Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa to have voter registration booth at Va Beach concert

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ABC News 13 News Now: “Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa schedules to have voter registration booth at VA Beach concert”

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) — Snoop Dog and Wiz Khalifa will be doing their part to encourage fans to get out and vote this fall by providing the opportunity to register to vote at every U.S. city tour stop.

One of those stops includes Virginia Beach.

Each U.S. stops on “The High Road Tour” featuring Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa will have voter registration and information booths. The tour teamed up with The Hip Hop Caucus’ ‘Respect My Vote!’ campaign to help educate and engage youth.

The High Road Summer Tour will not only allow concert attendees to register to vote, but also get information on the election process, and learn how to stay connected to the issues that matter most to them.

The concert in Virginia Beach will be held on Wednesday, July 27, at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, the show begins at 7 p.m.

Read Original Article on ABC News

Rev. Lennox Yearwood Has Some Interesting Advice for Young Voters, Launches Respect My Vote! Campaign

TheSource Yearwood-Shana-Schnur-Photography--SSP_5070-040

The Source: “Rev. Lennox Yearwood has some interesting advice for young voters, launches Respect My Vote! Campaign”

“This is the year where we are taken seriously in politics.”

In the year 2016, civic engagement within communities of color has taken on a whole new definition.

Eight years after witnessing the election of the United States of America’s first black president, a new generation of change has ushered in a novel rhetoric surrounding what it is that the Hip Hop community expects to see in the leaders they elect moving forward.

Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr. is no stranger to the ever-changing dynamics of major political elections as it pertains to this demographic, and this year, he has returned once more to energize the latest generation poised to pick the nation’s next president.

As President of the Hip Hop Caucus, Yearwood has launched the Respect My Vote! initiative, a non-partisan campaign geared towards the Hip Hop community, including the new age of millennial voters who have now emerged as the largest living voting-eligible generation.

“What really creates this movement is the pain of our people,” Rev. Yearwood says, speaking on the inspiration behind the inception of the campaign. “We want to change that in a holistic way when it is not just one person coming up and them doing well, but we want to change for our whole community. One way we saw we could do it was through the vote.”

Young voters now hold a great deal of power and with that, a significant amount of responsibility to educate themselves on relevant topics pertaining to the 2016 presidential election.

In recent months, weeks, and even days, we’ve witnessed the collective effort of this generation to bring about societal and judicial change within our nation’s systems of power—an effort most notably highlighted by a series of rallying protests, marches, and heightened social media engagement to continue to shed light on social issues within the country.

According to Yearwood, we’re on to something, but it can’t just stop there.

“Utilize the vote as a door, not whole process,” he says. “Don’t vote and stop. The whole idea is to make democracy and being engaged in the process a lifestyle.”

In a time where knowledge of issues surrounding pollution and climate change, criminal justice, civil rights, and economic advancement has seen a substantial increase, Yearwood didn’t fail to mention the shifting gears of the Hip Hop community’s focus as it relates to this year’s presidential election in comparison to 2008 and 2012.

There’s still a lot out there to which we’ve been blind, however. Citing a recent move where the state of Virginia began pushing to remove laws that prohibited ex-offenders from voting, Yearwood touched on one of the campaign’s main goals, which is eradicating the Jim Crow-era legislation that keeps a great portion of this nation disenfranchised and without a voice.

“We lobbied hard and in April of this year, Governor McAuliffe allowed for ex-offenders to vote, allowing for 200,000 people in Virginia alone the right to vote.”

While the move was recently met with pushback by the Virginia Supreme court, McAuliffe has still vowed to personally grant clemency to each individual ex-offender affected.

This goal of the Respect My Vote! campaign has seen the support of cultural figures such as rappers T.I. and 2 Chainz, and former offenders themselves. While the use of celebrity figures is nothing new and definitely not a novel concept to Respect My Vote!, the initiative has worked to introduce a new generation of cultural influencers to the political spectrum.

With the likes of Charlamagne tha God, Keke Palmer, and G Herbo coming on board to use their stakes in popular culture to get voters to the poll, the Rev. explains that this campaign has displayed a new kind of celebrity endorsement where the effort being put forth by campaign spokespersons has been different from years past.

Using rapper Vic Mensa as an example, Yearwood explains how many have now gone above and beyond the typical involvement to energize young voters.

