Irina Slutsky tipped us off to the 1st Annual Chess Kings Invitational hosted by the Hip-Hop Chess Federation on Saturday, October 13th at The Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center.
Founded by award wining Lecturer and Author, Adisa Banjoko and artist Leo “Blast” Libiran, this organization is dedicated to providing an inclusive setting for individuals to interact, play and develop life strategies skills with people they view as mentors.
“Despite the school systems best efforts and intentions, and the efforts of overworked parents, the past generations have suffered from lack of suitable education and essential resources required for a successful life,”, states co-founder Adisa Banjoko, “We recognized that chess, martial arts and hip-hop unify people from multiple cultural, religious and social backgrounds. These black and white squares do not care what color you are or if you are rich or poor. The only thing they ask is show me your strategy, your patience, your skills.”
Here’s a promo video for the Hip-Hop Chess Federation.
photo by Mike Lucia
