Conference Panelists and Presenters: Marinieves Alba | Ang 13 | Shaheen Ariefidien | Max Benitez | James Bernard | Toni Blackman | Triple Blak | Jeff Chang | Kevin Coval | Jonzi D | Mos Def | Martha Diaz | Jessica Green | James "Casper" Jankowiac | Talib Kweli | Bakari Kitwana | M1 | Boogie McClarin | Ivor Miller | Marcyliena Morgan | David Muhammed | Yunus Rafiq | Dr. Raquel Z. Rivera | Livio Sansone | Clyde Valentine | Cristina Verán | Zephyr Marinieves Alba – is an activist, educator, writer, and media professional whose work spans print, radio, and documentary filmmaking. More information... Top Ang 13 - (aka Angela Zone) originally born in Zaire, moved to Chicago’s Southwest Side when she was five. She launched the all-female hip-hop group Women of War but then began performing solo, MCing as Sister Ang. More information... Top Shaheen Ariefidien (Cape Town, South Africa) – Shaheen is part of one of South Africa’s most respected rap groups Prophets of Da City. His group has toured places ranging from prisons to schools to bring the plight of black South Africa to wider audiences. More information... Top Max Benitez - Twenty three year old Chicago native Maximliano Benitez is a filmmaker and youth media educator. He is currently directing a documentary feature about the Uptown Chicago based youth performance ensemble, Kuumba Lynx. The film follows Kuumba Lynx to Cuba, New Mexico and around Chicago as they perform and document cultural experiences to inspire their next stage production. More information... Top James Bernard (New York) – James Bernard is executive coordinator of the Project Forum on Race and Democracy, a project of the Rockefeller Foundation, and is the senior communications fellow at Policy Link. More information... Top Toni Blackman (New York) – A rap lyricist, vocalist, actress and writer, Blackman was granted the title of U.S. Hip Hop Ambassador by the U.S. Department of State. She is also the founder and director of the Freestyle Union which is a Washington DC based organization for hip hop artists and rappers. More information... Top Triple Blak (aka Oscar T. Lester) – is one of the nation’s preeminent, contemporary spoken-word artists. His work has taken him all around the country and enabled him to share stages with such artists as: Musiq Soul Child, The Last Poets, Malcolm Jamaal Warner and a variety of other artists and performers. In Chicago he is considered a pioneer on the Open Mic circuit. More information... Top Jeff Chang (Bay Area) – Jeff Chang is the author of Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Cultural and Political History of the Hip-Hop Generation. He has written extensively on race, culture, music and politics. More information... Top Kevin Coval (Chicago) - This poet, emcee, essayist, activist and educator has touched minds around the globe, with stops in the US, South Africa, Jamaica, India, and Europe. He uses hip-hop to wrestle, expose, and explore the impact of whiteness on himself and people of color. More information... Top Jonzi D (London) – Jonzi D has been actively involved in British Hip Hop culture, rapping and b-boying in clubs and on the streets since its inception in the early 1980's. More information... Top Mos Def (New York) – Talib Kweli is both a rap artist and activist. Kweli was born in Brooklyn, NY and began wringing lyrics and rapping at an early age. In 1997 after Kweli and Hi - Tek released "Fortified Live" on Rawkus Records, he and Mos Def joined to form Black Star in 1998, which became one of the most acclaimed albums of the year. More information... Top Martha Diaz (New York) – Educator and filmmaker, Martha Diaz, is a visionary with a decade of media production experience. Martha's intuition for success can be traced back to her early days as assistant to the late Ted Demme, the groundbreaking producer/director of "Yo! MTV Raps". More information... Top Jessica Green – is the Executive Editor of BET.com. Prior to joining BET.com she was the Executive Site Editor of WomanHood.com at Urban Box Office. She is also a founder, owner and former Editor-In-Chief of Stress Magazine (1994-2001), an independent Hip-hop magazine that was based in New York City. More information... Top James "Casper" Jankowiak – Recognized as one of the major contributors to the Chicago graffiti art scene, Casper has continued to develop his artistic vision to expand beyond the Streets and into the classroom. He has taught at several public and private schools Throughout the Chicago area, not only as a visual art educator, but as an active example of a professional artist whose roots were deeply influenced through Hip Hop culture. More information... Top Talib