“Vic is a new age kind of artist,” he says. “He is probably the first to get on the phone with the staff to create the campaign. We’re now moving into a whole new kind of artist who is now at the drawing board putting together the plans. They’re literally helping to put the campaign together. That’s what is so exciting about this new generation.”

But even with the newfound involvement of our generation’s influencers in the political process, it seems that many young voters simply lack the energy to get up and cast their ballot.

Anti-establishment mentalities and fears of partisanship have begun to settle in, making this generation more cautious than ever when it comes down to casting a vote.

Yearwood explains that political literacy is the most important tool for any young voter attempting to navigate the political field in all levels of government this year and for years to come.

“Young voters should know the nominees and should not be caught up in partisanship,” he says. “They should be most concerned with the issues. I find that most young voters are tired of politics and not concerned about what is behind a name but how a politician is addressing the issues that matter most to them. My advice is to not worry about the partisanship, worry about the policies.

“When people begin to understand what it means to actually create legislature, then they get excited,” he adds. “It’s about us. We are the ones who are going to make this government do what it needs to do. We’re the ones who’ll be around. We are truly who we’ve been waiting for.”

Read Original Article on The Source by Milca Pierre

It’s Time For A Black Lives Matter Electoral Revolution

The recent tragedies in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Texas and Louisiana now account for more than a third of the 31 police murders by gunfire in the U.S. this year.  Last year, there were 39 murders of police officers by gunfire, down from the previous year, as well as historically. In 2005 there were 53 murders of police by gunfire; in 1995 – 70 murders; in 1985 – 74 murders; and in 1975 – 143 murders. In other words, these recent years are the safest years in history to be a cop.

With a city in mourning, this might be the worst time to impose statistics and a tone of rationality. However, we need to be aware of the potential narrative that will try to bend problems associated with gun culture into a larger, movement unassociated to justify the inequity of the criminal justice system towards Black people.

This past May, Governor John Bel Edwards signed the “Blue Lives Matter” bill into law, making Louisiana the first state in the nation where public safety workers are considered a protected class under the hate-crime law. In many states, hate crime laws call for additional penalties for those convicted of crimes targeting victims on the basis of race, ethnicity or religion. Targeting police officers, firefighters and emergency medical service personnel now fall under Louisiana’s hate crime law.

“Blue Lives Matter” legislation is a distraction from the over-policing of Black and Brown people and wastes time focusing on a non-existent problem, instead of addressing the real problem of police bias and racial profiling. While the population of Baton Rouge is over 50% Black, two-thirds of the police department is White.  The police department has a history of mistreating its citizens.  So much so, that the Baton Rouge police department has been under a federal consent decree since 1980–and has had more than 30 years to improve its minority recruiting.  ‘Blue Lives ‘ Advocates argue criticizing the police fosters animosity towards law enforcement.

Doesn’t a killing of an unarmed Black person also foster animosity towards law enforcement?  The power and prevalence of smartphones and social media allow us to document and watch unarmed Black people die in real time.  Where is the support for “Black Lives Matter” legislation?  What laws protect the Alton Sterlings in Louisiana?
Unfortunately, there are no easy answers or quick fix solutions. What can we do now?

DEMAND President Obama issue an “Executive Order” that compels the Department of Justice to issue uniform police guidelines and standards that must be adhered to by police departments across the nation. This includes training, conduct, recruitment, use of lethal force, traffic stops, racial profiling, body cameras, and the prosecution of misconduct by police officers.

We can register to vote. We can vote. We can show up at the polls and elect officials who are committed to ending brutality by holding people accountable. Voting local matters. Join Hip Hop Caucus in the #RespectMyVote movement. #ElectoralRevolution

If you are living in Baton Rouge, you should know on November 8, 2016,  every East Baton Rouge city councilperson (all 12) are up for re-election.  Also the mayor, sheriff, one Senator and, two Congresspeople will be on the ballot. If you don’t live in Baton Rouge, register or pledge to vote for people who will act.  Do your research on each candidate and decide the immediate impact they will have once elected into office. Your vote matters!
And lastly, continue to keep your smartphones charged.

