March 7, 2020

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” -Harriet Tubman

Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen is ecstatic about reaching it’s 13th year! Our vision of providing a multifaceted hip hop event designed to serve as a social justice community-organizing platform that educates, empowers and showcases women of color on issues that impact their lives is a real thing. We would’ve never hit this tremendous milestone without all of the awesome spirits that have supported and accompanied us on this wildly beautiful dream.

Our theme this year, "Dare To Dream" is in honor of all of those who have taken on dreaming despite the obstacles. When we dream we release our hopes and fears, our innermost desires and ambitions. Dreaming provides us with insight into ourselves and a means for self-exploration.  As an active dreaming collective we have experienced an enormous amount of victories in the midst of so many trials. We have used our ability to dream out loud and be in action as a voice to resist all of the “isms” that have tried to bring us down. We are in tune with the value of our visions and the power of our minds. We have the courage to manifest what we see inside. 

As we gear up for another volume of our show, we are motivated by the trust that the community has given us to serve as an outlet for living out your dreams.  

We encourage you to come out and celebrate another year of your dopeness on Saturday, March 7, 2020. Join us for a FREE, all-ages women in hip-hop concert to kick off International Women’s Month at the Hostos Center for Arts and Culture (Bronx, NY) from 2 to 5 pm. Our showcase will be featuring female emcees, poets, b-girls, deejays, dancers, graffiti artists, vendors and more. There will be FREE HIV testing provided during the event. We can’t wait to rock with you!

March 2, 2019

"Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart. " — Rumi
 
Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen is celebrating its twelfth year of existence! There is so much excitement that comes from being able to provide a safe space for our community to be itself, raw, candid, and liberated. As we have tapped into and addressed dozens of issues over the years we have seen an incredible amount of growth from the inside out. Our organization has had an opportunity to expand and provide smaller showcases across NYC and beyond. This experience has given us a chance to connect with other artists who have never heard of us and share that platform of truth and freedom with them. As we grow, so does the message of Peace, Love, Unity, and Having Fun.
 
 Our theme this year, " Do What You Love. Love What You Do." is inspired by YOU. As a community, our collective consciousness has elevated exponentially. We have all leveled up and it feels great. We have been able to use the art of Hip-Hop as medicine and as a way to call back our individual and collective power. Together we have used poetry, song, dance, and art as our shield and as our weapon against oppression and the debilitating disease of self-sabotage. Our dedication to seeking justice for ourselves and our community is done with vast amounts of courage, boldness, and passion. We are unapologetic now, it is second nature and we know how to manage it. We are encouraged by the fact that true love ALWAYS wins and we love ourselves enough to be fully immersed in making a difference.
 
"Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your heart, and success will come to you." — Oprah Winfrey
 
Please come out and celebrate our resilient spirit and that of our ancestors on Saturday, March 2, 2019. Join us for a FREE, all-ages concert to kick off International Women’s Month at Hostos Center for Arts and Culture (Bronx, NY) from 2 to 5 pm. Our showcase will be featuring female emcees, poets, b-girls, deejays, dancers, graffiti artists, vendors and more. There will be FREE HIV testing provided during the event. We can’t wait to be in your presence!
provided during the event. We can’t wait to be in your presence!

Saturday, March 3, 2018 Hostos Community College 2-5pm

Woman, mujer, mwanamke, gratë, gynaíkes, kobiety!!!!
We are women who have come a long way. We are proud of the fact that we have done the work. We have matured as we have dug deep into the issues that affect us personally and collectively. We are confident in what we know. At this point in the game, we know that we have the power to take matters into our own hands and be badasses who make miracles happen. We were born to win. We win! We are high energy, we are visionaries, and we are inspirational. As we journey together as a beautiful multi-generational community we will continue to be intentional in all that we do. We will always celebrate the cycle of life in all of its phases. Join us as we fiercely serve our community some hip-hop healing. We love you. Come as you are. Together we are medicine. Together we are better.

