Hip Hop Congress

Kim Winnegge, The Forum
Published Sunday, February 18, 2007

Originally Posted Here

Turn off your radios and televisions. Forget what you’ve read about 50 Cent. Organizers of the 2nd Annual Minnesota Summit of the Hip Hop Congress have something to say.

Concordia College is hosting the summit, focused on the political and activist mentalities of hip hop, this weekend. The summit continues until 2 p.m. today.

Sureshi Jayawardene, one of the summit’s student coordinators, said last year’s summit left such an impression on her that she wanted to get more involved this year.

“A lot of the summit has to do with breaking down those stereotypes that you see on MTV or BET,” she said. “Hip hop’s not about women being scantily clad or that gangster mentality. We want to educate people on how to deal with those negative images.”

Amer Ahmed, director of intercultural affairs at Concordia, was instrumental in bringing the summit to the campus.

“He thought it would be a good event to bring to the area, because we don’t have a lot of events we can engage in like this, actively and positively,” Jayawardene said.

Ahmed’s involvement with the Hip Hop Congress goes back six years.

“We’re trying to reframe the discussion,” Ahmed said. “Hip hop originated from efforts to get kids off the streets and out of gangs and in to community centers, to get them to participate and express themselves in a constructive way.

“It got co-opted by pop culture’s mission and agendas, but there’s still this really dynamic, activist, community-organizing mentality that exists beneath the surface. We want to draw that out.”

The summit consisted of several panels and workshops, focusing on politics and activism, Native American hip hop and social justice.

People Escaping Poverty Project was on hand to offer skills and tips on community organizing.

For Asad Jafri, Chicago regional director, the summit’s mission is to create awareness about hip hop’s roots and positive message.

“We need to let people know that hip hop is something that can be empowering for everyone,” Jafri said.

“There’s always networking, getting the message out there, making the movement go forward, but in the end, it’s a celebration of community. That’s what hip hop is all about.”

If you go:

- What: Hip Hop Congress’ Minnesota Summit

- Where: Concordia College

- When: Today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

- Tip: People Escaping Poverty Project hosts a community organizing session from 10 a.m. to noon. A break dancing event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium.

Readers can reach Forum reporter

Kim Winnegge at (701) 241-5509