Document. Report. Ignite change. #RespectMyVote #StayWoke

Posted by: Lisa Fager, Director, Public Policy and Solutions

The data regarding police casualties presented in this blog was obtained from The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc., and analyzed by Dr. Ivory A. Toldson, for the Facebook Post, “An Honest Prayer for Baton Rouge, Louisiana.”

The Hip Hop Caucus’ Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. On P. Diddy Calling Voting A Scam

Original article posted on HipHopDX

Link to original post: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.39622/title.the-hip-hop-caucus-rev-lennox-yearwood-jr-on-p-diddy-calling-voting-a-scam

July 14, 2016 | 4:13 PM

by Ural Garrett

Los Angeles, CA – Two of the nation’s biggest issues have revolved around police brutality and the upcoming presidential election. This is why HipHopDX felt it was necessary to speak with The Hip Hop Caucus’ President and CEO Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr.

Founded in 2004, the goal of the organization is to connect the Hip Hop community to the civic process to build power and create positive change. The nonprofit and nonpartisan entity emerged from Russell Simmons’ Hip Hop Summit Action Network, Jay Z’s Voice Your Choice, AFL-CIO’s Hip Hop Voices and P. Diddy’s Citizen Change a.k.a. Vote or Die.

During the interview, Yearwood Jr. spoke on how The Hip Hop Caucus kept its distance as a nonpartisan organization while using Hip Hop to enact change and used the 2008 Presidential Election as an example.

“When we created the Respect my Vote campaign in 2008, many people were excited about President Barack Obama,” he said. “I mean they was like ‘Man we gon have a Black President!’ We held true actually that we wanted to be non-partisan. We had our polls tested are you really non-partisan, are you really just saying that? We actually had our biggest test when we had the first guy running for office. Everybody was leaving the organizations to be behind him. We actually said that while we’re excited about having the possibility, at that time, of the first Black president, we remained true that it’s not about who we endorse, but who endorses us.”

Celebrities and rappers alike throughout time have pushed for many to join the political process. In October of last year, many were surprised when P. Diddy reversed his stance on voting by calling it a scam. Yearwood Jr. spoke with the media mogul about his attitude toward the political process and learned that Diddy had more of an issue with campaign financing.

“Me and Diddy actually met New Year’s Eve in Miami and we had a great conversation,” he explained. “So he’s full-heartedly, and I can say for this, he’s 100% behind the Hip Hop Caucus’ endeavor, to engage and register voters, but his points of dealing with it until we get campaign financial reform, until we deal with issues of voting rights, are very true. It won’t matter until we deal with that.”

Yearwood Jr. says that the Caucus understands and fully supports Puff Daddy’s statements while balancing its initial mission.

“We’re dealing with that,” he says. “We’re dealing right now with the issues of voting rights, and we’re trying to educate our communities and get new – and get the voting rights act strengthened. We’re pushing for issues of campaign financial reform and making sure that we don’t just have unlimited resources put in by corporations that devalue one voice and one vote in their community and we’re pushing this.”

Among other topics, Yearwood Jr. took the time to speak on the upsurge in police brutality including the recent deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

“There’s a lot of anxiety. People are upset about seeing the continuous of young Black men and Black women being killed by law enforcement so there’s a lot of anxiety in our communities to want to see justice,” Yearwood Jr added. “To want to see change happen and besides that, I feel because I work with Hip Hop Caucus to feel empowered because the organization like Hip Hop Caucus is out here, and around to fight for justice and equality in this country.”

Check out the video below and please register to vote here.

YOUTUBE Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bcm5qQKxA8

Cleveland hip-hop artist encourages voting

Cleveland

NBC Cleveland Online:

CLEVELAND – As the country gets closer to election season, a group of Cleveland hip-hop artists is teaming up to get more young people to vote.

This is a part of the Hip-Hop Caucus’ “Respect My Vote” campaign. The artist gathered Tuesday for a photo shoot that will be used during voter registration events.

There are also other forms that will help teach the importance of voting to promote change in their communities.

Read Original Article on NBC Cleveland

Power1051fm.com: Interview: Birdman Goes Off On The Breakfast Club

In a much anticipated interview, Birdman stopped by The Breakfast Club this morning and things quickly escalated. He was upset and immediately cursed them out before the interview even began. “I want to start this s*** off straight by telling all three of ya’ll to stop playing with my name! Stop playing with my f****** name!”

