Pull ‘Em Up Campaign Goes National With Dr. Phil Appearance

Hip-Hop Government’s Pull ‘Em Up billboard campaign is receiving exposure from popular talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw as the effort gets set to expand on a national level.The Pull ‘Em Up campaign was launched in October 2007 as a public education campaign against sagging pants and the need for improved public image within the […]

Hip-Hop Government’s Pull ‘Em Up billboard campaign is receiving exposure from popular talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw as the effort gets set to expand on a national level.The Pull ‘Em Up campaign was launched in October 2007 as a public education campaign against sagging pants and the need for improved public image within the Hip-Hop community. Despite the popularity of the sagging pants trend, Hip-Hop Government believes it is often misinterpreted and can leave young people stereotyped as well as hurt their chances for gaining employment.Hip-Hop Government co-founders Jay Scroggins, Damon Wofford, and Chris Williams will be featured on the Dr. Phil show as well as Dallas Deputy Pro Tem Mayor Dwaine Caraway, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and Ying Yang Twins rappers Kaine and D-Roc. The panel will discuss whether the government should regulate the way people wear their clothes and will also discuss Hip-Hop artists accepting responsibility for the effect their music and lyrics have on Hip-Hop culture.”We are excited for the opportunity to address issues that concern our culture,” said Williams. “Too often, when members of the hip hop community are in the media, it’s for something negative. It feels good to know that we are being invited because we are recognized for our positive contributions to the community.”The talk show appearance coincides with efforts to take the Pull Em Up campaign to a national level. The organization’s original set of 17 billboards featured illustrations of young men wearing sagging pants that exposed their boxers, accompanied by various slogans. Thirty additional billboards were unveiled during the first week of January in cities across North Texas. The venture currently has billboards displayed in Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex.Hip-Hop Government has taken active stand against the sagging pants trend as it reached out to Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway and Dallas city officials in response to a proposed anti-sagging city ordinance which sparked concerns about constitutionality. The alliance with Caraway resulted in the implementation of a public education campaign in the form of a man law instead of a city law.”Hip Hop Government is not for legislating how people wear their clothes. But we are in support of people having self-respect and respecting people around them,” Scroggins said.In addition to the Pull ‘Em Up campaign, Hip-Hop Government is working in collaboration with Obama Dallas Youth and Young Adults to sponsor the first annual Hip Hop Government Power Summit. The half-day event, which is scheduled to take place Feb. 23, will address political and social issues facing the hip-hop generation and its communities as it focuses on urban revitalization, entrepreneurship and education.The power summit will be followed by the Take It to the Streets Voter Registration March, an event sponsored by Dallas City Councilwoman Carolyn Davis.The Dr. Phil talk show episode featuring the Pull ‘Em Up campaign will air later this month.