Ben Ortiz is the Assistant Curator for the Cornell Hip Hop Collection (CHHC), which is part of Cornell University Library’s Rare and Manuscript Collections division. The CHHC is one of the world’s most extensive research archives on Hip Hop music and culture. Founded in 2007, it contains well over a quarter-million individual artifacts. Ben’s primary responsibilities include community outreach, teaching, curating exhibitions, and assisting researchers and community members with access to the collection. He has been involved with the CHHC since its founding, and took on his current role in 2011.

Ben has worked in other roles at Cornell University since 2002, including: Coordinator of K-12 Outreach in the Cornell Public Service Center; Counselor for the New York State Higher/Educational Opportunity Program (H/EOP) at the Office of Minority Educational Affairs (today called OADI, the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives); and Residence Hall Director for the Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts, as well as Clara Dickson Hall and the Multicultural Living-Learning Unit (McLLU).

Ben is also involved in the local community and currently serves on the board of directors of the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County, the board of trustees of the Tompkins County History Center, and the planning group for the First Fridays organization.

Music is central to Ben’s life—his alter ego, DJ ha-MEEN is an active performer and music event organizer known for fusing music knowledge, skills, and eclecticism to facilitate genre-bending dance parties for a wide range of humans.

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SESSION

 

Hip Hop, Archives and Social Justice