Building Legacy: Mentoring the Next Generation at Storyland’s Hip Hop Class Trip

November in The Bronx is a busy month! It marks both Hip Hop History Month and Family Literacy Month, two things that are deeply woven into the fabric of From The Bronx. To celebrate, we had the incredible honor of joining Sulma Arzu-Brown and her team at Storyland: The Bronx Book Haven as they hosted a local school for their "Class Trip Program - Hip Hop Edition" series at their location in the Bronx Terminal Market.

Storyland is NYC’s very first children's book lounge and literacy hub, dedicated to seeing children grow loving to read "One Dope Book at a Time!" When they reached out and invited From The Bronx's Anthony and Paul Ramirez to participate as "Exemplary Men" for their all-boys Hip Hop edition, they didn't hesitate to say yes.

The program was centered around the Legends of Hip Hop children’s book series, featuring a reading of Kid ‘n Play: A Rhyme Biography by author Pen Ken (Kenneth Monroe) and illustrator Saxton Moore.

After the reading, Anthony and Paul were tasked with leading a breakout session focused on "Forward Thinking & Legacy Impact." They spoke to a room full of brilliant young boys about honoring their talents, the power of collaboration, and what it takes to define success while staying true to your culture. It was a powerful moment to see the next generation of Bronx kings soaking up wisdom from leaders who look just like them.

They were in amazing company. The day featured insights from Carlos Gamboa, legendary artist Eric Orr, and closing remarks from Rocky Bucano, CEO of The Hip Hop Museum. The children even got a surprise reading from media executive MariCarmen Lopez!

To further show Storyland's impact, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibsonvane and her team issued them a Proclamation declaring November 6th and 7th as "Legends of Hip Hop Children's Book Day" in The Bronx.

Thank you to the entire Storyland team for creating space for our boys to be surrounded by great men.

To learn more about their mission and future programs, visit Storyland: The Bronx Book Haven.

From The Bronx to The World!!