Kanye West Started a Fight in my Class

Kanye West Started a Fight in my Class

By: Adisa, The Bishop

For the past week or so America has been debating the idea put forth by Kanye West that “Slavery
was a choice”.

To protect the identity of the boys we call them Marlon and Mike. As I am resetting the chessboard as
the previous class leaves, Marlon comes in and says “ Mr. Bishop, I gotta tell you some things about
Mike. First off, this nigga is a coon!” he says with a devilish grin. It is important to note that Marlon
has a sharp tongue and loves to roast people. He and Mike have a chess rivalry and go hard on one
another verbally and mentally.

Marlon continues “Yeah man, he said slavery was a choice. He’s over here siding with that Kanye
West bullshit.”

I looked at Mike and said “ You think slavery was a choice?”

Without missing a beat he said “Yeah.”

Marlon cut in “Tell him how stupid he is Mr. Bishop” he said with a nod.

“Hold on, hold on” I said trying to lower the energy in the room. The whole class was watching intently.

“Do you believe that for real?” I asked again. “Because if you do I’d have to suggest that you read
books. Don’t you know how many countless slave rebellions they had back in the day? You had Nat
Turner, Denmark Vesey and then you have White men like John Brown at Harper's Ferry- but there
were many. There were more than I can try to list. We have people fighting our oppression right now!
It's not even over.”

Defiantly Mike shook he head “I would never let anyone enslave me. I ain’t no bitch.”

Marlon jumped right back in. “You’re really dumb. Slavery was complicated. They didn’t have guns.
Where were they gonna get weapons?”

“Wait, wait!” I said. “Mike, you are a descendant of those that were enslaved. If you think they were
bitches, then, in some way you must think you are born of bitches. You are not. You come from
warriors. Warriors who fight the system till this day. You have to know that.”

Marlon is now in a chair setting a chessboard up so he and I can play a game . “This guy is a coon
Mr. Bishop.”

Marlon immediately clenches his fist and says “Let’s box. I’m not afraid of you” and punches his hand
twice. "That will be your face!”

Unmoved by the display of force, he casually says “Mike you know we can’t box because we don’t
have headgear. I would box you if I could.”

Marlon was sitting in his chair with his back to Mike and something in Mike snapped. He grabbed
Marlon from behind and fell to the floor. I just remember the screaming.
Something like “Let’s goooo. Let’s do this!”

Marlon was actually in no active danger. I have been working on teaching him the value of nonviolence.
I got hims singed up at a great martial arts school nearby.The choke attempt from Marlon was not
effective. Marlon looked at me with a face like “This ain’t working and I’m not worried” and raised his
hands like “I’m not responding.” He could have thrown elbows, he could have set it off. He was
present and calm. He knew I would not let either of them harm one another.

I pulled Mike’’s hands away and broke them up., Our security guard came in. Both of the kids
quietly walked to the office.

I could not help but remember what that guy told Kanye as he was leaving TMZ. Kanye’s uninformed
“Slavery was a choice” lie had Black boys fighting one another to reclaim a dignity that they NEVER
technically lost. The struggle never ended.

Shortly after I went to the office to check in on them. The Principal and I had a solid talk with them.
I told them that in my opinion Marlon used supreme restraint and did not fight back when he was
well within his right. I told Mike that both of them needed to have tougher skin when holding onto
polarizing political social opinions.

Mike wasted no time in apologizing to all of us. He admitted that he snapped because in the past
24 hours since taking Kanye’s side kids had been calling him a coon and other names. He was
so upset that he lost it. He said he had been going through "tourture" since siding with Kanye and
he just could not take anymore. I felt bad for him. He was sincere.

Marlon said he accepted Mike’s apology. He understood his frustrations. He said his only thing was
that he felt that because Mike attacked him from behind that he felt it was cowardly. Then he turned
to the Principal and said “I don’t know what you plan to recommend, suspension or expulsion but I
recommend you do nothing to Mike. It was a small incident and it won’t happen again.” They shook
hands. My jaw was to the floor. I have never seen anything like that in all my years of teaching. That
maturity they both showed after the incident was truly unprecedented. The Principal agreed.

