Educating the public about voter suppression and other key issues in the run up to the November 3rd Fall General Election is the focus of the Hip-Hop Political Education Summit, a new day-long streaming event on Tuesday, September 22 featuring key rap artists and other prominent voices in the fight for systemic change.
Alderman Khalif J. Rainey, founder of Hip-Hop Week MKE, said the focus on voter suppression is fresh on the minds of voters in the City of Milwaukee, who could vote at only five in-person polling locations in the April 7 Spring Primary Election, as the COVID-19 pandemic greatly reduced the number of available poll workers and after the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Governor Evers’ attempt to delay the election until a later date.
“Voters have had to deal with ridiculously long lines at reduced polling locations, foreign interference, and even wide-scale attempts to scrub thousands from voter rolls,” Alderman Rainey said. “As we approach Election Day we need to empower voters with the information they need to make sure their vote is counted, and that’s why I am looking forward to with the Hip-Hop Political Education Summit.”
Alderman Rainey said the event will take place on National Voter Registration Day, and will partner REVOLT (a global news-politics-music-entertainment online outlet) with Hip-Hop Week MKE and Black Voters Matter and will feature several rap figures, as well as those fighting on the frontlines for change.