Rap Sessions, a community-based discussion and touring group, is bringing its “Hip Hop Activism in the Obama/Tea Party Era” tour to the University of Southern Indiana from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on February 21 in Carter Hall. The free and open to the public event is sponsored by the USI Office of the Provost, Activities Programming Board, and Student Development Programs.

For the last six years, Rap Sessions, the first national tour of its kind, has brought town hall style meetings to cities across the country. The national tour includes leading hip-hop activists, scholars, and artists, and strives to foster local discussion and debate. Among past participating institutions are Princeton University, Brown University, University of California-Berkeley, Vanderbilt University, and Harvard Law School.

Led by a distinguished panel of emerging leaders, activists, and scholars, the discussion on the youth vote and the 2012 presidential election will explore the ways the election of Barack Obama, the emergence of the Tea Party, and the shifting national political landscape has both strengthened and diminished hip-hop’s effectiveness at galvanizing youth.

Panelists include Bakari Kitwana, moderator and author of Hip Hop Activism in the Obama Era; Rob “Biko” Baker, executive director of The League of Young Voters; Jasiri X, hip hop artist and activist with One Hood; Rosa Clemente, 2008 vice-presidential candidate for the Green Party; and Adam Mansbach, author of Angry White Boy.

In a description of the tour, event organizers state that, “Over the last decade, hip hop unleashed its influence on the national political scene through national hip hop political organizations, and local activist groups, on college campuses, through the Internet, at grassroots gatherings, and beyond—a force that by 2008 notably influenced the outcome of the US presidential election. Two-thirds of 18-29 year-olds, who voted for president in 2008, cast their vote for Barack Obama. With Election 2012 less than a year away, now is an opportune time to consider the potential impact of hip hop on the next presidential election.”

The interactive 90-minute forum will address questions such as:  What are the political issues that matter to young voters? Is hip hop still the primary and most effective means of organizing the youth vote? Are Democrats and Republicans willing to go far enough to win the youth vote? and, What can student activists do to mobilize the hip hop vote?

More information on Rap Sessions can be found at http://www.rapsessions.org.

For information about the USI event, contact Kathy Jones at 812/465-7167, or email ksjones5@usi.edu.