I really have to say of all the teens I’ve worked with Marlon has shown the fastest growth overall.
The next time they came to my class they were chill, battling on the boards and talking smack but
maintaining boundaries of respect. I was super proud of both of them. I was happy with the way the
Principal handled it. I gotta say though that Kanye really has become a weapon of division in the
Black community and education circles. I wish he could come to Realm Charter school and talk to
my kids and see the damage he as done. Not just to my classroom, but in many schools and
homes across across the country. Kanye know's too many wise people. He does not need me to
teach him about slavery. But I would if he asked. He needs to use his network and his net worth
more wisely.

As I sat down to play chess with Marlon I looked under the table and saw he had some fresh
“coke white” shoes on.

I said “Those are dope man, what are they?”

Shaking his head with a chuckle he said “Yeezy’s.”

“How ironic” I laughed.

Adisa, The Bishop is the author of Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess and Guest Curator of the Oakland Museum of California's current exhibit RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom open until August 12, 2018. 

*The kid playing chess above is NOT a part of the incident.*

Adisa Banjoko on Tupac, Machiavelli and Chess at Skyline College THIS SAT

From Machiavelli to Makaveli: The Strategic Life of Tupac Shakur

RTSB Facilitator: Adisa Banjoko

This presentation will cover Tupac’s life in jail and how reading the works of Niccolo Machiavelli and Sun Tzu’s Art of War helped him prepare for his years at Death Row.

If you live in the bay area you should come out to this!!! 

For more info visit www.rocktheschoolbells.com 

Listen to Adisa Banjoko on The Dope Science Show!! #Chess #Steam #Stem + more!!

If you have never heard The Dope Science Show, you are missing something extremely cool. A week or so back they were kind enough to interview HHCF's own Adisa Banjoko about all things related to Hip-Hop, chess, science, steam, stem and all things in between. We encourage you to check it out, follow them and enjoy a fun conversation. Shout out to Science Stuff with Steph for being a great host. Be sure to follow @thedopescience show on Twitter. Here is the link to THE DOPE SCIENCE SHOW!

HHCF Diary: 5 Days in Juvenile Hall

Entry by: Adisa, The Bishop 

But I'm stay incogni', in places they can't find me/ Make my moves strategically, the G.O.D./It's sorta similar but iller than a chess player - Fat Joe, I Shot Ya Remix  

A few weeks ago the Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) was invited to teach a 5 day intensive on Chess & Life Strategies. We were invited to be there by the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE). The classes covered the similarities between chess and life, so the inmates could make better life choices  after their release. I worked in three different units. The main juvenile hall HHCF works with is in St. Louis, MO. So I was excited to work with local kids locked down.

On day 1, none of the kids were sure what I was doing. One in particular sat down and said “What the f*** does chess have to do with Hip-Hop” mean mugging me from the back of the room. He was not feeling me. Dr. Elliot Gann from Today’s Future Sound (who was also teaching the same week as HHCF noticed this same youngster. Dr. Gann is able to teach algebra via drum programming. By the end of the program this kid was one of the strongest players and he recorded an amazing rap about chess and life with Dr. Gann.

On day 2, the connections were making more sense to them. We talked more than we played. I don’t think we played at all in one particular unit. There were some deep conversations about the authenticity of everybody’s pain. One kid told me how much he missed his mom. “I hate sleeping here. When I’m at home, I’m at peace. When I’m at peace I don’t dream. When I’m here though, I dream. Every morning I wake up from my dreams, it’s a reminder that I’m not at home. That is when it hurts the most.”

On day 3, we talked about Sun Tzu and Machiavelli. One of the students had actually read the Art of War. Many knew who Niccolo Machiavelli was because of Tupac’s work. However, none had really understood the role he played on Tupac as a thinker and writer. This also allowed me to emphasize the importance of literacy in art. I told them how much ‘Pac’s reading in jail helped him share his passion and pain on a higher level than most rapper still living room. They ate that up. It didn’t hurt me to share that we were friends.

On day 4, I had an unexpected run in with a young inmate in one particular unit. In all of my 10 years of working with at-risk, gang impacted and incarcerated youth this was a first kid who tried to tussle with me. The class was reviewing rook attacks. A kid (let's call him Fred) who was a constant interruption was asked to leave. He refused. I asked the guards to remove him. The classroom had big glass windows and the door was open. Six guards stood on the perimeter of the room and called out to him.

“No big deal, Fred. Come out. You can just chill in your room- it’s no big deal.”

Fred sat up straight in his desk, and looked at the whiteboard. But he did not move.

