Hip-hop forum to promote non-violence

A hip-hop social/music forum designed to engage young adults in non-violence efforts is on tap thanks to Wright State University’s Bolinga Black Cultural Resources Center and the City of Dayton Human Relations Council.

The April 13 event, which will be held at Thurgood Marshall High School in Dayton, also includes an April 11 rally at Omega Baptist Church and an April 12 concert at Thurgood Marshall featuring hip-hop pioneer MC Lyte.

The event grew out of a series of community discussion forums called Speak, Be Heard, Be Considered aimed at improving relations between the community and the police and identifying effective strategies to reduce crime and disorder.

The April 11 to13 events are designed to reach young adults in the community through hip-hop and encourage them to become activists and advocates for non-violence and other societal concerns.

The April 13 panel discussion at Thurgood Marshall will feature MC Lyte; journalist and moderator Bakaria Kitwani, senior media fellow at The Jamestown Project, a diverse action-oriented think tank; and  hip-hop artist Jisiri X, founding member of One HOOD, a group that works against violence in black communities.