MEDIA ALERT

WHO: Russell Simmons and Dr. Benjamin Chavis of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network;  Congressman Chaka Fattah; Foxy Brown; Juelz Santana; Beanie Sigel; Jim Jones; Philadelphia Mayor John Street; Musiq; author/activist Dr. Michael Eric Dyson; Queen Pen; Jaguar Wright; Kenny Gamble, Wal-Mart’s Don Frieson and the National Voter Coalition.

WHAT:  the Hip-Hop Summit National Town Hall Meeting on Community Empowerment. The Town Hall Meeting, which will be broadcast on Clear Channel’s Philadelphia Power 99 FM Radio and Comcast’s CN8 television, will focus will be on quality of life issues, which impact the empowerment of communities, including financial empowerment and voter education and registration. HSAN and the National Voter Coalition have embarked on a massive, non-partisan voter registration campaign designed to heighten the awareness among young adults 18-35 of their civic responsibilities and right to vote. One of the goals of the campaign is to register 10,000 new voters in the Philadelphia area during the summer of 2006.

Art Fennell, news anchor for CN8, The Comcast Network, will moderate the Town Hall Meeting panel with Dr. Chavis. Fennell also will host an hour-long special broadcast airing in August that will showcase the town hall meeting’s important messages of empowerment and involvement.

Based on the success of previous years, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network is partnering once again with the City of Philadelphia and the National Voter Coalition.  In 2003 and 2004, they worked together and registered thousands of young voters in a movement that received national recognition and unprecedented results.

WHERE: University of Pennsylvania’s Irvine Auditorium; , 3401 Spruce Street.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 12. PRESS ROOM BEGINS AT 5PM EST. PRESS CHECK IN AT 4PM EST.

HIP-HOP SUMMIT NATIONAL TOWN HALL MEETING ON COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT IS FROM 7-9PM EST.

Presenting sponsors include Anheuser-Busch, Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in conjunction with Wal-Mart Financial Services.