RUSSELL SIMMONS, OHIO STATE TO HOST STATEWIDE HIP-HOP SUMMIT ON JUNE 3
RUN DMC¹S REVEREND RUN, DAMON DASH, KEVIN LILES, YOUNG GUNZ, CAM¹RON, JIM JONES, JUELZ SANTANA, LOON, LAYZIE BONE AND OTHERS SET TO APPEAR
EFFORT TO INCREASE YOUTH VOTER REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION IN THIS IMPORTANT SWING STATE FOR UPCOMING ELECTIONS
COLUMBUS, OHIO May 28, 2004 The ³Ohio Hip-Hop Summit 2004,² a statewide youth voter registration effort, will culminate on the Ohio State University campus from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, June 3, at the Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Drive. The event is free but a ticket is required for admission. Doors will open at 9 a.m.
The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), founded in 2001 by rap mogul Russell Simmons and Dr. Benjamin Chavis, will present Roc-A-Fella CEO Damon Dash, Def Jam Records President Kevin Liles, and top hip-hop artists Reverend Run of Run DMC, Young Gunz, Cam¹ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Loon, Layzie Bone and more, in a non-partisan voter education and registration interactive discussion format at the Ohio Hip-Hop Summit. The goal will be to register as many voters as possible in the entire state of Ohio between the ages of 18 and 40. Voter registration however is not required to receive a ticket to the Summit, but is encouraged.
Larry Williamson, director of the Frank W. Hale Black Cultural Center at Ohio State, and State Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus, are the statewide Summit coordinators. Williamson said Ohio State was chosen as the site of the Summit for an important reason.
“Ohio State is the second largest campus in the country with just over 50,000 students on our campus throughout the week,” Williamson explained. ‘That represents a significant voting block and we are proud to participate in an effort that encourages students to not only register to vote but to take an active role in their communities.”
Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President of HSAN, has organized approximately 23 summits across the country over the past three years.
‘Ohio is one of the most important states this year for youth voter registration,”² Chavis said. “The Ohio Hip-Hop Summit will positively increase youth involvement in political and cultural activism.”
Partnering with Ohio State are Columbus State Community College, the Columbus Urban League, Playstation2, Radio One Columbus (WCKX-FM), and state and local elected officials.
Playstation2 are conducting a nationwide poll, compiled from each Summit including the Ohio Hip-Hop Summit, whereby young people are queried on what issues are most important to them and why. The results of this poll will be published following each individual Summit.
Voter registration forms and tickets are available at various locations, including the Hale Cultural Center, 153 W. 12th Ave., and the HSAN headquarters at 229 S. High St.
For additional information, call the Hale Cultural Center at (614) 292-0074 or the HSAN hotline at (614) 477-8549, or log on to www.HSAN.org.
