SAN FRANCISCO
'Hip-Hop vs. DNC' backs Mumia action
By Jime
Salcedo-Malo and Monica Ly
San Francisco
On July 29, the International Action Center held a benefit
show called "Hip-Hop vs. the DNC" at the Mission Cultural
Center in San Francisco. The show raised over $700 to fund
buses going to Los Angeles for the Aug. 13 National March for
Mumia Abu-Jamal at the Democratic National Convention.
The show was a huge success that brought out over 250
people in support of Abu-Jamal and the hip-hop movement. The
event was dedicated to the memory of Shaka Sankofa/Gary
Graham, who was executed in Texas June 22.
From its beginning, hip-hop music has been a powerful
force of revolutionary resistance. In California, the hip-hop
movement has been a vital part of the struggle, making its
presence felt at rallies, forums and educational/cultural
events.
Yet with all the success activists have had using hip-hop
as an organizing tool, the music and the culture still lack
the respect they deserve. The corporate-owned media
perpetuated sexism, racism, violence and homophobia in
hip-hop as the music became commercialized in the 1980s. This
commercialization of hip-hop has been a major setback to the
culture, and has made it very difficult to develop a
positive, revolutionary hip-hop movement from the grassroots.
Nonetheless, progress is being made.
"Hip-Hop vs. the DNC" was a positive example of how the
music can bring together different people for political
education and revolutionary entertainment. The show brought
out some of the dopest hip-hop artists in the Bay Area,
including Sayyadina, Lucha, Teknique, Anita de Asis, Oywalk
and Natural Fact. The writers of this article, members of the
IAC, also performed.
IAC West Coast Co-Director Gloria La Riva talked about her
1996 meeting with Shaka Sankofa. Fourteen-year-old high
school student Sade Bonilla read Sankofa's last
statement.
"Hip-hop is like having a conversation with somebody,"
said Brother Los, MC of the Oakland-based Duo Company of
Prophets, who gave a powerful and inspirational performance
at the event. "It is a strong form of communication,
especially in reaching the youth."
The positive energy in the room showed that you can be
revolutionary while getting your groove on.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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