Hip Hop Congress

State of Emergency Conference 2 [The Bay]

Event Details
Time: October 18, 2008 at 10am
Location: Laney Community College
Street: 900 Fallon St
City/Town: Oakland CA
Website or Map: http://maps.google.com/maps…
Organized By: The Bay Area Local Organizing Committee

Dear Community Member,

We are inviting you and your organization or project to participate in the 2nd State of Emergency Hip Hop Summit in Oakland , CA on Saturday October 18, 2008 . This event is being sponsored by the Bay Area Local Organizing Committee (BayLOC) of the National Hip-Hop Political Convention.

BayLOC is a multi-racial collective of artists, community activists, entrepreneurs, and journalists representing communities all over the Bay Area and over 25 cultural, environmental, youth, and educational groups such as Leadership Excellence, Hard Knock Radio, OneFam Ent., and People’s Choice Printing to name a few.

In 2004, BayLOC held the first Bay Area Hip Hop Summit titled State of Emergency . The event was a culmination of over a year’s worth of regional organizing, which included several educational campaigns along with the registering of over 5,000 first time voters. The actual summit attracted over 1,000 participants, who attended presentations and cultural programs; many registered to vote for the first time at the summit, while others were encouraged to empower themselves through registering and showing up to the polling booths on Election Day. Participants included Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, rappers E40, dead prez, and Zion I, as well as a host of other performers, activists, and community leaders.

This year, we are hoping you will join us as we do it all again with an added focus on the need to “Increase the Peace” in our respective communities.

2008 is proving to be a historic year in politics not only for the nation, but also for the Bay Area and California . The Bay Area is made up of several counties including Alameda , San Francisco , San Mateo , Marin, and Contra Costa. Although these areas have seen a significant increase in first time registered voters, the following issues still need to be addressed:

v Why has the Bay Area seen a significant decrease in the number of African American residence?

v Why Youth from low-income communities and communities of color are still being left out of key debates that will affect them directly?

v How come Voter registration numbers remain un-proportionately low among certain Black and Latino communities?

v How will measures on the November ballot impact communities of color and youth?

v How do we address the senseless violence, regionally and nationally, continue to pose a major threat to youth of color and the Hip Hop generation?

Attached you will find a registration form for the conference. While we will allowing people to register on site, we are hoping to have organizations that work with young people pre-register.

We are hoping that you join us at State of Emergency II to address these concerns. If you would like to be a presenter or performer, or if you have questions, please contact Malik Cooper at (510) 495-4559.

In Unity We Struggle,

The Bay Area Local Organizing Committee (BayLOC)

–
Sarah Harris
Hip Hop Congress Board of Directors
Hip Hop Education and Youth Development Resources
Oakland, CA
www.hiphopcongress.org