Kweli (New York) – A Brooklyn Native, Talib Kweli Greene is the eldest of two songs born to parents who were both educators. As a kid, Kweli was an avid reader and gifted writer and in elementary school he began writing plays, poetry and short stories. In high school, Kweli found a kindred spirit in a kid named Dante Smith, who shared his passion for hip-hop and who would eventually go on to gain notoriety as Mos Def. More information... Top Bakari Kitwana – is the author of The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture. The former executive editor of The Source: the magazine of hip-hop music, culture and politics, he's edited hundreds of articles on hip-hop and youth culture. More information... Top M1 – M1 aka Mutulu Olubala is a rapper and activist who has had a strong impact on the global hip hop landscape as a member of the rap duo Dead Prez. Dead Prez first appeared on the Loud Records compilation '97 Set Up with "Food, Clothes and Shelter." More information... Top Boogie McClarin (Chicago, Illinois) – thanks God for her many blessings and the opportunity to experience the power and beauty of dance—how it shapes community and how it can heal and unify mind, body and soul. Boogie began her dance training at Whitney Young Magnet High School and the underground House parties of the late 1980’s. More information... Top Ivor Miller (Chicago, Illinois) – Ivor Miller is a cultural historian specializing in the African Diaspora in the Caribbean and the Americas. His recent book Aerosol Kingdom: The Subway Painters of New York City documents and interprets the creation of Hip Hop culture in New York City from its beginnings in the late 1960s till the present, focusing on the Afro-Caribbean and African American contributions resulting from 20th century migrations. More information... Top Marcyliena Morgan – is Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Her research has focused on youth, gender, language, culture and identity, sociolinguistics, discourse and interaction. She is the author of, Language, Discourse and Power in African American Culture (2002) and Editor of Language and the Social Construction of Identity in Creole Situations (1994). More information... Top David Muhammad – is a youth activist, consultant, and event promoter based in Madison WI. As a youth he joined the Nation of Islam which began his activism, leading him to do coalition work with the National Council of La Raza, NOI Latino Ministry, and serving on the board of the United States Student Coalition. More information... Top Yunus Rafiq – is a Tanzanian social activist and co-founder of Aang Serian Peace Village in the city of Arusha. A 600-member youth organization representing 33 tribes of Tanzania and neighboring countries, Aang Serian serves indigenous youth through programs, which instill confidence and reaffirm identity and community in an increasingly urbanized East Africa. More information... Top Dr. Raquel Z. Rivera (New York) – Raquel Z. Rivera is a journalist and has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the City University of New York Graduate Center. Her book New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone was published by Palgrave Macmillan in March 2003. More information... Top Livio Sansone (Palermo, 1956) – obtained his PhD in anthropology at the University of Amsterdam and from 1996 to 2002 was Academic Vice-Director of the Center for Afro-Asian Studies of the Candido Mendes University in Rio de Janeiro. He also lectured on ethnic studies, globalization and urban anthropology at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. More information... Top Clyde Valentine (New York) – Mr. Valentine’s work with hip hop culture is diverse and comprehensive. He helped organize the Second Annual New York Hip Hop Theatre Festival. He also co-founded the Black August Hip Hop Benefit Concert that uses hip hop to raise human rights issues awareness. More information... Top Cristina Verán - Cristina Verán is an international journalist, historian and educator who has documented global cultural phenomena and socio-political movements extensively. Her work has featured in a wide range of media including Ms. Magazine, ColorLines, Vibe, News From Indian Country, Oneworld, Newsday, The Witness, and others. More information... Top Zephyr (New York) – In 1995 Zephyr was dubbed "The elder-statesman of graffiti" by the New York Times. Zephyr began his public art career in 1977 by surreptitiously painting New York City subway cars. In the early nineteen eighties he traveled the globe with fellow aerosol artists Dondi and Futura, spreading the graffiti doctrine worldwide. More information... Top