Democrats are forming a coalition to leverage the influence of music in addressing key issues impacting Black and Brown Americans.
On Wednesday, representatives Jamaal Bowman, Hank Johnson, André Carson, and Delia Ramirez introduced the Congressional Hip-Hop Power and Justice Task Force, led by the Black Music Action Coalition.
The task force plans to harness hip-hop’s messaging for a more equitable society, leading efforts to tackle economic equality, affordable housing, and racial justice imperatives.
“Black Music Action Coalition’s mission is to work with business leaders and lawmakers to utilize the music industry’s influence to impact federal policies that address racial and social justice,” said BMAC co-founder Willie “Prophet” Stiggers. “The RAP Act is just one example of how aligning BMAC’s efforts in tandem with the Congressional Hip-Hop Task Force is a natural extension of Black Music Action Coalition’s work supporting solutions to mass incarceration, justice reform, and economic hardships disparately impacting marginalized communities … BMAC looks forward to centralizing our energy with the first-ever Hip-Hop Power and Justice Task Force to activate legislation that protects the Black community.”
Bowman, attributing his political career to hip-hop artists such as Eric B. & Rakim, Queen Latifah, Chuck D, and Public Enemy, emphasized the significance of launching the task force. The objective is to collaborate with the hip-hop community in order to achieve meaningful legislative impact.
“They were very instrumental in creating a curriculum and blueprint for my life,” Bowman told The Hill. “I owe a lot of who I am to the lessons that they taught me on and through their music.”
“Hip hop has always been about ending poverty in America, about fully funding our public schools. It’s always been about justice reform and police reform,” the lawmaker said. “It’s always been about affordable housing and dealing with the issue of threats of violence.”
“Hip-hop has ingrained itself in our culture and continuously called upon us to fight for civil and racial justice,” Bowman said. “Hip-hop is why I support the movement for reparations, an end to discrimination and corporate greed in the housing industry, and access to healthcare and economic opportunity for everyone. That is why I am proud to stand with my colleagues in bringing the advocacy and ideology of Hip-Hop to Congress at this moment and continue our urgent calls for peace and justice across the world.”
Our goal with this Hip Hop Task Force is to bridge the gap between Hip Hop culture and the work we do here in Congress so that everyone who calls this culture home has a seat at the table. pic.twitter.com/YoeesjY98E
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) February 15, 2024
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