Our friends at Green For All just released this incredible video to celebrate all of the women who have influenced who we are today:

“7 Billion Strong” is an anthem about worldwide unity on behalf of mother earth and the women that have invested in and inspired us. The song came to us through our recent “movement” song competition, The Dream Reborn.  The song and accompanying video not only highlight the global nature of our struggle, but in light of Mothers Day, highlights the role of Women and Mothers as the backbone, brain and heart of our shared struggle for justice.

This past weekend, Milwaukee’s own Aliesa Nicole took part in a day long photoshoot for Elle Magazine. But when Aliesa Nicole, a burgeoning R&B singer and actress, planned her week-long trip to Los Angeles, she didn’t expect to be getting her big break as a model. A former contestant on The Voice, American Idol and Making the Band, Aliesa Nicole actually went to Hollywood to record music for her forthcoming EP entitled ’80s Baby, shoot virals for 99problems.org and record vocals for up-and-coming rap star Dee-1′s next mixtape, the Focus Tape.

But when internationally known photographer and producer Peter Mcclafferty spotted Aliesa taking pictures for her EP’s album art on the quirky Venice Beach, Aliesa was immediately given the chance of a lifetime.

“I still can’t believe it,” said Aliesa Nicole via the phone. “One minute I was taking pictures and the next these guys start asking us questions about my styling and who helped pick out my swimsuit. I was sort of embarrassed to tell them it was just me and my photographer, Monet (aka Nisha Martin).”

Twenty four hours later, Aliesa was back on Venice Beach surrounded by professional models shooting pics for an upcoming issue of Elle.

Although this isn’t Aliesa Nicole’s first brush with stardom, having made the television rounds of both American Idol and The Voice, the 22 year-old singer definitely feels that her modeling debut is a sign that her career is headed in the right direction.

“Come on,” said the obviously excited singer, “I wasn’t expecting all this attention when I came out here. There are so many talented and pretty girls in Milwaukee. I feel blessed. I just want to keep working hard so that I can keep making my dreams come true.”

Besides singing, Aliesa Nicole also hosts a weekly webseries,”Total Recall Live” with DJ Willie Shakes featured on 99problems.org.

Check out some of the Aliesa’s and Monet’s pics after the jump.

By Davey D

As we look back on the 20th anniversary of the Rodney King/ LA Uprisings, there are a few things to keep in mind that’ll hopefully bring all that went down April 29th, 1992 into a clearer perspective.

The vicious beating of unarmed motorist Rodney King which was caught on tape, March 3, 1991 by bystander George Holiday angered many. But at the same time, it gave people some sort of hope that things would change. The videotape seemed to be the crucial piece of evidence that many had long been waiting for that would vindicate thousands of black and brown folks living in Southern Cali who had long complained about the brutality of LAPD…

Many felt it would lead to the arrest and criminal punishment of the four officers who were seen striking King over 50 times with batons and Tasing him. The videotape underscored the long list of social and political conditions that were leading up to the ’92 Uprisings. You can peep that infamous video HERE.

The Sordid Legacy of Daryl Gates and LAPD

Prior to the Rodney King beating, many in the mainstream (whites) were dismissive of complaints from people in the hood about LA police brutality. In their minds, they figured that whatever was done by the police was justified – after all, many had come to believe that areas like South Central LA, Watts, Compton and East LA to name a few, were ‘infested’ with out of control gangbangers who needed to be ‘suppressed’ at all costs.

I use words like ‘infested‘ and  ‘suppressed‘ deliberately because that’s the dehumanizing language often used by the those antagonistic to black and brown communities in L.A. at that time, including former Police Chief, the late Daryl Gates.

Continue reading this article HERE..

Yesterday, Biko went on Mike Huckabee’s radio show to talk about the youth vote. During the discussion, the former Arkansas governor compared Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to Ward Cleaver, the iconic father figure from the ’50s television show “Leave it to Beaver.”

