Harlem, home to over 500 underground speakeasies during the Prohibition era, maintains its rich legacy with a new source for poets, emcees and artists to creatively express. The Bomb Shelter envisioned by Harlem’s own “Leaders of Today,” is the 21st century speakeasy, allowing new and existing generations the space to artistically explore issues of politics, society and the human condition. The Bo
mb Shelter is where hip-hop greets its jazz, blues and soul roots; celebrating the cultural diversity which dominates the new world while providing an open forum to address issues affecting an array of demographics. In the midst of crushing economics that have significantly stripped the vitality of the arts in all communities, a changing political atmosphere and the growing need for power to the people, The Bomb Shelter is the new place for voices to manifest and be highlighted in a safe collective environment. Words, sounds, enlightenment and entertainment come together for a fresh revival of the creative vanguard. Harlem’s history of housing some of the world’s most influential revolutionaries and musicians is reclaimed with The Bomb Shelter’s mission to promote craft, culture and opportunity for music, poetry and articulation. The Bomb Shelter also looks to bridge the generational gaps that exist in the current landscape and encourage the exploration of love, “keeping it real,” resistance, creating identity and breaking negative cycles. Living art continues to have a place to grow in Harlem: harnessing power to re-direct the energy of pop culture and survive as did the arts movements of the past. The Bomb Shelter is the newest home to artists and revolutionaries, and a center to the self-determination Harlem must never let go of. Much like a bomb shelter is an escape and shield from war, attacks, nuclear fallout, and impending apocalypse, The Bomb Shelter is a relief from the war and fallout of our everyday lives: where those who make it pool our resources, experiences, thoughts, and ideas in preparation to repair and rebuild when we return to "the real world".
