Washington, D.C. (March 13, 2008) – On Thursday, March 27, the Third Annual Hip-Hop and Higher Education Symposium, “HIV/AIDS and the Hip-Hop Generation”, will take place at Howard University’s Blackburn Center Ballroom, 2397 6th Street, NW, Washington, D.C, from 12 p.m.-5 p.m.

The symposium participants include panelists: Washington Redskin, Clinton Portis, R&B artist, Lyfe Jennings, Hip-Hop artist, Jim Jones, HIV/AIDS activist, Maria Davis, and television personality Melyssa Ford. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President & CEO of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network, will deliver the keynote address. There will be a viewing of 2 short films courtesy of BET’S Rap-It-Up campaign. A town hall meeting that will feature discussions on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, HIV/AIDS and the Black Church, and HIV/AIDS and Black women will also take place.

“The purpose of this year’s symposium is to raise awareness about the staggering rates of HIV/AIDS infection in young African American males and particularly, in African-American women, who are members of the Hip-Hop generation,” said Joshua Kondwani Wright, MA, chair of the symposium. “It will also impart helpful knowledge, for those living with the disease, to lead a healthy life.”

The conference is sponsored by Howard University’s Afro-American Studies Department and the University Student Health Center. For more information, please contact Joshua Kondwani Wright at (202) 213-8532 or jkwright@dcemail.com.