Join us and celebrate International Women’s Month and our special anniversary on Saturday, March 3, 2018 from 2 to 5pm at Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture (Bronx, NY) for FREE. Our showcase will featuring female emcees, poets, b-girls, deejays, dancers, graffiti artists and more. We can’t wait to be in your presence!

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Add News Story here"When I decided to speak, I had a lot to say." -Maya Angelou

We are entering into a climate of uncertainty and change, but despite all of the lows, we still go high. We soar! We rise!  We rise to celebrate our ancestors who have collectively struggled to lay the path for us to journey upon. We rise to break the chains of oppression. We rise so our sisters’ voices can be heard. We have risen time and time again. 
  
In the first few years of MHHK (Vol.1-3), we worked to establish our dream of creating a safe space for our community to be and heal themselves however they saw fit. It happened organically because that is what the people needed and wanted. The women in our communities manifested this event consciously and intentionally. We dove back into our roots, learned about the power of faith, feminism, Hip Hop, and the injustices that we battled daily.
    
Once that fire was lit, the sisterhood continued to feed it with pure love, passion, honor, respect, art, and divinity.
   
 The next set of years (Vol.4-6) were about knowing and applying our truth about having the power to truly create the world that we wanted to live in. We chose to get active, research, and be the cure. We made the bold move and acknowledged our influence and authority in conversations about the environment, education, and our reproductive system.
   
The energy built in those six years was the catalyst for MHHK (Vol. 7-9), which had sold out shows, guests from across the globe, more media, celebrities performing, awards, more artist making headlines, and a proclamation from the Bronx stating that March 7 would be Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen day forever.  We celebrated our sisterhood, we protested, and then introduced the concept of Universal Love. We grew, we blossomed, we rose!
    
Today we are honored and grateful to celebrate our 10th year anniversary of Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen as a community organizing vehicle. Over the past 10 years we've seen friendships built, families united, and healing all around. We take pride in our community and the partnerships that we have established.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for daring to dream with us! Thank you for choosing to hold our hand and have our back.

"Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise. "
 - Maya Angelou “Still I Rise"

Join us and celebrate International Women’s Month and our special anniversary on Saturday, March 4, 2017 from 2 to 5pm at Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture (Bronx, NY) for FREE. Our showcase will featuring female emcees, poets, b-girls, deejays, dancers, graffiti artists and more. We can’t wait to be in your presence!.

March 5, 2017- 2-5pm @Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture : Event is FREE

Setting the intention for Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen for the past 8 years has been an intense experience. The plethora of issues that impact women, specifically women of color and their families, is quite overwhelming.

Last year we decided that Enough Is Enough and made a Spiritual Call to these actions:

RISE and awaken the Spirit of women and girls all over the world.

BECOME that which we already are, fearless, courageous and powerful!

As we get closer to reaching a decade of using the art of Hip Hop as a tool for awareness, self expression and healing, we deeply feel that it is our responsibility to bring the idea of Universal Love to the stage. We all need Love!

Universal love is an expression of total harmony. Everything is in harmony with everything else. Nothing is excluded. Your will is in harmony with your compassion. Your compassion is in harmony with your joy. Your joy is in harmony with your anger. Your anger is in harmony with your body. Your body is in harmony with your ego. Your ego is in harmony with other people. There is no conflict anywhere. Everything fits and functions as a togetherness, as a oneness. That oneness is you.

Collectively, we will explore the idea of Universal Love through our powerful sisters performances. Our hope is to sow a seed of this type of love into our community. We will be together for a total of 2 1/2 hours shedding positive vibrations of love and light to our hood and to the world. Please join us!

March 7, 2015: 2-5pm @Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture : Event is FREE

Annually we shed light on different social issues. For Volume 8 this year we are bringing awareness to violence in our communities, especially violence against women. This year we continue to use hip-hop as our tool to educate the masses and build awareness around violence against women.

