A PRESS CONFERENCE FOR THE NATIONAL HIP HOP POLITICAL CONVENTION WILL BE HELD ON 
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3 AT 1:00PM IN ROOM B29 
AT CITY HALL IN NEWARK, NJ. 

All the components for a mass political movement in our lifetime are in place and functioning --- but separate. Do we dare join them together?

--- Bakari Kitwana, The Hip Hop Generation:
Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture

November 2003 (Newark) ­ For the past year, a broad-based network of concerned individuals has been organizing a national forum to harness the power of the Hip Hop Generation. The ultimate goal of The National Hip Hop Political Convention is the empowerment of the Hip Hop Generation through affecting issues and shaping public policies. We are activists, artists, educators, workers, and professionals from across the country who have come together to build a political agenda reflective of the needs, interests and experiences of the Hip Hop Generation. 

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 neighbourhoods, 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.

The Hip Hop Generation bears witness to the triumphs of our elders, who led and sustained the civil rights and women's rights movements, but we've also lived through the shortcomings of policies either ill-conceived, poorly implemented or failed due to decisions made by people who were supposed to represent us. 

As empowered citizens, we will now take a bold step forward by calling a National Political Hip Hop Convention on June 10-12, 2004 to rally around a progressive social agenda that represents the priorities, perspectives and political aspirations of our generation. This convention will enable the Hip Hop Generation to recognize our political power, put forth our agenda, and meet and coordinate with others already engaged in social uplift in communities across the nation.

More Info Coming Soon

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