The air was electric. Fred was holding onto his desk in defiant silence. He hopped up out of his seat and approached me after I asked him to leave for a second time. “Don’t talk to me, man. Don’t talk to me” he repeated as he started to skip toward me with a boxer's bounce.

One of the guards waved me over  “Can you step out of the room for a minute please?”

“No problem” I said calmly as I exited the room.

About three minutes later the door reopened. Two kids had actually been removed from the classroom. It all went down peacefully. Apparently one of Fred’s friends was upset I asked Fred to leave and they were both sent back to their rooms.

As I approached one of the guards smiled and said “I could tell you been in the hall before. You handled everything super calm.” I just smiled. “You right” I said nodding and smiling. “But this is the first time a kid tried to get with me. I’m sure he’s frustrated about things bigger than me though. I’m not even mad.”

When I came back, the room was silent. The class of about 15 kids didn’t know what I was going to do or say. All of the interaction through the week had been extremely positive. I could see the adrenalyn from the situation was just starting to come down in their system. So, I sat down and just looked at them for about ten seconds. I scanned the room to make eye contact with each one of them. My face was relaxed like I was on a beach. I wanted them to be clear that I was not shaken in the least by Fred’s outburst.

Once the silence started to get awkward I pointed to the position on the board and I said “Chess and life is about choices. Fred just made a bad choice. Do you think I’m here to teach you about chess and Hip-Hop?” You think I’m only here to talk about chess and Jay-Z and the Wu-Tang Clan??” My laughter confused them. They stared at me with attentive eyes.

“Do you think, that I think that- I’m your saviour?! I’m gonna come down with my chessboards from heaven and save the hood?!” I laughed harder.

“I won’t save you. Only you can do that. Don’t be confused about that. I don’t care about chess or Hip-Hop that much. However, I know the system out there is deeper than you can understand. The world gets way colder after you turn 18, trust me. All the counselors, and teachers and guards checking in on you to get your homework in and all that. They disappear. When they disappear, YOU have to figure it out. I’m here to save you from your own mind. The one that got you locked up here right now. The mind that made you think that last mistake you made on the block was a good idea. I’m here to get rid of that mind. If you will allow me to help you think better for yourself and make better decisions- I should never see you here again. I want to see you owning businesses or in college. That is the only other way I want to see you.” I paused again and made eye contact again so they knew I was not joking.

“Now, if you are here to learn about chess and life and you are ready to study these boards properly and play today- you are welcome to stay. But I don’t want you here if you don’t wanna be here. So if this is not want you want for yourself, raise your hand and you can go back to your room.” No one moved. No one spoke.

“OK then, let's get back to this rook on A6. What happened next was a pure stream of consciousness that had us all interconnected. We were all in the same space mentally. It was probably the best day in the hall.

Dr. Elliot Gann and I between classes at Alameda County Juvenile Hall.

One of the guards walked in ten minutes later to the room and saw it quietly buzzing with focused young minds on the hunt for the others king.

“Hey! This is great, man” he said smiling as he gave me a pound.

On a day I don’t remember, I also had some powerful conversations with the same group about life in general. I always tell my students the importance of being drug and alcohol free. This is for the best clarity of mind and health reasons specifically. It is also a way to keep yourself out of juve and jail. The engagement got deep and they shared how many of them have tried promethazine, codeine, percocet, xanax, molly and more. This is on top of alcohol.

It was heartbreaking to me. I told them how J. Edgar Hoover worked hard to get heroin into the Black community but we never liked needles really. “Now these syrups are how they get the heroin in- they don’t need needles anymore. This was J. Edgar’s dream all along. Lil’ Wayne had to land his airplane from the seizures he gets from his addiction to syrup. I know you like the popular Future song called Lowlife. On the real, all that syrup talk is a fast track to the grave. Why do you think Rick Ross lost all that weight and trying to be fit? ‘Cause the Dr. probably told him. ‘If you don’t change you finna die, bruh’. Because no matter what Rick Ross is selling on wax he knows he can’t live on syrup, alcohol and pills.”

With a different unit I reminded them about chess, life and decisions making. “The choice you make at move 3 will determine the level of options you have at move 13. The decision and action you take at move 13 can decide if you make it to move 30 or if you have any chance of winning at all.”