We are shouting ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! WE are tired of the chronic injustice that impacts our community when women and girls are not valued. We feel that when women are disempowered, the community as a whole suffers. Help us create a safe and healing space by attending and participating in Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen, Vol.  8: Enough is Enough!

March 1, 2014: 2-5pm @Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture : Event is FREE

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen turns seven this year! We are moved, touched and inspired by all of the beautiful people near and far who have supported our vision and work over the years. Our annual all women hip-hop concert “Vol. 7: Celebrating Sisterhood” will focus on the use of hip-hop as a tool to honor the accomplishments of women and build awareness around women in the arts.

The magic that happens before, during and after the events is transformational for many. This year we are introducing the “7 Pillars of Sisterhood” to initiate dialogue about the actions needed in order to create and maintain strong sisterhood. The 7 pillars are LOVE, RESPECT, HONESTY, DISCIPLINE, COMPASSION, PATIENCE and PEACE. Thousands have witnessed these “7 Pillars of Sisterhood” in action on the stage year after year and we truly believe that it is the driving force behind our concerts. Too often the accomplishments of women are not celebrated and women are portrayed in a negative light. It is time to RISE UP and celebrate 7 years of edifying and uplifting our young and adult women through the power of the hip-hop culture.

I'm a news story. I'm a great place for you to let your users know what's new with your company. You can choose what news stories appear on your page. Double click me to change me and your own content. To customize me and change my font click on the Design tab in the property panel.

March 2, 2013: 2-5pm @Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture : Event is FREE

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen honors Hostos Community College’s 45th year anniversary of excellence in higher education and cultural preservation by naming our Vol.6 annual all women hip-hop concert “No Limits…Knowledge is Power!”  Our goal is to use hip-hop as a tool to address and build awareness around education. We will advocate for smaller class sizes, the closing of the achievement gap between the rich and the poor and a comprehensive sexual education curriculum. We will engage community, initiate dialogue, and inspire action in supporting better educational opportunities.

WE GET IT!! Our schools are overcrowded and often lack the proper resources to educate our children. We know our teachers are putting in extra time and their own personal money to make sure students have what they need to learn. We understand that the United States spends $293 less per year on students in mostly nonwhite schools than on students in all other schools. We realize that the less money spent in schools on students of color prevents them from having equal access to classroom teachers, computers and guidance counselors. Yes, WE GET IT!! So we, at Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen want to show that despite these educational inequalities, there are NO LIMITS to education and getting to the top. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER and we want to encourage our young people and communities to sticking to educating themselves and others on issues of importance so the playing field can be level for everyone! We can no longer sit back and wait, we must stand strong and stress the importance of education to politicians and government officials in our communities. It is up to US to be the change that we want to see. SPEAK UP and be a voice for your community!

Fast Facts:

• The United States spends $293 less per year on students in mostly nonwhite schools than on students in all other schools. That’s 7 percent of the median per-pupil spending
• The percentage of high school dropouts among 16- through 24-year-olds declined from 11.8 percent in 1998 to 7.4 percent in 2010; Although there have been declines in the Black and Hispanic dropout rates—which have traditionally been among the highest—dropout rates for Blacks and Hispanics remain higher than those for Whites and Asians
• Of those students immediately enrolling in college the fall after high school graduation, females enrolled at a higher rate (70%) than males (62.8%)

• Young adults with a bachelor’s degree earned more than twice as much as those without a high school diploma or its equivalent in 2010; 50 percent more than young adult high school completers, and 22 percent more than young adults with an associate’s degree.

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen Vol. 6: No Limits…Knowledge is Power! encourages you to use hip-hop as a tool of organizing and education. Join the movement and become a b-girl, deejay, emcee, or graffiti artist who will disseminate positive information and create a more holistic culture.

