Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) will host a Hip-Hop forum at this year’s Congressional
Black Caucus Legislative Conference.The
Hip-Hop Powershop, scheduled for Sept. 7, will feature a panel that will discuss
gang summits and industry manipulation of the true message and meaning of Hip-Hop
artists. Panelists
include DC Hip-Hop artists Asheru and Head-Roc as well as Rev. Yearwood
(Hip-Hop Caucus), Jared Ball (University of Maryland, Hip-Hop historian, Blackademics
on WPFW), Lisa Frager (Industry Ears, Hip-Hop media expert) and former Crips and
Gangster Disciple gangmembers. The
event is one of a series "braintrust forums" McKinney will host that
will examine critical current issues facing African-Americans and the entire country.
Other
forums will address past victims of COINTELPRO abuses, and their renewal in many
forms since 9/11 as well as discuss the award-winning films American Blackout
and Sir! No Sir!American
Blackout
documents Black voter disenfranchisement and voter fraud in nationaland local elections, while Sir! No Sir! Looks at the hidden history of
GI and veteran resistance that ended the war in Vietnam.An
outspoken critic of the Bush Administration, McKinney spearheaded a national investigation
into the 2000 election voting irregularities. Last
year, she introduced House Resolution 4210, a new bill that calls for the United
States government to release all documents it has collected on slain rapper Tupac
Shakur.HR
4210 calls for "the creation of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Records Collection
at the National Archives; and a second repository at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center
for the Arts in Stone Mountain, Georgia."The
Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference will be Sept. 6 through 9 at
the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt Vernon Pl., NW.The
following is a schedule of events and list of participating panelists:The
New COINTELPROSept. 7, 1 p.m. – 2:50 p.m., Room 143 CPanelists: Lillie
Coney, Electronic Privacy Information Center, EddieConway, COINTELPRO victim,
Bill Goodman, Center for ConstitutionalRights, Dick Gregory, COINTELPRO victim,
activist, author of Callus onMy Soul, Tom Devine, Government Accountability
Office, Kate Martin,Center on National Security Studies, J.E. McNeil, Center
on Conscienceand War, Chuck Michaels, ACLU Baltimore, MD, author of No
GreaterThreat, Patrick Radden Keefe, author of ChatterHip-Hop
PowershopSept. 7, 4:00 p.m. – 5:50 p.m., Room 144 BCPanelists: Rev. Yearwood,
Hip Hop Caucus, Jared Ball, University ofMaryland, Hip Hop historian, Blackademics
on WPFW, Crown, a Y.G. fromHarlem Crips, Lisa Frager, Industry Ears, Hip Hop
media expert, Asheru,DC, Hip Hop artist, educator, G$, formerly Gangster Disciple
Nation,Head-Roc, Mayor of DC Hip Hop – performingAmerican
BlackoutSeptember 9, 11 a.m. – 12:50 p.m., Room 144 AModerator: Cedric
Muhammad, BlackElectorate.comPanelists: Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Ian Inaba,
director, Steven Freemanand Joel Bleifuss, co-authors of Was the 2004 Presidential
ElectionStolen?Sir!
No Sir!Sept. 9, 2006, 2 p.m. – 3:50 p.m., 144 AModerator: Cedric Muhammad,
BlackElectorate.comPanelists: Sgt. Kevin Benderman, Gulf War veteran, Iraq
war objector,Monica Benderman, military family member, David Cline, Vietnam
VeteransAgainst the War, in the film, Greg Payton, Vietnam Veteran, in the
film,Demond Mullins, Iraq veteran, The Ground Truth film and GarrettReppenhagen,
Iraq Veterans Against the War.