It is no secret that Madison in general and the University of Wisconsin specifically are striving for a more diverse community and a more inviting atmosphere. Chancellor Wiley has made campus climate a priority for the administration.
The problem with the situation is that the university (Madison and the rest of the system) has an amazing ability to achieve very little in the way of providing an actual diverse atmosphere. This is true whether one believes diversity is achieved through merely increasing the volume of minorities within the community, or through welcoming many thoughts and ideals regardless of race.
This weekend we find ourselves in an extraordinarily serendipitous place where the university’s stumbling policies meet a practical event immersed in culture with a notable — if short — history. Hip-Hop Generation is hosting the third annual “Hip-Hop as a Movement” conference.
An affair of this type — which is based on the unique lifestyle, belief system and musical methods of a dominant culture within our generation — is the perfect type of vehicle needed to increase the level of diversity on this campus.
Hip-hop as a whole is a cultural movement, an idyllic form of diversity. It encapsulates what I see as the two major types of diversity; the modern (and flawed) idea of diversity through differentiation among skin colors, as well as the classical sense of diversity through varied and accepted belief systems. Hip-hop is something everyone and anyone can participate in, irrespective of background, political leanings or pigmentation level.
Given the level of attention diversity has been afforded recently and the timing of this event, one could rationally expect the university to embrace this event; instead, Bascom is almost silent.
The school does offer some small direct financing and free meeting space to the conference. But where are the press conferences trumpeting the fantastic ability of a student-run conference to capture national attention? Where is the endorsement of the Afro-American Studies department? There isn’t one measly press release from UW communications.
Clearly, the university is missing an opportunity to showcase its high regard for all things diverse, and in the process missing a chance to tout its (supposed) standing as a school dedicated to diversity on a large scale.
Sadly, the university has an accomplice in this affair: a serious lack of organization and the inability for the conference to put together a coherent public relations campaign (at least locally, other than word of mouth). The conference hosts have a hand in holding back (what may be) an excellent display of what diversity is all about.
Along with organizational problems, Hip-Hop as a Movement has a problem with muddying the purity of the conference by politicizing portions of it. Of course, it is important to prepare and deliver a message, but it is a serious mistake to blunt the impact of the conference as a whole by thrusting the message of monolithic black society on conference-goers. Panel topics such as “Building a Grassroots Youth Movement” and a bewildering march to the Capitol draw attention away from what brings people here in the first place: a love of hip-hop.
Those who enjoy hip-hop need not subscribe to the same beliefs, so these things really have no place at this particular conference.
In spite of these problems, the conference should prove to be an important event for a campus badly in need of a fresh perspective. This event is exactly what is needed in this ethnocentrically challenged (and, ironically, terminally liberal) city.
The conference is primed to be a success, amplifying the already-vibrant hip-hop culture of this university.
I spoke to event organizer and co-founder of the conference, David Muhammad, who was understandably excited for the upcoming event and forthcoming about its development.
“We’re like Noah’s ark, built with rusted nails and old boards — but this ship won’t sink,” said Muhammad. He and others have made this conference recognizable nation-wide, with artists and panelists from all over the country.
Muhammad also summed up the importance of the conference to the efforts of a diverse community: “[The conference] is not patronizing to students of color, and it’s not insulting the intelligence of white people.”
This succinct statement evokes the idea of true diversity and does more for the process without the trite clichés and tired platitudes used by most officials today.
James P. Kent ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in economics and business management.