March 3, 2012: 2-5pm @Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture : Event is FREE

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen Vol. 5 , “BE THE CURE!” is excited to celebrate our 5th YEAR ANNIVERSARYConcert and kick off International Women’s Month on Sat., March 3, 2012 at Hostos Community College in the South Bronx.  Our goal is to initiate dialogue and inspire action in supporting healthier nutrition, more physical activity, while increasing community involvement among women and their families through the vibrant culture of hip- hop.  We will use hip-hop as a tool to address and build awareness to both reproductive cancers (i.e. cervical, endometrial, ovarian, vaginal) and breast cancer which disproportionately affect communities of color.

​

WE GET IT!!!! We see the women in our communities dying of breast and cervical cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, AIDS and domestic violence. We know and understand that poverty is a human condition marked by substandard housing, low educational attainment, and subsistence-level employment. We understand that the poverty that plagues our communities has enabled high rates of unemployment, exposure to environmental toxins, and poor access to health care. Yes, WE GET IT!!! So we, at Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen choose to BE THE CURE. We acknowledge that we cannot depend on our government to bring equality to these disparities. We can no longer wait for politicians and government officials to come full circle. Time is running out for our families and communities who are in desperate need of proper healthcare and access to dependable resources.  It is up to US to use preventative measures to lessen the mortality rates. It beings with YOU!

Fast Facts: 

• African American women have the highest breast cancer death rate among minority women—32.8 per 100,000 people.  Latinas have the third highest death rate death rate of 15.0 per 100,000.
• In 2011, more than 12,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. Most of these women are younger than 55. Women suffering most severely from this disparity include African American women in the South, Latina women along the Texas-Mexico border, white women in Appalachia, American Indians of the Northern Plains, Vietnamese American women, and Alaska Natives.
• Sexually transmitted HPV infection is believed to be responsible for 90 to 95 percent of all cervical cancers.

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen, Vol. 5: Be the Cure! will assist in introducing healthier alternatives to our families and communities. We believe the art of hip-hop is a healing instrument that can be used for mental, emotional, and physical wellness.  We encourage you to become a b-girl, deejay, emcee, or graffiti artist who will disseminate positive information and create a more holistic culture.

Come join us for our 5th year anniversary concert! Join educators, students, environmentalists, visual artists, health advocates, doctors, nurses, food co-ops, DJ’s, emcees, b-girls, poets, artists, dancers, healers, organizers and activists in the birthplace of hip hop.

​

March 5, 2011: 2-5pm @Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture : Event is FREE

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen Volume 4, “Let’s Get Active!” will be honoring International Women’s Month by addressing some of the health disparities that affect women of color. Our goal this year is to use hip hop to initiate dialogue and inspire action in supporting healthier nutrition, more physical activity, and increased community involvement among women and their families.

How many children and adults do we know in this city that buy the red quarter juice, the fifty-cent honey bun, and use their last quarter for more candy? We can name a whole bunch, and let’s not front, most of us have indulged in that world!

The South Bronx is one of the poorest counties in the nation, economically and nutritionally. It was just ranked theUNHEALTHIEST of New York’s 62 counties. It is plagued with ridiculous poverty, diabetes, high unemployment, hunger, obesity, dirty bodegas, lack of access to good fruits and vegetables, to schoolyards, playgrounds and gym classes in school.

When we think of poverty, most of us think of those super sad commercials that show malnourished children in third world countries surrounded by flies. Being in the South Bronx, poor and hungry, doesn’t mean that you will look like those children. In fact, research shows that obesity is the new way that hunger is showing up in our communities. One in 4 adults is obese, 8 in 10 teenagers and more that 9 in 10 adults say they eat fewer than 5 servings or fruits and vegetables per day. More children are developing type 2 diabetes, once diagnosed exclusively in adults. Can you believe that 47% of Head Start participants in the South Bronx are obese or overweight?

Check it mi gente, we live in a community where 37% of South Bronx residents say that they have lacked money to buy food at some point in the past 12 months. What happens to your body when it is not sure if it will be fed again? It goes into starvation mode and stores it as fat– hence obesity prevails. Most recently, the movie Precious depicted this reality through the life story of a young black woman whose social conditions (ie. poverty) contributed to her weight, which as a consequence led to low self- esteem, teen pregnancy, illiteracy, sexually transmitted diseases, and an intergenerational cycle of abuse within the women in her family.

