(NEWARK, NJ) -- Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka will host the Annual 24 Hrs of Peace event, starting Friday, August 23, 2024 at 6:00pm, and continuing to Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 6:00pm in the West Ward at South 10th Street and Central Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.
The 24 Hrs of Peace event uses the Hip Hop culture to engage the community and have meaningful dialogue around important issues such as nonviolence and conflict resolution. This year's theme is centered on uplifting and empowering women. All the performers are female.
"Our 24 Hrs of Peace celebration has become a signature event in Newark, defining how we deepen our commitment to each other as a unified, caring community," Mayor Baraka said. "We fuse the power of hip-hop music and spoken word to lift, heal, and inspire peace in our city, empowering every resident in that process, and bringing healing, hope and happiness into everyday life. During this 24 Hrs of Peace, we celebrate the reality that women are at the center of our city's evolution as a model of peace, progress and prosperity."
Headline entertainers scheduled to perform include: Mýa, Rah Digga, Lady Luck, Lola Brooke, Leah Jenea, Yo-Yo, Nikki D, Roxanne Shanté, Justina Valentine, The Lady of Rage, Lady London, Sunshine Anderson, Asian Doll, Juciiy 2xs, and Monie Love.
DJs MD, Uniqu3, and local star DJ Kels will be spinning throughout the weekend, creating an unforgettable atmosphere of music and community.
Mayor Baraka founded 24 Hrs of Peace 12 years ago when he was Council Member for the South Ward and made it a citywide event when he was elected mayor. The annual event advocates a violence-free community and promotes community building for parents, children, artists, business owners, and faith and community-based organizations. It has been credited with keeping the period around Labor Day weekend in Newark violence-free when other large cities throughout the country see spikes in homicides and other violent crimes.
"Reducing homicides to a 60-year low in Newark is obviously not some kind of surprising fluke. It is the result of our mayor's consistent, decades-long, ethic of non-violence and his embrace of the arts and music as a vehicle for promoting peace and healing," said Amiri Baraka, Jr., the event's co-founder. "From his years as a community organizer, through his service as a Council Member, and his 10-year tenure as mayor, he has never wavered from his commitment to make his hometown a place of peace and comfort for the neighbors and friends he has known since birth."
The 24 Hrs of Peace event is actually the finale of Newark's Peace Week, seven days filled with a wide range of activities that unite the city around a focus on unity and caring for each other.
Peace Week begins on Saturday, August 17, with "The Real Money Summer Youth Conference" at Temple of Hip Hop, 55 Ludlow Avenue, at 11:00am. It is followed by:
Sunday, August 18: "Healing and Helping Together: Trauma to Peace" at 15th Avenue & 18th Street between 2:00pm and 7:00pm.
Monday, August 19: the "Healing and Helping Push Walk" will take place from 4:00pm to 6:00pm at Sunset and Lindsley Avenues. And "Peacekeeping Ward of the Year Day 1" will be held at local recreation centers throughout all wards between 10:00am and 5:00pm.
Tuesday, August 20: "Peacekeeping Ward of the Year Day 2" will be held at West Ward Park via United Community Corporation between 10:00am and 5:00pm.
Wednesday, August 21: The "Artist Against Violence" concert will be staged at Newark Symphony Hall's Terrace Ballroom, located at 1020 Broad Street. Transforming the space into a vibrant arena for change and unity, doors will open at 4:00pm, with the show going from 5:00pm to 10:00pm. The night will feature the powerful words from dignitaries and astounding performances by some of Newark's brightest local talents including Bonnie The Poet, Evie The Takeover, A Pressure, Bundles FVG, Young Zaak, Hez, J.1.DA, Bratz Killem, Tinkaa G, Kellz Merlin, and Samad Savage, and DJ KilsoSouth. Special guests 2RARE and D4M $loan will also grace the stage, making this an unforgettable night.
Thursday, August 22: "Health & Wellness Village: Senior Edition" to take place at Temple of Hip Hop, 55 Ludlow Avenue, from noon to 5:00pm, followed by the "Ride for Peace" at 6:00pm.
Since taking office in 2014, Mayor Baraka has made crime and violence reduction a high priority by addressing it as a public health issue. The administration's innovating steps have included Community Street Teams, the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, My Brother's Keeper, and the creation of the Shani Baraka Women's Center, which provides a wide range of services for women and families in crisis, ranging from victim support to career counseling to artistic therapy.
A major Baraka administration program has been the creation of the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery (OVPTR), which addresses both crime's causes and its impact in a holistic manner, uniting private and public agencies at the personal and community level. OVPTR provides treatment for the entire person, including such factors as family issues, addictions, education, societal and cultural norms, and neighborhood dynamics.
"Because we respond and treat public safety as a public health issue, and target the root causes and conditions that lead to violence, Newark has become a national model recognized and duplicated even at the White House," said Deputy Mayor of Public Safety LaKeesha Eure, possibly the only licensed clinical social worker in that administrative role country-wide. "Our focus is on holistic treatment of our residents that incorporates not only hard data and science but also music, art, and the full range of support that contributes to a high quality of life. Since its inception, this event has been monumental in bringing the community together in peace."
The result of OVPTR efforts, which include the 24 Hrs of Peace event, have reduced homicides in Newark by more than 60 percent under the Baraka administration, and gained the city national recognition for violence reduction by former President Barack Obama.
"Art and music are powerful forces that can uplift communities. In areas affected by poverty and violence, community events and concerts bring people together, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose," said OVPTR Director Kyleesha Wingfield-Hill. "These gatherings create safe spaces where creativity flourishes, offering alternatives to crime and providing hope. When individuals, especially the youth, engage in artistic expression, they find constructive outlets for their energy and emotions, transforming their communities from places of despair into hubs of resilience and positive change."
Last year's performers included Ghostface Killah, Redman, Milk Dee, AZ, Lil Mo and a host of other rap stars and singers. The 2023 event also spotlighted a midnight tribute to the life and legacy of Alvin Ally Dancer O'Shea Sibley by Newark's own DJ Antione Qua, and a House Music Dance Segment hosted by Ms. Theresa.
The 2022 co-host was Newark native and actor Queen Latifah and the musical headliner was Faith Evans, a graduate of University High School.
The event has launched much local talent to stardom including singer/songwriter/actress Leah Jene, K'Lynn Jackman, who went on to star in Broadway's "The Lion King" and child motivational speaker King Nahh, whose father, worldwide entertainer consultant Dash Hudson will appear at this year's event.
Other local talent taking the stage this year, in addition to a reappearance by Leah Jenea, include: The Euphony, Connya 3X, Chozin The Guardian, Angel Blue, Bri Blvck, It's Okay, Amani Sun, SheBeez Music, Blue Nile, Aisha Truth, Lamia, T. Hawk, Killy The Artist, Zara Baby, and Bella Star.
Hip hop artist Hakim Green, co-founder and president of 24 hrs of Peace, Inc., is once again curating and cohosting this year's annual event and is as proud to feature the hometown spoken word poets, performing ensembles and DJs as he is of the star-studded lineup.
"We use Hip Hop's true core principles of Peace Love Unity and Safely Having Fun to capture the attention while pointing our fellow Newarkers to services that can support and uplift them," said Mr. Green.
Beginning 12 years ago with a small stage towed into an open space with lights powered by a car battery, 24 Hrs of Peace will attract thousands of residents this year, as well as enable sellout sales to hundreds of retail and food vendors. City departments will be on hand throughout to distribute information about critical resources, services and programs.
