ghostface, Joey Badass, Rhapsody, Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Goodie Mob, Kool G. Rap & Dj Polo, Sean Price, Jedi Mind Tricks and many more.
Methuzulah is a faithful member of the Universal Zulu Nation, founder and charter leader of the Atlanta Zulu Gatekeepers Charter, Youth Program Director for the J Dilla Foundation and a Red Bull Sound Select Artist. He has been a UZN member since 2009 and founded the Atlanta Zulu Charter in 2014. As a charter leader he has helped to facilitate numerous outreach and educational programs focusing on inner city youth, community and Hip-Hop over the past 5 years including; Youth Days, Book Bag Drives, Feed the People Programs, Unity Jams, various Hip-Hop workshops and monthly UZN charter meetings.
Over the past 5 years Methuzulah has gained tons of experience in non-profit development and community outreach mainly focusing around Inner City Youth, Agriculture & Food. He has strong organizational skills, numerous certifications ranging from small business to community organizing, successful fundraising coordination skills and proficiency in online communications & social media marketing. In addition, he has successfully provided various local Atlanta and California communities such as; Oakland, San Francisco, Kirkwood, Peoplestown, Summer Hill, Mechanicsville and Doraville with hands on interactive workshops, panel discussions, & effective outreach programming services to numerous non-profit organizations on a local and national level. He has also interned at some of Atlanta & New York’s top community gardens and studied from some of the countries most sought after Urban Farmers.
Trayce McQuirter
Tracye is a 30-year v
egan, national best-selling author, public health nutritionist, international speaker, and vegan trailblazer. She was named a national food hero changing the way America eats for the better by Vegetarian Times, and her national best-seller, By Any Greens Necessary, was the number one recommended vegan book on The Huffington Post. For 25 years, she's been teaching people throughout the United States and abroad how and why to go vegan for better health. She's been featured in more than 100 media outlets, including CBS News, Fox News, The Huffington Post, and The Washington Post. Tracye has a master's degree in public health nutrition from New York University.
Easy A.D. Harris
Adrian Harris, k
nown as Easy A.D. to his fans, has rapped about street life in the South Bronx as a member of the Cold Crush Brothers, a group that is among the pioneers of hip-hop. Now Mr. Harris also raps about broccoli. Easy leads Hip Hop as our resident Hip Hop expert and program ambassador. He performs at school-based programs, spreading the message of healthy lifestyle choices through the culture of Hip Hop.
Chef Bryant Terry
Bryant Terry is a 2015 James Beard Foundation Leadership Award-winning chef, educator, and author renowned for his activism to create a healthy, just, and sustainable food system. He is currently the Chef-in-Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, and All Things Considered among many other publications.
Bryant’s fourth book, Afro Vegan was published by Ten Speed Press/Random House April 2014. Just 2 months after publication, Afro-Vegan was named by Amazon.com one of the best cookbooks of 2014. In December it was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Literary Work category.
Tassili Maat
Tassili Maat is the owner of Tassili’s Raw Reality, a raw food restaurant in Atlanta, GA. Her mother was involved in the civil rights movements in the 1960s, and she became vegetarian after hearing about animal cruelties in the food system. She transitioned to veganism soon after.