ARCHIVE IT.
Protect the artifacts, images, recordings, and oral histories that show women’s imprint on the culture.
EXPLORE 2027 SYMPOSIUM
ARCHIVE / SCHOLARSHIP / LEGACY
HER STORY.
HER STORY.
HIP-HOP
HISTORY.
Fresh, Bold & So Def is making the invisible indisputable.
Preserving, documenting, and elevating the women who shaped Hip-Hop, from the pioneers to the cultural architects writing its next chapters.
History doesn’t preserve itself. We preserve it together.
01 / THE MISSIONSCROLL TO DISCOVER ↓
THE WHY / 001
THE RECORD
THE RECORD
IS STILL BEING WRITTEN.
For decades, women have shaped every dimension of Hip-Hop: music, media, education, activism, entrepreneurship, and culture. Yet too often, their contributions have been under-documented, underfunded, and underrepresented.
STUDY IT.
Build a permanent, accessible cultural record that supports research, scholarship, and education.
AMPLIFY IT.
Center women as architects of Hip-Hop, not footnotes to the story of its growth.
THE COLLECTION / 002
A LIVING,
A LIVING,
EXPANDING
CULTURAL RECORD.
2,000+ARTIFACTS IN THE
COLLECTION
COLLECTION
From rare flyers to personal archives, the collection gives researchers, students, and communities new ways to access the women’s history of Hip-Hop.
INSIDE THE COLLECTION
- Rare flyers, posters, and apparel
- Press clippings and publications
- Photographs and media documentation
- Oral histories and personal archives
The collection is housed at the Irma McClaurin Black Feminist Archive at UMass Amherst, supporting research, teaching, and public scholarship.
THE NEXT CHAPTER / 2027
THE STORY
THE STORY
CONTINUES.
Explore the Fresh, Bold & So Def 2027 Symposium and the opportunities to be part of its next chapter.
WHERE HISTORY LIVES / 003
ONE CULTURE.
ONE CULTURE.
MANY SPACES.
Preservation, scholarship, and performance work together to keep these stories in circulation.
01 / ARCHIVE
UMASS AMHERST
Home to the physical collection at the Irma McClaurin Black Feminist Archive, supporting research, teaching, and public scholarship.
02 / PERFORMANCE
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
“Miss-Education: The Women of Hip-Hop,” described in HHEC’s 2026 initiative overview, explores Hip-Hop feminism through performance and scholarship.
03 / COMMUNITY
BLACK LAVENDER COLLECTIVE
A Black feminist, queer-centered organization advancing dialogue, healing, and cultural work.
BUILDING THE FUTURE / 004
PASS THE
PASS THE
KNOWLEDGE.
Preservation is about more than what we collect. It is also about who learns to protect the stories and carry them forward.
FELLOWSHIP
LISA CORTÉS ARCHIVING FELLOWSHIP
Supports processing and expansion of the collection while mentoring emerging archivists.
APPRENTICESHIP
DIGITAL ARCHIVING APPRENTICESHIP
Offers hands-on training in cultural preservation and archival practice.
PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORK
THE ARCHIVISTS
Recognizing cultural keepers, including India Mallard and Priscila Altivo, helping shape the archive’s future.
VISIBILITY IS PRESERVATION / 005
THE WOMEN.
THE WOMEN.
THE VOICES.
THE LEGACY.
Fresh, Bold & So Def extends beyond collecting history. Its public programming and storytelling make women’s contributions visible.
SELECTED FRESH, BOLD & SO DEF 2025 CAMPAIGN ARTWORK
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CULTURAL RECORD / 006
YOUR STORY
YOUR STORY
IS A NATIONAL
TREASURE.
Hip-Hop history lives in our communities. Photographs, flyers, memorabilia, testimonials, and lived experiences all help tell the full story.