The skanner., June 22, 2011, Page 11, Image 11

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hip-hop Summit action Network
first or second time in their
lives.
This week marks the
10th anniversary of the
establishment of the Hip-
Hop Summit Action
Network (HSAN).
For
three days, June 12-14,
2001, inside the New York
City Hilton, hip-hop artists
from every region of the nation, managers,
promoters, recording industry executives,
media publishers, civil rights and communi-
ty leaders, grassroots activists, academic
and spiritual leaders, and members of the
U.S. Congress all gathered together to par-
ticipate in the pivotal and historic summit
meeting under the theme of “Taking back
responsibility.”
As a result of the success of the summit,
Russell Simmons and I co-founded the Hip-
Hop Summit Action Network to harness the
cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve
as a catalyst for education advocacy and
other socioeconomic and political concerns
fundamental to the empowerment of
youth. In other words, HSAN was founded
to carry out and to fulfill the commitments
made at the 2001 summit and to organize
and mobilize the
growing hip-
hop constituen-
cy to be agents
and leaders for
fundamental
change in our
communities
across America.
It has been a
decade
of
unstoppable struggle and progress. From
2001 to 2010, HSAN has sponsored more
than 75 Hip-Hop Summits in cities in the
states of New York, California, Texas,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois,
Louisiana, New Jersey, Washington, D.C.,
Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama,
Georgia, Missouri, Kansas, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, and Mississippi. We also con-
vened Hip-Hop Summits in Toronto,
Young people today ... are less
patient with poverty, injustice and the
status quo
made the critical difference in the outcome
of the election of President Barack H.
Obama. No one should ever ignore or for-
get the fact that it was the unprecedented
youth voter turnout in 2008 in North
Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and in
Ohio as well as in the other “swing states”
that helped to bring current “political
change” to America. Millions of young vot-
ers registered and went to the polls for the
Farmers Market
PHOTO BY SuSaN FrIED
H
ip-hop is a global
E DUCATION
cultural phenome-
non that continues
S ERVICES
to evolve in many differ-
ent music and art forms,
languages, dialects, and Benjamin F.
creative formats through-
Chavis Jr.
out the world. As we look
back over the last 30 years
or more, it is important to
understand that hip-hop continues to help
shape the consciousness and aspirational
values of hundreds of millions of young
people. In fact, I would strongly posit that
hip-hop as a transcendent and transforma-
tive cultural force has helped to irreversibly
change the world into a better place.
Young people today in the Middle East,
Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, the
Caribbean and yes here in North America
are less patient with poverty, injustice and
the status quo. They want change not only
in their poetry and lyrics, but also young
people yearn and cry out for a better quality
of life now in their lifetime. They are
demanding change, and young people today
are making change a socioeconomic and
political reality. Just two years ago, it was
here in the United States that young voters
Shoppers look for seasonal produce at the west Seattle Farmers Market on
Sunday, June 19. The west Seattle Market runs year round but there are half
a dozen other farmers markets throughout the city that run seasonally. in
addition to west Seattle there are markets in Columbia City, lake City,
Magnolia, Phinney, Broadway, and the university District.
Canada; Kinston, Jamaica; and in
Johannesburg, South Africa. HSAN contin-
ues to be a non-profit, non-partisan interna-
tional coalition of hip-hop artists, entertain-
ment industry leaders, education advocates,
civil and human rights proponents, and
youth leaders united in the belief that hip-
hop is an enormously influential agent for
social change which must be responsibly
and proactively utilized to fight the war on
poverty and injustice.
From Jay Z to Eminem, from Naz to
Erykah-Badu, from Beyonce to Master P,
from Snoop Dog to Busta Rhymes, from
Will Smith to Kanye West, from Dougie
Fresh to Foxy Brown, from Jim Jones to
Julez Santana, from Chris Brown to Fat Joe,
from Tego Calderon to Don Omar, and from
Missy Elliot to TI along with more than 300
other artists all of whom gave of their time,
energy, money and support to help HSAN
make a positive difference. Whether it was
“Get Your Vote Right” to “Get Your Money
Right” to “Get Your House Right,” or suc-
cessfully challenging the repressive
Rockefeller Drug Laws or rallying to
restore $300 million to the NYC public
school budget, the hip-hop community
always rose to the agenda with direct action
and support.
But the best way to celebrate the 10th
anniversary of the Hip-Hop Summit
Network is to continue to raise more aware-
ness and involvement of young people in
See HIP HOP on page 4
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June 22, 2011 The Seattle Skanner Page 3