'HHA Banner 2008-2013'
This post is to let you all know of an update on our homepage design. For 2013, we developed a new banner design that includes photographs of contributors to Hip Hop Alumni (HHA) over the years. Time has kept us from really making the site grow, but piece by piece we look forward to uploading and revising what we have and announcing what our current activities and future plans are moving forward. In 2008, our goal with the banner was to simply put people on to the individuals who have influenced our ideas and how we started. The concept of Hip Hop Alumni was born in a classroom at New Mexico State University inside of the Clara Belle Williams Hall. Clara Belle Williams was NMSU's first black graduate in 1937 while she worked as a school teacher at Booker T. Washington school in Las Cruces, New Mexico. So if you notice, Clara Belle Williams' presence on our banner over the years is permanent and represents the foundation of what Justin De Senso and I (Lecroy Rhyanes) would later develop after being introduced to each other in a jazz lyric course (in the Clara Belle Williams building). The other individuals that have been featured on the banner are people we are inspired by such as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), Bruce Lee, and educators, artists, and photographers of Hip Hop's past & present. In our 2013 banner design we wanted to continue to reference some of our influences but also included photographs of some individuals that contributed their time, talents, and ideas to HHA. One of the photographs was taken during our attendance of one of Dr. Manning Marable's final presentations before he passed away. There is only so much that could be fit onto a header for the website, so we extend much love and respect to everybody - friends and collaborators that have worked with us and shared ideas. You'll also notice that above our banner, we've included a discography or some of our favorite audios and we will also be adding a banner of key texts to link to our Hip Hop Stacks initiative. On the website homepage www.hiphopalumni.com you'll also find links to our HHA Facebook, HHA Classroom Forum (for students of the University at Buffalo-SUNY course currently being instructed by Justin De Senso) - also includes a general forum for the public, and a link to our HHA Blogsite (Wire). In addition, we have an HHA YouTube. The HHbeAtz Playlist is rotating instrumental tracks from our homepage. Til' the next few updates, we hope the first month of your new year has been good!
