HISTORY

In September 2000, The Midnight Forum (TMF) began its first semester at CesarChavezPublicCharterSchoolin NW Washington DC.  Through the pooling of personal assets, our Advisory Board successfully facilitated a series of classes and enrolled 15 students from ChavezCharterSchool, Bell Multicultural H.S., and Cardoza H.S.  Shortly after completing of this landmark semester, TMF received their first grant check from the popular Hip-Hop recording label Rawkus Records.  The end of the first full year of classes saw the completion of two student group business plans.  These plans were utilized to produce a visual arts poster exhibit that was displayed in a Universityof Marylandsanctioned Hip-Hop festival.

The 2001-2002 year of classes brought on a number of firsts for TMF.  The most important of these events was the launch of an Arlington, VAbased Midnight Forum program made possible by a partnership with the Veteran Memorial YMCA of S. Arlington.  The initial TMF found a new home at SteadRecreationalCenterin NW Washington DC where classes have continued until this day. Budgetary restraints forced our Arlington YMCA location to be shut down and TMF suffered as a result.  Sadly, only two semesters were completed with the Virginiayouth before the end of that program.  Despite setbacks TMF saw great improvement within the city of DC.  The next few semesters saw the completion of an anti-smoking Hip-Hop event entitled “Smokeless”, an impressive number of performances by TMF students at city sponsored festivals, and the release “The Midnight Forum Mix-CD, vol. 1”.  The “Mix-CD, vol. 1” is a musical compilation coordinated by the 2003 Fall semester students.  It featured over 25 songs showcasing student produced recordings and guest appearances by a slew of DC, Marylandand Virginiabased recording artists.  The CD is still used as a tool to advertise to and recruit new students for future sessions and our over all program and is a testament to the quality of this landmark project.

The year 2004 brought TMF its greatest opportunity to date.  Thanks to the generosity of fellow DC based youth program, Youth Action Research Group, TMF was invited to jointly organize and produce a series of graffiti murals for a beautification project in  the Mt.Pleasantneighborhood of WashingtonDC.  TMF students and staff along with Y.A.R.G., MANNA, and The Mt. Pleasant Main Street Committee worked together towards three mutual goals.  These goals were to devise a way to have youth show off their artistic skills and comment on the conditions in their community, articulate their experience, and use an artistic style unique to their generation.  The end result was a magnificent 16-piece mural on the windows of an abandoned building at 3125 Mt. Pleasant Street, NWWashingtonDC.  What was once an eyesore can now be viewed as an example of what can be accomplished when youth are not criminalized but are positively allowed to express them selves.

Without the help of kind donations from organizations such as DC Arts and Humanity, The National Endowment of the Arts, The DC Rotary Club, and numerous Metropolitan residents, past projects would not have been realized.  With further community help and the development of partnerships with other youth based programs, The Midnight Forum plans on continuing to push the envelope in the fight to engage at-risk youth and inspire the future leaders of the Hip-Hop generation.