LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With the purpose of highlighting the importance of saying “YES” to organ, eye and tissue donation, OneLegacy Inspires Hollywood is hosting a special event on Saturday, March 2nd, titled Connecting the Dots: Hip Hop & Health, with the goal of sharing the power of music and entertainment with the critical message of health advocacy and organ donation and transplantation among communities of color. The star-studded community event will feature Hip Hop legend and kidney transplant recipient, Leslie Pridgen, as well as celebrity TV and radio host, Nicole Richardson, better known as Nikki Rich and writer, comedian, and filmmaker, J. Snow.
Sports, Lifestyle in Culture (SLiC) is an official partner of the event. In addition to the OTT platform, studio production capabilities, and marketing agency, the company has a creative studio in the heart of West Adams that serves as the flagship location for the SLiC ecosystem of creators, entrepreneurs and influencers. The media brand under the SLiC umbrella, Black Hollywood Live, will cover the event, amplifying the culture and narrative of the impactful initiative on all available social and streaming platforms. BHL is a premier content network providing media coverage for all things at SLiC Studios.
Connecting the Dots: Hip Hop & Health will mark the beginning of National Kidney Month and the closure of Black History Month, a time to celebrate the legacy of African Americans and their contributions to the advancement of human civilization, with the goal of raising awareness about health issues that affect African American communities in the U.S.
The event will include the participation of the following:
- Leslie Pridgen, better known as Freeway, who will share his experience with kidney failure and his pride as a donor father to his son, Jihad Pridgen, who saved four lives as an organ donor after his untimely death.
- Nicole Richardson of the Nikki Rich Show, a TV/radio host and Oprah Winfrey Network Ambassador, recently received a lifesaving kidney transplant.
- J. Snow, a writer, comedian, filmmaker, and Sickle Cell Warrior.
- Rhonda Smith, Executive Director of the California Black Health Network.
- Baron Davis, Two-Time NBA All-Star, Entrepreneur and Investor.
- Xsplosive Drill Team from San Bernardino.
- Kevito Clark, a kidney transplant recipient and OneLegacy Ambassador.
- DJ R-Tistic, a renowned international DJ that will entertain event attendees.
The event will include FREE health screenings from HBCU/OPO Coalition partner, Charles Drew Medical School and from Chinatown Service Center, as well as FREE haircuts and manicures, yoga and wellness sessions, music, fun activities for children and adults, free produce and grocery items, food trucks and more. Producer, Advocate and Artrepreneur, Maleena Lawrence, will participate as moderator of the panel.
The Connecting the Dots: Hip Hop & Health event is FREE and open to the public and it will take place at SLiC Studios on Saturday, March 2nd from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
“This panel conversation is meant to engage and empower the community. Organ donation is a public health crisis that has impacted my family and the need to educate every community, particularly Black and Brown communities is paramount,” said E’Tiffany Jones, Head of Media and Strategic Partnerships at OneLegacy. “The need outweighs the supply with 17 people dying every day while waiting for a lifesaving transplant. It is my mission to share the facts and promote health advocacy.”
Today, more than 28 thousand African Americans in the United States are waiting for an organ that would save their lives. With higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure than the rest of the U.S. population, African Americans experience a higher risk of organ failure.
OneLegacy Inspires Hollywood is inviting local communities in Los Angeles to join Hip Hop and Social Media Influencers on March 2, 2024, at SLiC Studios to help raise awareness of African Americans' Health and learn more about Freeway, Nikki and J. Snow’s stories.
To RSVP for this event, please visit this link.
About OneLegacy
OneLegacy is the nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation in seven counties in Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Kern. It serves more than 200 hospitals, 10 transplant centers, a diverse population of 20 million people across the region and waiting recipients across the country. Becoming an eye, organ or tissue donor is easy and can be done by registering online at donateLIFEcalifornia.org/OneLegacy or by “checking YES” at your local DMV. For more information, visit OneLegacy.org
