Just got back from Washington DC, where Think MTV and an organization called Youthbuild brought young people together to address the issue of poverty in America. Sway Calloway and I moderated the event, and were able to speak to some amazing participants afterwards. One of the most exciting parts of the night actually happened in the beginning, when Reverend Jesse Jackson and Senator John Kerry spoke to the audience. Kerry actually did a good job matching Jackson’s motivational tone, telling the participants to “give em hell” tomorrow, as they approach Congress with ideas about how to make the country a better place for kids growing up in poverty. After they spoke, I was able to spend a few minutes with Senator Kerry and talk to him about the event, Youthbuild, and of course, the election. Kerry has been a prinicipal sponsor of Youthbuild since 1992, and said that he respects the program for its ability to “restore hope and opportunity in kids who don’t have any.” Kerry also said of the event that there is so much “energy and excitement about changing things and being involved here” and that these kids “are going to take over the world.” After watching the event, and listening to the stories of these kids, some of whom grew up around constant violence, there was a magnetism in the room that could only represent the ability of young people to change the status quo. At the end of the night, the question was posed of how these kids can stay together, and work together in the future. One of the answers certainly lie at think.MTV.com, which is an online community, much like facebook or myspace, that networks people together in the spirit of activism, change, and action. Check it out.
That’s all for now. I’m swamped working over here, prepping for the freshmen shoot tomorrow, and for a shoot tomorrow evening at the Brooklyn Museum. Louis Vuitton is sponsoring an event for Takashi Murakami, an artist that you definitely should check out as well. And, Kanye West is performing!!
More on that tomorrow night… I’ll be doing live blog updates on newsroom.mtv.com!
April 4th, 2008 at 5:00 am
I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.