Washington, D.C (January 8, 2009) – The Hip Hop Caucus, a non-partisan Washington, D.C. based organization that ensures the Hip Hop Generation’s voice is heard in politics, today announced its run of events to honor the historical Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. The Hip Hop Caucus will host a variety of events January 14th – 20th which include celebrity driven concerts featuring Mary J. Blige, Common, and Nelly. Other initiatives include a Day of Service to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday and a Hip Hop & Politics Roundtable discussion. The Hip Hop Caucus’ feature event will be its “Dreams from My Father” Inauguration Ball at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown.

The “Dreams from My Father” American Scholars Inaugural Ball will be a black tie event, on Sunday January 18th, which brings together the academic, business and entertainment community for an inter-generational event that recognizes the future leaders of tomorrow. The event will take place from 8:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. with tickets being available for different levels at www.americanscholarsball.org. Partners such as The American Scholars Ball Committee, the National Intellectual Property Law Institute, The Source, AllHipHop.com and Dave and Ray Entertainment all played a major role in bringing the week’s events to fruition.

“The Hip Hop Caucus is proud to develop such a diverse range of events to celebrate the monumental occasion of President-elect Barack Obama’s Inauguration,” states Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr. Founder of the Hip Hop Caucus. “Honoring Obama’s historic achievement, the Hip Hop Caucus wants to not only entertain the many people in town to celebrate the moment, but to invoke inspiration and encourage change within our communities.”

The Hip Hop Caucus’ most recent initiative was the highly successful “Respect My Vote” campaign. “The nonpartisan group Hip-Hop Caucus and rappers T.I., Jay-Z, T Pain and others spearheaded the “Respect My Vote” campaign, which registered voters between the ages of 18 and 29, most of whom voted for Obama.” (Chicago Tribune, : Barack Obama: The first hip-hop president Nov, 7 2008). The grassroots initiative registered and mobilized more than 500,000 new voters, driving thousands of people to the polls on Election Day.