For #BlackFuturesMonth, HHF partnered with EHR (@environmentalhoodrestoration) to present "Black Skaters Matter", a film screening, community conversation, and skate jam designed to center and uplift black skateboarders. "This event was meant to celebrate Black Joy...I want to make sure that every skater here tonight gets their flower" - Kava, HHF Lead Video of jam session by @skrrt.nyc
On February 5th, the Harold Hunter Foundation held a Skater's Vigil to honor Tyre Nichols on @ Tompkins Square Park from 3-5 pm. A few days prior, Patrick Kigongo, the Acting Chair for HHF issued this statement in response to the killing of Tyre Nichols by police.
Rest in Power #TyreNichols On January 11, 2023 @Fotografiska.newyork & @David_Lachapelle were gracious enough to host HHF for a pop-up photo exhibit for our Creative Careers division. After our amazing workshop with David 6 weeks ago he & his staff issued our young photographers a challenge to create their own images that would be showcased at our own HHF exhibit during the last week of his museum wide “make Believe” show Fotografiska NY. Our talented artists rose to the occasion & submitted some great work that we exhibited during a spectacular evening of lots of great art & energy. We can not thank David & the Fotografiska staff enough for all of their support! 🎥 & 🎞 = #MichaelFurnari Our second collaboration with Crenshaw Skate Club is now available on the CSC website. This new drop features tees and hoodies with iconic Harold imagery shot by Charlie Samuels in NYC. Available in limited quantities, all profits from the collaboration will be donated to the Harold Hunter Foundation. As CSC founder Tobey McIntosh puts it, “We’re excited to continue our partnership with the Harold Hunter Foundation to help empower skaters all over the world. We really love HHF and the initiatives it supports. As black skaters, Harold Hunter is someone that we all see as a very important figure. We’re proud to be collaborating with HHF again.” Lifestyle photos courtesy of Tim Hans. On Friday 11/11/2022, HHF partnered with photographer David LaChapelle to host an Artist Talk and Gallery Walkthrough to celebrate LaChapelle's historic takeover of Fotografiska Museum in Manhattan. Featuring more than 150 works created between 1984 and 2022, LaChapelle's Fotografiska takeover - titled "make BELIEVE" - is the artist's most comprehensive exhibition to date. HHF Creative Director Ray Mendez joined forces with HHF Creative Careers Program Manager Kava Garcia Vasquez to invite over 25 skateboarders, artists, and community members, most of whom are 17-30 years old and currently enrolled in our Fall 2022 workforce readiness programs. It was an honor to have David personally guide our group through 40 years of his artwork during his first New York museum solo show and largest-ever US exhibition. We enjoyed hearing his impactful insights about finding inspiration, honoring your craft, thinking beyond trends, staying true to your artistic vision, advice for creatives, and more. Thank you so much David LaChapelle, Johnny Byrne, and Fotografiska Museum for this amazing opportunity to connect skateboarders with art and history! On Saturday, September 24th, 2022, HHF joined forces with NYC Bridgerunners, Nike, Zen Wtr, and Sweet Chick to host our 15th annual Bridgerun! It was an amazing and active evening filled with art, community, and positivity. Check out our event recap video to see how this flash mob of runners, skaters, and rollers took over the Lower East Side to honor the memory of the late Harold Hunter and to raise money for HHF programs. For those who are new to HHF, you might be wondering: what does running have to do with skateboarding? How and when did HHF get involved with Bridgerunners? To learn more, we recommend reading this Bandit Running recap article about Harold Hunter Bridgerun XV written by Michael Venutolo-Mantovani, quoted below. Skaters have always been a part of [Michael] Saes’s Bridgerunners, which very much started out as a collection of what he calls “non-running runner.” And too this day, the group welcomes anyone and everyone to run with them. Whether seasoned runners or green athletes, couriers, cyclists, and, of course, skateboarders, all have always been encouraged to join the Bridgerunners. In 2007, one of Saes’s fellow runners—a local skater and fireman named Mike Hernandez—told Saes about the work the Harold Hunter Foundation was doing. Thanks again to everyone who joined and supported this year's Bridgerun. See you again at Bridgerun XVI in 2023! On September 10th, 2022, HHF’s Brownsville Skate Project hosted a community event at Betsy Head Skatepark in Brooklyn. The afternoon was full of skateboarding, giveaways, and free food courtesy of Shmackwich. During the event, HHF Coach Bilal Ndongo led a community conversation in collaboration with local de-escalation-focused organizations to discuss how we can all work together to promote peace and positivity in Betsy Head Skatepark, Brownsville, and beyond.
Join HHF, NYC Bridgerunners, and Sweet Chick for the 15th Annual Harold Hunter Bridgerun on Saturday, September 17th! The Harold Hunter Foundation's annual Bridgerun is a run like no other. It’s a flash mob of runners, skaters, rollers, and walkers taking over the Lower East Side. It’s a community celebration, a tribute to Harold’s memory, and a reminder that #LegendsNeverDie. This year’s event will kick off at Tompkins Square Park at 1:00pm on Saturday, September 17th, and we'll run/skate/roll as a group for approximately 5 miles. The event will conclude with a private after-party at Sweet Chick on Ludlow Street in the LES. All registered runners will receive a limited-edition event t-shirt designed by legendary graffiti artist STASH. Our goal is to raise $10,000. Will YOU help us get there?
Harold Hunter Foundation is proud to announce a collaboration with Crenshaw Skate Club (CSC) featuring a series of limited edition t-shirts with classic Harold photos by Gunars Elmuts.
