Event Announcement: From Vices To Verses (April 9-11 at the University of Minnesota)

This weekend the University of Minnesota will be hosting the three-day conference, From Vices To Verses: A New Era of Hip-Hop and Action. The event should be fantastic, with intellectual seminars on feminism in hip-hop and using the genre as a tool of social action, as well as a Saturday night concert featuring Dead Prez, Toki Wright, Guante, Maria Isa, and more. Hip-hop is a transcendent cultural resource with untapped potential for social influence. I wish I could attend and partake in the conference, and am excited to hear how everything turns out. Please do attend if you're in the Twin Cities over the weekend and have some free time. Check out the following press release, and make sure to visit the Vices To Verses website:

From April 9 to April 11, the University of Minnesota will be hosting “From Vices to Verses” a conference featuring workshops, performances, discussions and educational events centered on how hip hop pedagogy, activism and culture can educate, empower and transform communities.

Organized by Voices Merging at the U of MN, along with University and community partners, the conference will focus on three central themes:

· April 9: “I Used to Love H.E.R.: Bring Back the Love,” exploring hip hop feminism and women’s roles—past, present and future—in the culture. Keynote speaker: hip hop activist and former Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Rosa Clemente.
· April 10: “Remixing Borders, Transcending Boundaries,” focusing on using hip hop as a tool to create unity and move beyond generational, national and cultural boundaries. Keynote speaker: hip hop activist and author Bakari Kitwana.
· April 11: “Us,” focusing on hip hop’s power to heal and transform individuals and communities through organizing, activism and youth engagement. Keynote speaker: educator and multidisciplinary artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph.

Other presenters include filmmaker Rachel Ramist, Chaka Mkali of the Hope Community Center, Sage Morgan Hubbard of Northwestern University, Ruth Nicole Brown of the University of Illinois, poet and activist Tish Jones, rapper/poet/writer Kyle “Guante” Myhre, photographer B-Fresh and many more.

On Saturday, April 10, noted Twin Cities performers Toki Wright, Maria Isa, PosNoSys, Ill Chemistry, the Tru Ruts crew and others will take over the Cabooze for a special concert.