In March 2023, WHSL founder Victor Lopez Jr. attended the HUBB's Community Game-Changer Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark. He thanked his mentor and WHSL's senior advisor, 4CG, for the very last-minute invite.
The night honored community activists, teens and young adults aspiring to careers in the arts after overcoming challenges or missteps.
About the HUBB
The awards were sponsored by the HUBB Arts & Trauma Center, a nonprofit in Newark's Central Ward that keeps at-risk youth on track through the performing arts, founded by CEO Al-Tariq Best. 4CG, Hoboken's own, is an active member of the HUBB's board. The HUBB is part of the Brick City Peace Collective, a network of organizations affiliated with Newark's Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery. In 2022 it received a $487,000 grant announced by Gov. Phil Murphy, as one of 25 violence-prevention programs that split $8.2 million.
The honorees
Among those honored were West Ward Councilman Dupré Kelly, a.k.a. "Do It All," a founding member of the Newark hip-hop trio Lords of the Underground, and rapper and activist Anthony Criss, better known as Treach of the East Orange trio Naughty By Nature.
The takeaway
Victor met artists from across New Jersey and spoke with organizations about future involvement for What Hoboken Sounds Like and Hoboken artists. Hoboken didn't have anything like it, he said, and seeing it was fundamental: "This was the foundation!" He didn't take part in any photo ops, "but I most definitely represent my city wherever I go."
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