Hip hop caucus celebrates 20 years

By Kayla SmernoffThe& Hip Hop Caucus’s Respect My Vote! campaign is trying to change the landscape of voter engagement by using culture to encourage people to cast ballots.The campaign’s next stop will be on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at Howard University to engage young voters as part of the& Hip Hop Caucus’s 20th& anniversary celebration& on the campus where it all began.Following an 11 a.m. town hall and reception in the Blackburn Center, Respect My Vote! will shift voter outreach activities outdoors on the Yard for a block party with DJ Akademiks from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.“This is an unprecedented time in our nation’s history,” Chris Walton, associate director of Respect My Vote! said in a statement. “In this critical moment, we choose to stand in our power, use our voice and exercise our right to vote while we fight to ensure that our democracy works fairly for everyone.”According to the& Pew Research Center, Black Americans account for a third of eligible voters, which reinforces the need for Black people and other persons of color to understand how to vote and the weight of their voting power.Respect My Vote!& combines art, dance, music and media to inspire people to exercise...