Meeting of the Minds 206 Zulu

Our guest today is Kitty Wu, a pioneering media producer and community organizer whose personal story is intrinsically linked with Hip Hop and independent media in the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. She is co-director of 206Zulu, one of the most prolific grassroots Hip Hop organizations in the world. She is chair of the Seattle Music Commission, served a six year term on the board of Vera Project- an organization that has been pivotal in creating space for all-ages audiences to interact with music and art, handles artists and communications for the record label Fresh Chopped Beats, and so much more. In this episode, we discuss her journey in media and activism, some effective tools for creating Hip Hop media institutions, and we talk about the history of the Zulu Nation in the Northwest as well as the pathway to healing 206Zulu has embarked on after the tragic events surrounding it’s founder, Afrika Bambaataa.

It's become a sort of tradition for us at Meeting of the Minds to take time, as we transition into a new solar year, to acknowledge the power we have collectively in keeping members of our community alive with our memories. 2021 was complex year and, in it's course, time took more than a few incredible people from this world. Join us as we remember some of the impactful figures from the Hip Hop world and beyond that passed on in 2021. In taking this moment, our collective memories will bring these individuals into 2022 along with us as we ensure that they are always remembered.

In this episode, we’re visited by the man who is credited with taking Hip Hop’s baby pictures. Visionary photographer and historian Joe Conzo Jr. shares his personal journey with Hip Hop, his family's revolutionary roots in the  South Bronx, and his advice on developing a compassionate eye for telling a story with images.

We’re blessed with a conversation with Easy AD, original member of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers. Follow, as he walks us through some of the first moments of Hip Hop’s existence and shares the unique perspective on the culture’s present and future that can only come from one of its founders.

At 19 years old, Aaron Dixon founded the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party, the first chapter of the Party outside of California. Among other actions, he also co-founded the Northwest’s first Black Student Union, ran for United States Senate, and served as personal bodyguard to Elaine Brown (Black Panther Party Chairwoman- 1974-1978). In this episode, we discuss Aaron’s experiences from being in the first wave of children to integrate Seattle schools to avoiding assassination as a Black Panther captain. We’ll hear about tools the Seattle Panthers employed for community policing, the history of how the BPP infiltrated Oakland’s political infrastructure, and more.

Billy X Jennings joined the Black Panther Party in 1968, two years after its founding. While there in those early years, he worked out of the BPP national headquarters in Oakland, where in addition to serving as aid to Huey P. Newton, he helped with the implementation of the first free breakfast programs, was part of the initial cycles of outreach and recruitment, and came into contact with Panther leaders from branches all over the U.S. Currently, he serves as a leading historian and archivist for the Black Panther Party. As the Panthers prepare to celebrate their 55th anniversary, Billy X shares moments from the party's history, tools for building community programs, and some of the wisdom he's learned along the way.