“The hip hop generation of this country will make the critical difference in determining the next President of the United States,” says Executive Director of the Hip hop Summit Action Network Valeisha Butterfield.

For that reason the national launch of “Hip hop Team Vote: Turn Up The Vote” campaign will be held in the city of Philadelphia on March 19 at 11am EDT on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.

The 18-29 year old segment of the hip hop generation will be nearly 50 million strong in 2008, making up one third of the electorate. Civicyouth.org reported that between the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, youth voter turnout more than doubled.

“Hip hop Team Vote: Turn Up The Vote” will utilize a variety of means to reach its target demographic and maximize youth voter registration, including hip hop radio stations, artists, recording industry street teams, web and pod casts, social networks, blogs and grass roots organizing.

The national “Hip hop Team Vote: Turn Up The Vote” campaign is to mobilize the hip hop generation of youth voters to ensure the largest youth voter turnout in American history on November 4, 2008.

The community partners are the United States Student Association and Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN).

Before publicly endorsing Senator Barack Obama recently, Russell Simmons chose to take a leave of absence as Chairman of the Hip hop Summit Action Network until after the 2008 presidential election, to protect the integrity of the organization. However, he remains an active participant in HSAN events.

About Hip hop Research and Education Fund

Founded in 2001, the Hip hop Research and Education Fund (HREF) is one of the premier research and public education organizations, dedicated to raising public awareness about social, cultural, political and economic issues important to the hip hop generation in America and throughout the world. HREF is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501C3 organization, based in New York City.

About PowerPAC

Power PAC is a nonprofit advocacy and political organization. It was organized to champion democracy and social justice in states and communities across the country. PowerPAC directs financial and human resources to strategic local and state legislative fights, ballot initiatives, and candidate campaigns by organizing donors who are committed to social justice politics. The organization identifies priority areas for investment and helps donors achieve maximum political impact with their political giving. This process includes conducting research and analysis on the political landscape, identifying critical social justice issues and rising star candidates to bring more voters - particularly voters of color - into the political process. PowerPAC believes that the most effective way to build political power for historically underrepresented constituencies is to invest in long-term political and for structure that can be mobilized for short-term victories.

About Hip hop Summit Action Network

Founded in 2001, the Hip hop Summit Action Network is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States. HSAN is the largest non-profit, worldwide coalition of hip hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip hop is an enormously influential agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice.