Should Hip-Hop Be Illegal?

My quick answer: hell muthafuqing no. But I digress....it's at least something to check out for this Saturday...barring any car troubles and whiny midgets.

Every year, the Harvard Black Law Students Association hosts a Spring Conference featuring workshops and panels on current legal issues and their impact on minority communities. This year, for the first time, the conference will feature a Youth Summit. The Youth Summit will be held on the morning of Saturday, March 11th, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. on the campus of Harvard Law School.

For the summit, we are going to create an open forum where high school students can come and discuss critically the images and issues surrounding the current state of hip hop music and culture. The summit is entitled 'Should Hip Hop Be Illegal?' Our goal is to challenge the kids with a somewhat controversial topic so that we can get to the underlying beliefs that they hold. We are not looking to change their minds or opinions, but rather to help them come to their own understandings of why they believe what they believe. If we can get the participants to take another look at their opinions or view them from a different perspective, we will consider the Youth Summit a success.

The planning for this Youth Summit has been underway for quite some time and we are excited about this opportunity. At this point, all we need is the attendance of Boston area high school students. We understand that getting high school students to wake up early on a Saturday morning (the only morning to sleep in for some students) will be no small feat. To that end, we've secured DJ Chubby Chub, a popular DJ and radio personality from WILD 97.7 FM, to host the forum. We will also be giving away two iPod Nano mp3 players completely free. There is no cost of admission and this is going to be a great event for all who attend.

I have attached the flyer for the event which includes all of the pertinent details for the Youth Summit. I am seeking your help in disseminating this information to as many Boston high school students as possible. Feel free to print or email this flyer as widely as possible. [done]

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me via email at afloyd AT law.harvard.edu.

Thank you.
-Antonia L. Floyd