POLITICAL CONVENTION SET FOR JUNE 2004

[MaZen]

POLITICAL CONVENTION SET FOR JUNE 2004

By Davey D Special to the Mercury News www.bayarea.com/mld/mercu...078924.htm
A few years ago, rap artist KRS-One gave a speech addressing, in part, the issue of voting. He stated bluntly, ``The reason why so many people within hip-hop don't vote is because no politician chooses to speak to hip-hop.'' In other words, very few politicians were making themselves available and relevant to the hip-hop generation.

Sure, some of them, such as Bill Clinton or Al Gore, would show up on MTV or at a Rock the Vote event. But for the most part, those appearances were seen as photo ops, nothing more. As KRS astutely pointed out, very few politicians sought the opinions, advice, financial support, endorsement or votes of the hip-hop community. You never saw political ads in hip-hop publications or heard them on hip-hop radio.

When was the last time you left a crowded nightclub and were handed a well-designed flier dealing with issues you'd like to see the politicians address? When was the last time you went to a sold-out concert and saw a politician, or even a campaign worker, waiting to shake your hand and ask for your support? Heck, when was the last time you saw a commercial with someone your age breaking down the reasons he or she was backing a particular candidate?

We can turn on the TV and see Russell Simmons, LL Cool J, Common, Blackalicious, the Roots, Will Smith and other popular hip-hoppers hawking everything from soft drinks to clothing, but why not a political idea or candidate?

Bakari Kitwana, former political editor of the Source Hip Hop Magazine and author of the book ``Hip Hop Generation,'' predicts that will change during the 2004 election. He points out that many politicians are beginning to realize that the hip-hop generation -- those born since 1964 -- are a sizable minority or even a majority in many communities. He points to some recent efforts by Democratic presidential contenders Al Sharpton, Dennis Kucinich and Howard Dean to court hip-hop voters.

Kitwana argues the emerging wave of voters can't be taken for granted. Unlike their parents, he says, they aren't loyal to a particular party. He notes that, over the past few years, many -- particularly African-Americans -- have made a mad dash from the Democratic Party to register as independents.

Another development is that several national hip-hop organizations have aligned themselves politically, including Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit Action Network and the League of Hip Hop Voters, which plans to publish a comprehensive election guide for 2004.

Now Kitwana and a large diverse group of young activists, artists, educators and concerned individuals including Newark Deputy Mayor Ras Baraka and Baye Adofo of the Malcolm X Grassroots Commitee are putting the finishing touches on plans for a landmark National Hip Hop Political Convention, to be held in Newark, N.J., June 10-12, 2004. For more information, check http://www.hiphopconvention.org/

In recent years, Hip Hop activists have been crisscrossing the country to set up local organizing committees, get feedback and build a solid infrastructure for the convention. The intent is to initiate a dialogue and establish a national agenda for the hip-hop generation and, more important, to pinpoint key issues and candidates for it to put its support behind. It won't be long before we hopefully start to see the grooming of potential candidates set to run for office.

Kitwana explains that the convention will be patterned after the Niagara Movement, which gave rise to the NAACP, and the 1972 political convention in Gary, Ind., where African-American issues were addressed. As was pointed out in a recent press release the idea for this convention was born from the fact that;

"The Hip Hop Generation is one that has come of age during a unique set of social and historical circumstances. Too many of us have experienced firsthand the trafficking of drugs and violence in our neighborhoods, rampant police violence and corruption, failing educational systems, mass imprisonment, political corruption and mismanagement, widespread unemployment and economic decay, and electoral fraud. We also face the epidemic of HIV and AIDS among the weakest and most vulnerable members of our communities. The National Hip Hop Political Convention aspires to politicize such issues among our peers and bring them to the forefront of a contemporary movement for social justice."

Plans for the convention have already stirred excitement. It also has gotten commitments from hundreds of people around the country, as well as inquiries from some of the presidential candidates about addressing the convention.

**There will be a special press conference on Monday Novemeber 3rd 1:00PM in Room B29 at City Hall in Newark, NJ.

**If you happen to be in Los Angeles, there will be a special meeting on Saturday November 1st at 2:00 pm. The location is The African American Cultural Center, 2560 W. 54th St. For directions 323-299-6124.