The collab t-shirts will debut on Saturday, August 27th at The Good Company where Crenshaw Skate Club will host a special pop-up from Noon-4pm. Stop by 97 Allen Street in the LES to show support. All profits from the collab t-shirts will benefit both HHF and Rancho Cienega Skatepark in LA. As CSC founder Tobey McIntosh puts it, “Crenshaw Skate Club is based out of South Central Los Angeles and our mission is to empower inner city skaters all around the world. We really love HHF and the initiatives that it supports. And as black skaters, Harold Hunter is someone that we all see as a very important figure. I have been able to give back to skaters in my own community, but I want to support skaters outside my community as well. So, I am proud to partner with HHF on a clothing capsule with the profits used to benefit inner city skaters in Los Angeles and New York City.” To learn more about CSC, check out their website and Instagram. Harold Hunter Weekend XV went down from June 22-26, 2022 in New York City. This year's event was presented by DC Shoes with additional support from Dickies, Element Skateboards, G-Shock, Red Bull, and HUF, among others. Ever since its inception 15 years ago, Harold Hunter Weekend is one of NYC’s largest and most highly anticipated skateboarding events. This year, hundreds of skateboarders from all over NYC and the world gathered to celebrate the life, spirit, and legacy of Harold Hunter. As always, events throughout the week were packed with friends, family, and fans of both Harold and NYC skate culture. As a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit grassroots organization, the Harold Hunter Foundation relies on financial backing from the community to provide a network of support, opportunity, and advocacy for NYC youth so they can reach their full potential as skateboarders and young adults. HHF believes skateboarding has the power to transform lives, and we thank you for your continued support! Element Skateboards kicked off Harold Hunter Weekend XV on Thursday evening with HAROLD 89, a photo exhibit of mostly unseen photos by Charlie Samuels at Elm Foundation. During the event, Charlie walked through each photo and spoke to the crowd about Harold’s life, their friendship, and the context behind each moment Samuels captured. All pieces were available for sale with proceeds donated to HHF. It was a history lesson, a fundraiser, and a dance party at the same damn time! HUF was meant to kick off Harold Hunter week on the 22nd with a Cash-4-Tricks skate jam at Tompkins, but as usual NYC weather had other plans. Thankfully, by the time Friday rolled around we got blessed with nothing but sunshine and blue skies. Skaters came through in droves and threw down so hard at Tompkins that we couldn't help but get even more stoked about the weekend ahead of us! After an eventful afternoon, we mellowed out on Friday night with a private screening of "MONOCHROME", a short documentary film that discusses and celebrates the Black experience within skateboarding. We invited members of our Rider Development program - which aims to support youth on their journey to becoming professional skateboarders - to join us at Red Bull HQ for a film screening and community discussion. Saturday - easily the busiest day of this year's Harold Hunter Weekend - kicked off with The Boardr Open presented by DC Shoes at LES Skatepark featuring the HHF Wildcard Contest. It was a super high level of skating and, when it was all said and done, Ricci Tres took home the win on the women's side and Gabe Vigliotti aka Minnow won the men's division. The HHF Wildcard victory went to Juri Iikura for women and Jiro Platt for men. While The Boardr Open continued throughout Saturday afternoon at LES, Golconda Skatepark (better known as “Fat Kid”) played host to a Women & LGBTQ+ Skate Jam hosted by HHF Coach-Mentor Jae Cooper with support from members of Pansy Skate and Queer Skate Brooklyn. It was a beautiful day that consisted of a community conversation about inclusivity within skateboarding, instructional skate clinics, $1,500 cash-for-tricks contests, product giveaways, and - as always - good vibes! On Saturday night, DC Shoes hosted a private party at The Flower Shop in the Lower East Side. Over 100 skateboarders and industry veterans alike gathered to celebrate Harold and each other. Even though very few photos were taken during the event, we can assure you that rad times were had by all! The main event - Harold Hunter Day XV - went down on Sunday at LES Coleman Skatepark. With hundreds of people in attendance, it was an amazing way to celebrate the late, great Harold Hunter. The massive crowd enjoyed live DJ sets from Brujas, tons of giveaways, and plenty of insane skateboarding with best trick contests presented by Red Bull, G-Shock, Element Skateboards, Dickies, and DC Shoes. A huge thanks to all those who came through and made this year's HH Day one of the best yet! Curious about Harold Hunter Day XV contest results? Click here! Red Bull Women’s Best Trick (Box, Ledge, Rail, QP Area) 1st - Vitória Mendonça 2nd - Juri Iikura 3rd - Chrissy Brown G-Shock Best Trick (Wall Ride) 1st - Logan Kirshak 2nd - Ben Patrick 3rd - Malik Jordan Element Best Trick (Stairs, Rail, Hubba) 1st - Brandon Johnson 2nd - Andreas Alverez 3rd - Greyson Beal Dickies Best Trick (Gap to Rail) 1st - Christian Williams 2nd - Noah Pollard 3rd - Cass Hecht DC Best Trick (Up Ledge) 1st - Dwaynne Almonte 2nd - Brandon Johnson 3rd - Logan Kirshack Zumiez Destroyer Austin Hufnagel A huge THANK YOU to The Boardr and all the sponsors that helped make Harold Hunter Weekend XV happen including DC Shoes, Element Skateboards, G-Shock, Red Bull, HUF, Zumiez, AriZona, KCDC Skateshop, Mike’s Hot Honey, Bronx Girls Skate, Trophy Grip, Pansy Skate, Queer Skate Brooklyn, 5Boro, NY Skateboarding, Shut, Substance Skatepark, TORRO!, and UXA.
Photos courtesy of Ryan Zimmerman, Chaz Miley, Akira Ruiz, and Liliet Reyes. |
Harold Hunter FoundationThe Harold Hunter Foundation (HHF) is a grassroots, community-based organization that provides support, opportunity, and advocacy for skateboarders in NYC and beyond. Archives
August 2023
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