Unfortunately obesity is being blamed on the individual and their self-control. What is not being taken into account is the actual living conditions and quality of life of the person. It is not being looked at as an institutional problem. What are our politicians doing to decrease the root causes of this disease? WHERE ARE OUR ELECTED LEADERS?

We at Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen believe that it is a problem that demands our attention. We want healthier alternatives for our families and communities. We believe that hip-hop is one of the tools that can be used for mental, emotional, and physical wellness. Become a b-girl, deejay, emcee or graffiti artist who wants to disseminate information and create a more holistic culture.

Please join educators, students, environmentalists, health advocates, doctors, nurses, food co-ops, DJ’s, emcees, b-girls, poets, artists, dancers, healers, organizers and activists at Hostos Community College in the South Bronx. We will come together through a hip-hop showcase to express our solidarity with women’s rights!

March 6, 2010: 2-5pm @Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture : Event is FREE

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen Volume 3, Back to Our Roots, will be honoring International Women’s Month by shedding light and creating awareness on Environmental Injustices and Educational Inequalities and their impact on women of color.

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen will bring together women of color educators, students, environmentalists, djs, emcees, b-girls, poets, visual artists, dancers, healers, pastors, organizers and activists. We will come together through a hip hop showcase to express our solidarity with women’s rights!

This event will take place in the South Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop, and the poorest congressional district in the nation, also called “The Forgotten Borough.” In reality, the borough of the Bronx is not forgotten because one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city, Riverdale, lies just northwest and has every amenity a human can ask for.

Hostos Community College will be hosting Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen event for the second year in a row. Hostos Community College was created in 1968 in response to demands from the Latino community who were urging for the establishment of a college to serve the people of the South Bronx. Hostos was the first bilingual higher education institution in the United States.

The South Bronx is a community that has been in constant resistance, seeking justice in education and the environment. It is a community resisting pollution, asthma, toxic wasteland, and budget cuts for art, music, and gym programs. It is a community that lacks access to healthy fruits and vegetables, adequate health care and after school programs. The South Bronx’s need for reproductive and sexual health education is highly reflected in its high levels of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.

In place of access to healthy alternatives, the South Bronx has an over abundance of jails and prisons.

However, the South Bronx is not lost. It has experienced a period of healing through leadership guided by community organizations and collectives. This leadership has lead to the creation of new parks, food co-ops, recycling programs, and successful cultural community centers. We have won many amazing victories as a community!

Join us as we fuse our energy, our politics, our ancestry, our traditions, art, song and dance into a brew for Environmental Justice and Education Equality.

March 7, 2009: 2-5pm @Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture : Event is FREE

On March 7, 2009 the second annual MHHK Vol. 2, Faith Feminism, and Hip Hop took place at Hostos Community College’s Main Theater in the South Bronx. 2009 was inspired by how women use their faith to overcome obstacles in their lives, in addition to the intersection of reproductive justice and HIV/AIDS in communities of color. Over 1,000 people attended MHHK, Vol. 2. MHHK Vol. 2 was sponsored by theHostos Center for the Arts & Culture, Casa Atabex Ache, Advocates for Youth, Rebel Diaz Arts Collective, Vamos a la Pena del Bronx, and Trabajadoras por la Paz.

February 18, 2010: 2-5pm @ O. Henry Learning Center Event is FREE

On February 16, 2008, the first MHHK, Vol. 1 took place at the O. Henry Learning Center in New York City. 2008 was inspired by focusing on the intersections of hip hop, reproductive justice, and HIV/AIDS in communities of color—since women are often the topic of focus with these issues. Over 500 people attended MHHK, Vol. 1. MHHK, Vol. 1 was sponsored by The Pro-Choice Public Education Project (PEP) andAdvocates for Youth.