Changing the Conversation

Maybe I watch too much TV but it's cool how AT&T Changes the conversation about their mobile devices.

If you haven't seen the commercial, here's a piece of the transcript.

Mother:I have not had it up to here with you, young lady!
Daughter:Why do you insist on treating me like an adult?
Mother: Because you insist on acting like one! Now you're getting this new phone.
Daughter:But it's so small! I really like it! Why is it always what I want?
Mother: Well, do you have any idea how much money this is not going to cost me?
Daughter:I love you!
Mother: I know you really mean that.
Daughter: You never hated me and you never will!
Mother: You are the most grateful little....
Announcer: Cingular is changing the conversation about cellphones....

Just as AT&T is changing the conversation, so are the youth at the National Democratic Convention.

Monday night at Rock the Vote’s Ballot Bash proved that a group of young people could come together and organize an event that was successful and very meaningful. N.E.R.D., Nick Cannon, Fall Out Boy and Jakob Dylan were just a few celebrities that came through and performed. Others sat in the audience and enjoyed the event.

Every performance was on point. Even our Myspace winner, Otep, had a great crowd of enthused listeners. Otep and her band were able to register 500 people in three days, beating out 5,000 bands who also competed. She shared a touching speech about speaking up and seeing change or doing nothing and seeing no change.

The celebrities and their speeches were a great edition, but it was the youth out and about in the Opera House that had more of a telling story.

Trick or Vote was out in their elaborate Halloween Costumes. When I spoke with the Mummy, he said that Trick or Vote is the largest non-partisan organization that hit the streets….in costume. How exciting. The costumes added curiosity to their purpose and formed a lot of partnerships with their creativity.

Other youth had a lot to say about being at the Democratic Convention for the first time. Many who were 18 shared their enthusiasm to vote. I remember being just like that when I was their age. I connected with a lot almost immediately. We spoke about changes and promoting the vote ideas that we wanted to take back to our respective communities.

Overall, the event was a success. We talked, we danced, but most of all we changed the conversation. It was about the youth for once, and what we can do to be heard in America. Like Otep said in her speech: “If you want high gas prices, the war in Iraq to continue and higher taxes….sit around and do nothing!”

To get the Rock the Vote Ballot Bash Experience, watch the unedited and uncut clips.

Footage includes:
N.E.R.D
FALL OUT BOY
Nick Cannon
Jakob Dylan and The Gold Mountain Rebels
Interviews
And more

A New Spin On Vandalism

National Night Out: America’s Night Out Against Crime (NNO) reenergized the nation again for the 25th year on August 5, 2008. This community-centered event was initially developed by Matt A. Peskin, the Executive Director of the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). In 1984, (just months after my birth) Peskin launched NNO in Northfield, New Jersey- a small, predominately white community of just over 7,000 people. NNO was a creative way to address crime prevention and bring attention to programs as well as create unity among law enforcement and the community they serve. The first year's nationwide efforts brought out more than 2.5 million people into their streets.

What better way to check what’s going on in the streets of your hood than taking a stroll and hangin’ out for the night? Nothing unusual for us young folks, right? But what about your neighbor? Do you know who they are? Do you know what issues they care about on the block? Do you know if your neighbor is registered to vote? If you answered yes, then you are 10 steps ahead of the game. Unfortunately, most people do not know who their neighbors are, or interact with them much. In this time of technology, we spend a lot of time behind our computers (I mean c’mon now, face it. You’re at a computer right now reading this). We poke our neighbors on Facebook, and leave Myspace “Have a Great Weekend” glitter graphics on pages, but do we really care about our neighbor’s weekend? Do we really value real human interaction?

After a little thought, I decided to leave my last Myspace comment and close up shop, hitting the streets of the Twin Cities, Minnesota!!

I couldn’t quite shake the tech habit yet, so I sent a text message (from my Samsung Blackjack provided by our fabulous sponsors, AT&T) to a couple of my friends who might have heard about some NNO festivities. A few responses flowed in about a small block BBQ, rumors of ice cream and a few community center events. I quickly Googled “National Night Out 2008- St. Paul” and came across a gigantic list of block parties, public gatherings, ice cream socials, and cookouts all categorized by neighborhood. I decided to first peep out what was going on over on the West Side.

Nestled in the Mississippi riverbank in St. Paul by my favorite taco place, Boca Chica, was the Neighborhood House’s First Annual NNO. I don’t recall it being on the list. Actually, what drew me there was the spoken word vibes of Ill Chemistry (Carnage and Desdamona) over the loud speaker, and the hustle and bustle of the basketball tournament in the street. “Hustle the struggle, don’t let the struggle hustle you” was declared on the microphone. Young people rested on the sidelines, bounced in the hoper, and got ready for their dance performances. Even though it was the community center’s first NNO, the grassy field and nearby streets were stirring with change - real action taking place toward solidifying black-white-brown unity.

For many years, the District del Sol has been a growing, predominantly Latino community on St. Paul’s West Side. Patterns across the nation show that inner-city neighborhoods are becoming more and more integrated and diverse. Hmong, African American, Caucasian, Somali, Native American and Latinos gathered together in peace- not thinking twice about the cultural gaps they were bridging, the stereotypes they were dispelling, and unity across racial lines they were solidifying.

Enrique “Cha-cho” Estrada, the Community & Youth Advocate and National Night Out organizer for the West Side’s Neighborhood House stated, “There has been a lot of tension in the neighborhoods with the different races and the whole goal today is to bring everyone from the community together.”

Different from the initial intention of the first National Night Out in 1984, the Neighborhood House on the West Side found it’s own exclusive meaning: By simply hanging out for the evening, racial, economic, religious, and gender barriers were being shattered- this being the type of vandalism I can stand behind 100%. Forged upon these breakthroughs, a solid foundation built in trust and unity will be home to the next generation of revolutionaries.

Click HERE for more pictures from my adventures on the West Side!!!

DemROCKracy Band Competition-- First Round Winner!

Congrats to the super awesome Jackie V who won the first round of artists who won the DemROCKracy Band Competition!

If you don't know Jackie V you are missing out. She's 18 years old this year and has gone above and beyond to register voters on her MySpace page as well as in her community. She's been playing the piano since she was a little girl and now plays some edgy pop with a jazz twist all over Austin, Texas.

We caught up with Jackie today to present her with her beautiful new Gibson Guitar and encourage her to keep up the good work to get to the big Rock the Vote Concert Extravaganza in August!


Check out Jackie as she receives her guitar: