NEWARK, NJ — One of the brightest weapons against violence and crime is hope. And a massive annual block party known as the “24 Hours of Peace” united Newark around that theme once again last weekend, advocates say.
For the past few years, Newark has been holding an annual music festival in the late summer that is dedicated to shutting down violence for a full day. The 2024 festival kicked off Friday and ended Saturday.
Organizers say the annual festival is a way to use music to engage the community and have meaningful dialogue about important issues such as nonviolence and conflict resolution. It’s also a chance for local music lovers to catch some nationally known headline acts – for free.
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Previous headliners have included Snoop Dogg and Queen Latifah. Last year’s performers included Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, Milk Dee, AZ, Lil Mo and a host of other rap stars and singers.
This year’s theme centered on “uplifting and empowering women,” organizers said. All of the performers were female – with many of them local acts. Headliners included 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.
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Watch some footage from this year’s “24 Hours of Peace” below, and view more at the following links (article continues underneath):
Amiri Baraka Jr., the event’s co-founder, said that displays of “peace and healing” like this year’s festival are yet another reason why the city has been able to bring homicides to a 60-year low. He credited Mayor Ras Baraka, who founded the event 12 years ago when he was a council member representing the South Ward, and made it a citywide event when he was elected mayor.
Baraka continues to advocate for the festival, calling it one of the city’s “signature events.”
“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,” the mayor said.
According to Baraka, the city has made significant headway by treating violence as a “public health” issue. He pointed to other community resources who are helping to lead the way, such as the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery (OVPTR), Community Street Teams, the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, My Brother’s Keeper, and the Shani Baraka Women’s Center, which provides services for women and families in crisis.
“Art and music are powerful forces that can uplift communities,” OVPTR Director Kyleesha Wingfield-Hill said.
“These gatherings create safe spaces where creativity flourishes, offering alternatives to crime and providing hope,” Wingfield-Hill continued. “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.”
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