I told them about two young men I mentored. Both came from tough backgrounds. Both were brilliant with academic and social skills above average. However, one could not hear me over the sound of his grumbling belly. If he wanted to eat he could listen to my talk of scholarships and college meals. He needed to eat now. He needed new clothes now. He would sometimes come back from hustling in new gear and belly on full. I understood why he did it, but I never stopped asking him to change.

The other kid had a rough journey. Sometimes he didn’t have the coolest clothes. Other times he didn’t have a full stomach. What he did do however was keep his grades on point as he applied for more scholarships and grants than any other person I’ve ever known. He walked off the graduation stage to a four year university. He is doing great right now.

The first kid I talked with before he walked the stage. I told him “You can be the Mayor of this city. Not the pretend Mayor. You can really be Mayor. But you have to get off the block. This is gonna kill you. I worry about you. Because so much Black brilliance is lost to the streets. The same mind that converts pounds to kilos can launch businesses. Do you hear me.

“Yup, I hear you. Thank you. I love you O. G. ‘Dis.” he said smiling. I told him I loved him too.

A few months later, he was killed sitting in a car. People said the other guy had a hit on him and when the shooters came my young friend had to take took bullets too. When I said that, one of the kids asked “Was that so-and-so?”. I answered that it was.

He told the class. “I knew him. That was a good dude.” The whole class was blown away. We spoke for a moment about the youngster and the things we liked about him. What a small world. I used that moment to remind the kids how interconnected we are even though it often does not always feel that way.

I went onto tell the kids how I always felt like I failed him after he got out. That I still wrestle with how much I could done, or should have done. That I wonder about how much support he had after high school. But ultimately, we all live and die by our choices.

I pointed to a chessboard projected on the screen. We talked about how one's survival depends on unity in diversity. The idea that the pieces don’t all move the same, but through their differences are able to achieve their goal if they support one another. I also reminded them that everybody who starts with you, does not finish with you. I followed with the idea that if they could stay strong (like the pawn who starts our powerless) and get to the other side they can be the most powerful piece.

We looked at a very famous chess game by Paul Morphy called The Opera House Massacre. I used that game to share ideas about understanding people's intentions. A person might move their bishop to attack your knight, but really they want the queen behind it. In real life people approach you asking for help with one thing, or another. In truth they want something greater you have- so be mindful.

I used the final moves to explain that one must be willing to sacrifice everything on the board (including the queen if need be) to win. You have to be willing to risk it all if you really want to win. That carried over into talk about the precision of sight. Is the situation really what it looks like? The group then talked about what sacrifices each of them would need to make to attain their higher goals.

The 5th day of classes things went smooth. The guards wanted to let Fred and the other kid to come out to apologize. I told the guards that I accept their apology, but today was the last day. I told them I wanted to let this day be truly for the ones that spent the week focused. They totally understood. One my one the kids came in. I greeted them all with a handshake as usual. Then I walked in and sat down. On the whiteboard was the words:

“Intelligence without discipline is a curse.”- Adisa Banjoko

“ I didn’t want Fred in class today because I wanted only those serious to be here” I told them.

“It is important to me that you take my time and your time seriously. I’ve been here all week listening to you talk about your homies on the block who got love for you. Some of you been talking about all of your family looking out for you. But you know what? I have not seen any of them all week. Ain’t nobody beating the door down to come help y’all!

So here I am, put my plan together for ten years. I have programs here in the bay and across the country. But then I walk in treating you like civilized young men and some of you take my kindness for weakness wanna waste my time? Why would you do that if nobody is beating down the door to help you?”

No one spoke.

I showed them a black and white photo of an inmate as I read the slogan on the board. “You are all intelligent. I’ve watched you all show amazing levels of intelligence this week. You must understand though that if you don’t do daily work to refine your skills, nothing will come of it. Once this guy took responsibility for his wisdom look what he became.”

“This man was doing everything you are trying to do. He was a real pimp, a real coke dealer, he ran with guns. This man was doing it for real. Then, he changed his mind about how he was living and what he could do with what he knew.”

I clicked the screen and you see Malcolm X.” It is the same man, but now he is living with a different purpose” I said.

None of the kids recognized Malcolm X in his Detroit Red phase. “You owe it to yourself put in the time to refine your gifts. If you don’t only you will suffer. “ I told them.

After that, we jumped into the best chess battles of the week. Some of the kids already knew the game when I got there. Others had actually competed and had trophies from their youth. You could tell in their by their openings who knew the realness. None however, had taken the time to apply chess to their life until I showed them how. It was immensely empowering.

