Discussions

• What impact can the recent surge of women elected to public office have on dismantling toxic masculinity?

 

• Why are student and professional athletes so often at the center of sexual assault cases?

 

• What does the plethora of untested rape kits across the nation say about our country’s regard for women?

 

• When accusations emerge of sexual harassment and assault, what is the significance of believing women?

 

• Is there a pathway to forgiveness and redemption for men who transgress?

 

• How do women who attack the credibility of accusers and defend powerful men under fire for misconduct like Charlemagne Tha God or even President Donald Trump complicate the terrain?

 

• Can we build into existing institutional structures a healthier theory and practice of masculinity?

  • What legislative successes have been achieved at local, regional and federal levels, and how can they be duplicated?             
     
  • How do we close the gap of understanding common ground between the crises of school shootings and police killings of unarmed citizens?

                       

  • Given the history of American racism, what are the prospects for closing the gap on racial bias and racial disparities in policing?                          
      

    

  • What has been the impact of US Justice Department investigations of city police departments and consent decree agreements from LA to Cleveland?                                          

 

  • Although we have seen some diversity in resistance movements, what challenges remain to build support for LGBTQ individuals who also face the threat of police abuse?
     

 

• Is the alt-right just a new name for white supremacy or is their room for discussion across new divides?

 

• What is the future for criminal justice reforms and healthcare initiatives that were jumpstarted during the Obama administration??

 

• Where are millennial generation organizations like BYP100, Dream Defenders, United We Dream and Campaign Zero focusing their efforts post-election?

 

• Given crises in employment, education, criminal justice and more, can reforms advocated within the two-party electoral politics system go far enough to bring about quality of life that most Americans so desperately need?

 

• Will important gender debates within grassroots activists organizations continue in this climate of fear of Trump and rising American conservatism?

 

 

• Can the digital technology strategies so successful in reaching young voters in 2012 be remixed for grassroots activist efforts today?             
 

• What is the potential for a third political party or political force beyond the two-party system?                      
 

 • Can young voters have a more transformative impact in local rather than national elections?
 

• What models are emerging for grassroots activism in cities like Ferguson and Detroit that prove more effective than unwilling government efforts? 

    

• What will be the influence of hip-hop in 2016, given its influence with young voters in past election cycles?                      
 

 • Given high voter turn outs in 2008 and 2012 among young Blacks and women, in what ways are these groups leveraging their influence today?

 

• What were the spontaneous ways that youth organized in Ferguson that built on successes and failures on previous movements from Jena Six to Occupy?

 

• What has been the impact of FBI, Justice Department and grand jury involvement in securing justice in similar tragedies?

 

• What actions can youth take today to end racial disparities in policing and beyond in our lifetime?

 

• In what way does the Ferguson uprising reveal a heighten sophistication in the use of social media and on the ground organizing tools?

 

• As the struggle for justice for Mike Brown continues, how do we get to a place where youth organizers equally embracing social change efforts for Black and Brown women and girls?

• How does the hip-hop industry contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline?

• What economic opportunities exist for local communities that bring prisons to their area?

• In what ways has the Great Recession of 2007-2009 affected the national prison debate?

• What organizations and efforts are at the cutting edge of rethinking prisons in America?

• Do Black males commit more crimes, or is there a direct connection between mass incarceration and corporate interests?

• What impact does mass incarceration have on education, civic participation and families?

  • Is there a role for pop culture in political struggles?
  • How do emerging movements build on previous ones?
  • What are some contemporary examples where art and grassroots activism are merging?
  • How do we get activists who are skeptical about artists playing a serious role in politics to more fully engage art?
  • How does social media enhance or distract from political engagement?
  • What are the political issues that matter to young voters?
  • Have both the election of Barack Obama and the rise of the Tea Party, diminished hip-hop’s influence as an organizing tool among youth?
  • How do the Occupy protests overlap with existing youth mobilization efforts?
  • How will the Obama Administration’s response to youth issues, affect youth participation in the 2012 Presidential Election?
  • Are Democrats and Republicans willing to go far enough to win the youth vote?
  • What can student activists do to mobilize the hip-hop vote?
  • Has Black authenticity as defined through a 1960s lens run its course?
  • How do popular narratives of Blackness from Birth of a Nation to Precious impact public policy around policing, incarceration, housing and employment?
  • How do the various backgrounds and experiences of Black immigrants fit into this discussion?
  • In what key ways can hip-hop innovation play a role in global economic recovery?
  • How is hip-hop beginning to inform public policy issues like Green Jobs, Climate Change, Arts, and Criminal Justice?
  • Who are the youth leaders and organizations at the forefront of these movements?

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