Hip-Hop Responds To War

You have probably have read about this . . .

A poll recently surfaced showing that African-Americans are more opposed to the U.S.-led war with Iraq than any other major ethnic group in the United States. According to the Gallup Organization, 66 percent of African-Americans are not supportive of the conflict. Organizers of the survey stress, however, that this should not be interpreted as the "entire black community being unpatriotic."

Famed sci-fi/mystery author Walter Mosley is among those who opposes the war. He recently published a new non-fiction book called What Next: A Memoir Toward World Peace, in which he urges African-Americans to use their collective experience and history to move the country towards a diplomatic stance. "Why would [African-Americans] want to support a war against people, when [they] feel that number one, in [our] own country, there are issues facing African-Americans, which are more dire and which this war has nothing to do with,” he says. “And of course because there’s such a disproportionate number of people of color in the army, why would we want to send our own people over there to get killed?”

Meanwhile, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) issued a statement last week urging support for the troops fighting in Iraq, despite issuing an earlier statement opposing the war. "More than most of American society, our military reflects the diversity of our nation," writes NAACP Chairman of the Board Julian Bond. "We commend the bravery and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, who represent all races and faiths."

There also has been some reporting that African-Americans are not attending the anti-war rallies, which is not true. In fact, the urban organization Black Youth Vote! (BYV) will bring their annual get-together, Civic Leadership Conference: Our Voices, Our Issues, Our Politics!, to Washington, D.C, on April 2-5. Much of the discussion at the three-day gathering will be how the youth can voice their concerns about the war in Iraq. Youth activists, celebrities and elected officials from across the country will be among the speakers at the event. Lecturers scheduled to speak include hip-hop activist-journalist-author Kevin Powell and musical celebrities like soul singer Donnie reportedly will perform.