Keep in mind we are talking about kids that for the most part have been written off by mainstream education systems. A good portion of them are on an IEP (individual education program), or are openly rebellious to traditional schooling methods. In some ways, I must admit the needs of the kids are wider than the public school system is prepared to manage. As I watch these kids with 2nd and 3rd grade reading skills speak and write in algebraic notation, I am further convinced these brilliant minds have many intellectual gemstones yet to be discovered. My goal is to help them mine their own mind for these gems and share what they find with the world.

Nevertheless, those same kids displayed what I believe to be high level expressions of executive function- through chess. A fellow educator Dan Gildea taught me about executive function. Executive function improves an individual's ability to self-regulate. You need a working memory, mental flexibility and self control to exercise it. A study at Harvard noted “These functions are highly interrelated, and the successful application of executive function skills requires them to operate in coordination with each other.”

That is what we believe the total fusion of chess and Hip-Hop does. That is why we use martial arts to help teach self-control. All three lead to heightened expressions of executive function. One of the boys said he used to train in LA with Mayhem Miller and Rampage Jackson, but was shot in the leg so he can’t do martial arts any more. When I made my connections from martial arts to chess, he got it. He was the same student who had read The Art of War.

One game with a kid we will call Kevin was quite impressive. As I approached him on the board as Black he used his pawns to shut down my forward advancement. In chess terms this is called zugzwang. Now, at the las Chess Kings Invitational in LA, RZA from Wu-Tang Clan talked about how many times kids in the hood use classic chess moves by instinct. So they may be using The Kings Indian, or the Sicilian Dragon but they don’t call them by those names. It is the instinct they play from. Kevin’s use of zugzwang was a living testament to RZA’s words.

The other day I checked my email and I was happy to find that HHCF has been invited to bring our full program to the hall. We meet next week to discuss the details. I look very forward to reconnecting with ACOE and helping the kids discover themselves and actualize their potential on another level. Finally I’d like to thank Mr. Fenner, Mr. Hopson, Mrs. Goree, Kamal Ahmed of (MBA) and all of the guards and staff at the juvenile hall for their kindness and support.

If you would like to pilot the HHCF Chess and Life Strategies program, Youth Entrepreneur Summer Program or Chess & Jiu-Jitsu classes visit  www.hiphopchess.com. You can new book by Adisa Banjoko Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess.  

New Innovative Book on Hip-Hop, Chess and Education Drops April 10, 2016!! (check out sampler)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Contact: Crystal Silva

contact@hiphopchessfederation.org

888-588-4418

Innovative Book Connects Rap and Jiu-Jitsu to Stop Violence and Improve Education

Bobby, Bruce & Bam: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess Frame Impact of Bobby Fischer, Bruce Lee and Afrika Bambaataa in a New Light

Oakland, CA 3/11/16-  Three Lions Press is proud to announce the release of a new book, Bobby Bruce & Bam: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess written by Adisa Banjoko, aka The Bishop. This extraordinary book outlines how the  of rise of Bobby Fischer, Bruce Lee and Afrika Bambaataa unintentionally converged and influences Hip-Hop, chess and martial arts in America in unexpected ways.

 It includes a workbook teaching the first 12 lessons people can use to embrace chess as a life strategy tool for school and business. The recently launched website www.bobbybruceandbam.com features  a 29 page sampler of excerpts. Bobby Bruce & Bam: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess will be released April 10, 2016 in both digital and print formats. The book serves as a disruptive blueprint that helps urban kids shift their approach to education, entrepreneurship, and life’s possibilities.

Adisa Banjoko, aka The Bishop is a respected disruptor in the space of education innovation. Adisa began his journalism career while still a high school student interviewing Eazy E shortly before the formation of NWA. Adisa  went on to become one of the first west coast writers for The Source, RapPages and VIBE among others. He broke some of the first profiles on artists like Tupac Shakur, Del and Hieroglyphics, Master P and many others in the rise of west coast rap in the early 1990s’. Adisa Banjoko is a powerful speaker who has lectured at many universities across the country including Harvard, Lehigh, Oberlin College, UC Berkeley and others. His ideas on chess, rap and martial arts have been seen in Forbes, Good Morning America, Black Enterprise, Ebony and the cover of Chess Life Magazine.