Charlamagne Tha God asked him to address what the issue was but he refused to do so. He stated that he had already talked about it. He told Charlamagne Tha God that he wanted to see him like a man to his face. He knew a few places where he was at and could have pulled up but he didn’t think that was gansta so he wanted to look him in his face.

Charlamagne questioned if he had pulled up on Rick Ross or Trick Daddy like that, both of which had made comments about Birdman while on The Breakfast Club. This made him upset and stated that he’s pulling up on him. After Charlagmane stated that he’s the radio guy, “Why are you pulling up on the radio guy?” he decided to walk out of the interview.

Check out interview below to see what went down.

Read original article on Power 105.1 FM

BLACKENTERPRISE.COM: Hip Hop Caucus Founder, Rev. Yearwood Launches Respect My Vote!

BE Politics caught up with Hip Hop Caucus Founder and CEO, Rev. Lennox Yearwoodto discuss the launch of Respect My Vote!

This week, the Hip Hop Caucus launched Respect My Vote!, a national non-partisan campaign aimed at mobilizing young voters to participate in the political process. BE Politics caught up with Hip Hop Caucus Founder and CEO, Rev. Lennox Yearwood to discuss the launch of Respect My Vote!

 [Related: Trump’s Campaign of Anger and Fear takes Center Stage in Discussion on Race]

With history-changing campaigns such as Vote or Die and Voice Your Choice under his belt, Rev. Yearwood is no stranger to mobilizing young voters. He often appoints celebrities as spokespeople and ambassadors for his get out the vote campaigns, using their platform and fame to make the electoral process more appealing to young people. Yearwood also uses celebrities to attract another, often ignored portion of voters: ex-offenders.

Full Article

 

METRO.US: Respect My Vote! campaign looks to engage voters on Election Day and beyond

The overall purpose of the campaign is to push individuals to get involved in all elections that can shape their communities and lives.

 

With Election Day just months away, one campaign is hoping to encourage individuals to get out off the sidelines and let their voices be heard.

The Hip Hop Caucus — a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization which connects the hip hop community to young people and members of urban communities to motivate participation in the civic process — launched Tuesday its 2016 Respect My Vote! campaign.

Full article

 

PBLCTY.COM Respect My Vote! Empowers Young Voters

Charlamagne Tha God, radio personality of nationally syndicated Power 105 “Breakfast Club” and Star on MTV2 “Uncommon Sense” will serve as a spokesperson for the campaign. Respect My Vote! targets voters in urban communities and on college campuses, ages 18-40 years-old, to register and get out to vote. 

Respect My Vote! is a national Hip Hop culture-based campaign that reaches the disenfranchised with celebrity spokespeople, social media influencers, and community leaders.  People can register to vote at www.respectmyvote.com, and join the campaign by pledging to vote, signing up to volunteer in their communities, and spreading the word through their social networks online.  Starting in the month of May, Respect My Vote! will implement on-the-ground voter registration drives in cities and on campuses across the country with emphasis on states such as Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado, Nevada and North Carolina. The grassroots drives will be active through voter registration deadlines and then will become major voter turnout drives to get voters to the polls for early voting and on Election Day.

For more information about the Respect My Vote! campaign and to get informed on ex-offenders laws from state to state, please visit www.respectmyvote.com.

Full article

PRNEWSWIRE.COM: Hip Hop Caucus Launches Respect My Vote! Non-Partisan Campaign to Mobilize Young Voters in the 2016 General Election

Charlamagne Tha God, Radio Personality on Power 105 “Breakfast Club” and MTV2 “Uncommon Sense” Host is First Celebrity Announced to Join 2016 Campaign as Voice to Combat Disenfranchisement within Political Process.

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — The Hip Hop Caucus, a national non-profit that makes change happen by empowering the Hip Hop community to participate in the civic process, has launched its non-partisan voter registration and education campaign, Respect My Vote! for the 2016 general election.  Charlamagne Tha God, radio personality of nationally syndicated Power 105 “Breakfast Club” and Star on MTV2 “Uncommon Sense” will serve as a spokesperson for the campaign. Respect My Vote! targets voters in urban communities and on college campuses, ages 18-40 years-old, to register and get out to vote.

Read full article at prnewswire.com