HARI In-House Blog

Submitted by batkins on


WE NEED TO VOTE IN LARGE NUMBERS


Early voting for the midterms has already begun in many states across the country so get out and vote NOW! Check out how to vote early in your state HERE or find your polling location for Election Day on Tuesday, November 6th HERE.

The outcome of the 2018 midterm elections will not simply be decided by whether blacks and millennials of color step up and go out to vote. We NEED to vote in large numbers. The real outcome of this election is based on how past and present politicians have and have not represented and protected ALL of America. It is about how activism and education around issues is exploited and attacked without serious discussion.  It is about how the history of the politics of race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, religion, regionalism and citizenship are represented and included in American politics.  The Hiphop Nation has NEVER been silent on these issues.

We vote because we believe that this country is great when it celebrates all of us.  As Jay-Z writes, “The joke’s on them because they’re really fighting phantoms of their own creation.”  We will not quietly do what we are told.  We know our ancestors have given and sacrificed far too much for us to walk away when things get hard. For that reason, there is no excuse not to vote. Take it from our forever President Barack Obama:
 


The Hiphop Archive and Research Institute (HARI) has been collecting and archiving Hiphop’s political involvement since its beginning.  In recognition of this important election, we are opening our vaults and offering a countdown to the election. From the early warnings of "The Message" as Melle Mel describes the neighborhood decay and devastation as well as Public Enemy’s history, political lessons and critique of society in addition to today’s cry for justice, Hiphop has provided culturally engaging civics education resources for American youth. Learn more: 

      HIPHOP AND POLITICS TIMELINE