WHAT WE LEARNED

▸ There has to be reconciliation within our own communities as we grow.

▸ Collaboration amongst people is key to our collective success, this includes sharing of knowledge, information and resources.

▸ We value open access to learning, resources and technology for all, especially the most marginalized amongst us.

▸ People are looking for specific systemic change.

▸ Justice and liberation are as important as joy and love.

▸ As a community we are looking for radical change and shifts in policy, institutionalized behavior, community accountability and individual actions.

THE VISION

In 2040, hip-hop will be over 65 years old. Words, Beats and Life will be approaching 40 years. We believe that by 2040, hip-hop will have evolved itself again from an aspirational culture and set of values to an outcome-driven, design-centered cultural practice that lives in communities across the globe and ensures justice and equality for all that encounter it.

ARTS EDUCATION IN 2040

▸ Youth and educators will be the center of our communities.

▸ Freedom and Liberation will be foundational to our pedagogy for youth and adults.

▸ Narratives and histories taught in schools and homes will be complex and nuanced.

▸ Advanced degrees will be available from institutes of higher education for Hip-hop artists specifically.

▸ Educational systems and practices will heal the trauma of the past and present.

CREATIVE ECONOMY IN 2040

▸ Small businesses and social enterprises will make the majority of the business economy and economic power in major cities.

▸ Grants and funding will be available specifically for Hip-hop organizations; awards with monetary prizes to be given to global Hiphop pioneers, artists and leaders.

▸ Access to technology will be a human right with a youth-first approach.

▸ A new cooperative model will ensure equal and fair compensation for those working to create change and more just distribution of wealth and resources, especially for those that are most marginalized.

▸ Our communities will support and invest in each other first and foremost.

OUR VOICES IN 2040

▸ A restorative justice model will replace the criminalization of our communities.

▸ Voices of the marginalized will speak for themselves and lead in positions of ownership and decision making.

▸ Young people will lead with wisdom from the elders and ancestors.

▸ We will directly implement lessons from our collective histories by learning from each other and turning lessons into solutions for the present and the future.

▸ We will design systems, platforms and spaces that are truly accessible to everyone.

COLLABORATION IN 2040

▸ Government agencies, large institutions, community organizations and individuals will work together in collaborative hubs.

▸ We will balance our priorities between technology and nature, individual identity and community inclusion while promoting and advancing progressive policies, collective planning and human centered design.

▸ Our individual health and wellness in all forms will be a community-wide priority including open access and sharing of resources.

▸ We will invest in institutions that promote collaboration and cooperation over competition.

▸ We will build liberating systems that ensure our collective freedom without relying on exclusion or scarcity.

WBL’S COMMITMENT

We believe WBL will be an integral part of this evolution and over the next twenty years, we commit to centering marginalized voices, advancing arts education, promoting creative employment and strengthening global connections.