Roses Now: Celebrating Excellence in the Intellectual + Cultural Legacies of Black Womxn  

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theKEEPERS Collective is a Black womxn-led team of Hip Hop practitioners, activists, and scholars from around the world who have assembled to promote understandings of Hip Hop music and culture that exist beyond the male gaze. Through archival research projects, creative works, and community programs we seek to amplify the rich and diverse voices of womxn and girls in Hip Hop music and culture throughout Hip Hop’s five-decade history.

In this spirit, we are hype to announce the launch of our first event series entitled, “Roses Now,” which will honor the intellectual and creative legacies of Black womxn by celebrating the many ways that their work has transformed our beloved community. For each “Roses Now” event, we invite one writer, thinker, or creator whose body of work demonstrates excellence and a commitment to dignifying Black life, to be honored by their peers as well as other creatives and intellectuals who recognize the value in their work. Invited guests will perform creative pieces and share some words that allow us to reflect on the power of the honoree’s work to transform individuals and communities. As a team that is led by Black women, we are uniquely aware of how often the work of Black women is overlooked and silenced, only to be coopted or re-engaged after they are gone. We, therefore, strive to honor and amplify the transformative work of Black womxn thinkers and creators here and now and in living color. Let us give them their roses while they can still smell them. With this series, we give them their roses now!

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We are proud to announce that we will be inviting the community to celebrate our first esteemed honoree, Dr. Tricia Rose, on her birthday, Sunday, Oct 18th 1-3:30pm.

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is a dope rapper, professor, scholar, producer, & principle member of theKEEPERS