Watching The DNC from my 13 inch TV

This week has been crazy for me here at Northland College in Wisconsin as a new group of freshman move in. As busy as I am in my role as Student Body President helping the new students get oriented, I cannot turn off my 13-inch television – I’m glued to C-Span as the Democratic National Convention is reported live. I haven’t missed the speeches and I definitely will not miss Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s acceptance speech.

The best part of the DNC so far has been watching the parade of elected officials make speeches about issues that they think are important. Seeing and hearing folks like Rep. Luis Gutierrez talk about immigration issues gave me chills all over my body. When he spoke it felt like young progressives are really making a difference. After Gutierrez, David Plouffe spoke about registering a new generation to vote. I feel that we’re living history as we speak. And came Ray Rivera, a young man who talked about all of us getting involved in making change happen; he got me very excited about the elections this year.

Students from Northland will head down next week for the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, MN. They’re looking forward to experiencing a political convention that will be nearby. From across the political spectrum we see that young people are realizing that they make a difference. No matter if they are at home or at school, just watching the convention from wherever you are creates awareness of what is going on, who is supporting whom and why they are in that position.

Stay tuned as my fellow reporters cover the DNC live! And as I sit back and watch Nancy Pelosi speak I will absorb it – history in the making! -- Josie Sida

From the DNC/RNC: It's Bigger Than Hip Hop

After basking in the heated activity (and 100+ degree weather) of the third bi-annual 2008 National Hip Hop Political Convention in Las Vegas, I touched down back in the Sota and read my notes, processed through pictures and got down with of some of the most critical and thoughtful recaps and reflections:

Trials of a Hip Hop Educator: My Reflections on the 2008 National Hip Hop Political Convention

A Message to the Hip Hop Grassroots from Former Political Prisoner and Black Panther Dhoruba Bin-Wahad

Hip Hop and Academia: Where Do We Go From Here?

Hip Hop & Electoral Politics: Are Hip Hop Organizations Wasting Their Time Or Are They Effective?

Anything is Possible An Interview with Cynthia McKinney

Movement or Fan Club?

The Green Party VP Candidate: “The Hip Hop Party Has To Go Green”

After ciphering and breaking bread with some of the most engaged solders (actually doing real work in the community) and greatest minds of our time, I walked away with more clarity about the importance of young people being politically engaged and the Hip Hop community’s power in this election. We all have a great responsibility. At the very least, we all have a responsibility to vote. More importantly, we MUST be politically active and engaged at the local level in our own ways.

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, a professor of American Studies at Temple University, and political analyst for FOX News, passionately speaks about the war on young people, such as the law in Flint, Michigan aiming to make sagging pants illegal, and the crucial role that young people are playing in this election. I asked him what young people can be doing right now to make a difference and to stay engaged. He quickly responds, (and if you have ever seen him on FOX News, he is quick with it!) “Whether it’s going to a school board meting, or maybe joining the school board, going into the schools to see what’s going on…demand something locally!…We have to do this work before and after the election.”

So what about Hip Hop? The question has been asked before, but really, can the Hip Hop Generation make a difference in 2008?

The energy, enthusiasm and presence of the Hip Hop community in and around electoral politics will undoubtedly be carried over to both of the upcoming Republican and Democratic National Conventions in the next few weeks. At the DNC in Denver, N*E*R*D will be playing at Rock the Vote’s own Ballot Bash, Boots Riley of the Coup will be firing up the campers at Tent State, the Blue Scholars of Seattle will be throwing down at Cuernavaca Park, and will.i.am will again be showing his support for Obama. At the RNC in St. Paul, Dead Prez, NAS, GZA, Mos Def, Rage Against the Machine, and the hometown talent of Atmosphere, I Self Devine, Tru Ruts, DJ K-Salaam and Indigo will put it down for the underground. Last but not least, Hip Hop activist Rosa Clemente, will be at both conventions, talking her incredible talk, but sure as hell walking the walk.

Of course, throwing a fist in the air, speaking of the revolution, and throwing on that revolutionary t-shirt is simply not enough. The Hip Hop community must hold itself accountable for its actions, just as we must hold elected officials accountable. We all have a huge responsibility in this election to make a difference- that responsibility is bigger than electoral politics, and it's bigger than Hip Hop. It's about action.

What are you doing in your community to create change? What are you doing to encourage sustainable engagement and provide tools for real change after November 4, 2008? I hope you are not putting all of your hope in one man, thinking that change will come overnight. Politics is not only a game, it is a process. It takes time, effort and alot of action on the ground at the grassroots level. So the next time you hear "Yes We Can" or "Si Se Puede," think about what you can be doing right now to make that change real.



Dead Prez asks us:

"You would rather have a Lexus or justice, a dream or some substance? A beamer, a necklace or freedom?"