“This book is the product of more than ten years of research and direct experience helping kids escape the violence of the streets” said Adisa Banjoko. I have helped teens graduate and live better lives using chess strategies fused with Hip-Hop. The connections in this book are very real and they work. The fusion gives teachers new tools to take STEM and STEAM to a higher level. My goal is the help the children in cities like Oakland, St. Louis, Baltimore, New York, Boston and Atlanta use chess as a tool for self discovery and improvement. ”

In April of 1998 he released an article profiling the legendary Gracie family for RapPages magazine. Not long after he penned an article on Ralph Gracie and MMA for Maxim Magazine. He has written extensively about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, yoga, meditation and Eastern philosophy for the last 20 years. He is a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and currently teaches chess and jiu-jitsu classes at HHCF HQ.

In 2006 after visiting incarcerated youth in San Francisco he created the Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF). The HHCF is a 501c3 non-profit that fuses music, chess and martial arts, to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. in 2015, the HHCF was invited to teach the staff at the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis on the connections between Hip-Hop and chess. The result was the Living Like Kings exhibit (which broke attendance records surpassing Bobby Fischer's). He and RZA of Wu-Tang Clan (who now serves on HHCF’s Board) spoke to high school youth and incarcerated youth in St. Louis during all off the rage and chaos after the death  of  Mike Brown. Their efforts illustrated a nonviolent narrative largely overlooked by both mainstream and Hip-Hop media.

Bobby Bruce & Bam: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess outline how this unique fusion came to pass and the lives Adisa Banjoko has been able to change through it. The book highlights his his ideas while  in teaching kids in St. Louis with Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, his experiences fighting inner city school violence in The Bay Area and how rap music celebrate chess more than any other form of music on the planet.

Brian Coleman, author of Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies stated “Adisa Banjoko writes with the same fire, intelligence and even-keeled wisdom that fans see in person, whether in a room full of Ph.D-holding scholars, or an auditorium filled with wide-eyed teens. His perspective is unique, essential and continually engaging, and listeners, readers and friends all benefit from each word he puts to paper. “Bobby Bruce & Bam” is a deep read, but it steers purposefully away from coded academic language, presenting its points in clear, powerful tracts. No matter what gets you to the book (Hip-Hop, Chess or Martial Arts), you will walk away a better person as a result of diving in.”

Download the PDF sampler for Bobby Bruce & Bam: The Secrets of Hip-Hop Chess now at www.bobbybruceandbam.com !  

VIDEO: How is chess, like life?

People often wonder what we teach when we speak to massive groups of kids about chess and life. I am developing a new series to share some of these ideas with you. This is the first one. Please check it out and share it with adults and teens you think can benefit from the HHCF Chess and Life Strategies methodology. 

DONATE to HHCF and Help Kids Get an Edge in Class and in Life!!

American teens fall into drugs, pregnancy and violence after school when they are not involved in activities that cultivate their minds and bodies. Youth violence is the thirs leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15-24. 

We have a new three thousand square foot facility made to help them grow mentally, emotionally and physically to cut this trend and promote nonviolence. We need your help in getting our after school program to kids who currently don't have access to it. 

Reaching our 5k goal will allow 25  kids to take a 12 week session. The grades and emotional well being of the students will be tracked and documented in a short video. You will be able to see the direct impact of your donation.

Our goal is to scholarship local kids in here and train them in chess and life strategies and jiu-jitsu. Your donation will make sure they have the space, the jiu-jitsu gi (what they wear while training) teachers and tutors needed to take them to the next level.Most of the kids I’ve worked with are from tough areas. The bulk are Black and Latino but we work to help everybody we can. In the HHCF we know that the power of and team, is in its diversity. We plan to build our program in the facility first and then spread it across Oakland the the rest of the bay (and the country really). Our previous programs have been in San Francisco, Hayward, and San Jose. These classes will be held in our new Fremont, HQ. We will make a short video of the kids in the program so you see the results for yourself. 

Simply put, American education has been in a state of emergency. Many of our schools and families are broken. Some of our children are being fed right into juvenile hall by corrupt judges. Basically, folks are investing in the failure of our people. I’m asking you to help us counter that by supporting HHCF so we can help kids do better in school and in life on the streets. Once the initial 5k has been raised we will put out a special press release and add a section to our site www.hiphopchess.com that lists your name and your brand on our site, honoring our commitment to working with HHCF to help pave new paths to education and peace. Read what educators and others say about HHCF.

Donate today!! Then share with your friends.