Of course, you are probably too young into your Tumblr page to know that Ward Cleaver was the squarest dude on TV back in the day, but it’s safe to say that the former Presidential candidate definitely isn’t feeling Romney’s #swag.

Check out Governor Huckabee’s diss and his interview with Biko after the jump.

Biko and Governor Huckabee on Romney.

If you missed this incredible conversation that was live today, you can watch it right here. Big shout out to Dr. James Peterson & Justin Burkhardt for putting on an awesome livestream.

[Hint: fast forward to 6:28 to start the broadcast]

Video streaming by Ustream

Our favorite artists joined DJ Willie Shakes in the #GreenRoom to make a sick mixtape, right in time for the two upcoming green holidays, 4/20 and Earth Day. Download it for FREE at GreenRoomMixtape.com to get tracks from Dee-1, Kendrick Lamar, BJ the Chicago Kid, Frank Ocean, FowL and so many more.

Plus – drops from Snoop Dogg to Ludacris to Drake. #ThatsHowWeRoll

Much love to our partners at Green For All for making this possible ~

Van Jones, the prominent activist, former White House official, and provocateur will join us for an unfiltered interview to discuss the resurgence of grassroots activism, the current political landscape, and what ordinary people can do to rebuild the American Dream. He will join the League tomorrow (4/17) for a livestreaming discussion on YoungVoterLive at 6 p.m. ET.

This session is an opportunity to participate in an intimate conversation with the man behind the headlines. DJ Willie Shakes will be lead the conversation using questions directly from the viewers.

Don’t forget to tune in and tweet your questions for him @TheLeague99.

We’re partnering with our friends at Green For All to bring you the hottest spring mixtape just in time for 4/20.

This is why, in honor of Earth Day, we are bringing you The Green Room Mixtape hosted by DJ Willie Shakes, featuring some of today’s hottest hip-hop acts including Kendrick Lamar, BJ the Chicago Kid, Dee-1, Rebel Diaz, BRWN BFLO and many more, including Green For All’s Markese Bryant. The music represents communities from across the U.S., but they all share one thing…the music is slappin!

Why the Green Room? Because the Green Room is what every community needs to thrive. The Green Room stands for city parks in place of concrete, local grocery chains providing real food for communities, the space for all people to breathe, live, and build community. And the Green Room is where we invest in new artists and visionaries so they can do their thing!

So watch out for The Green Room Mixtape coming soon!

And we know that words without action won’t cut it, so the Green Room is more than a mixtape.

We’ve developed the Block Rockers toolkit to help anyone who downloads the mixtape tap into resources, ideas and tools to help them take action! Whether you want to start your own garden, make your campus more sustainable, or educate your neighbors and friends, the Block Rockers toolkit has resources to help.

This Earth Day, there is only one place to be and it’s The Green Room. Free for anyone, anyplace, the door is open, come on in!

Stay tuned for the release of The Green Room Mixtape, Earth Day 2012.

Missed last night’s unfiltered conversation on Trayvon Martin and race in America? Watch it now >> Fast forward to 20:00 to start the panel.

Video streaming by Ustream

“Rebirth of a Nation: The Black Image in the American Mind,” the latest in the #RapSessions series will be live YoungVoterLive.com on Tuesday from 7-10 ET.

From entertainment and politics to the media images that accompany them, the civil-rights era idea of “Blackness” is currently in flux. A panel of leading national experts will explore contemporary moments in popular cultural and politics where race, image and identity have taken center stage. This discussion seeks to help students look at hip-hop culture as a cross-racial phenomenon that has political and cultural roots in black and brown communities.

Tweet @TheLeague99 using the hashtag #RapSessions to join the conversation.

The panelists include:

• Moderator: Bakari Kitwana (@therealbakari)
• Mark Anthony Neal (@newblackman)
• Joan Morgan (@milfinainteasy)
• Elizabeth Mendez Berry (@mendezberry)
• John Jennings
• Biko Baker (@bikobaker)

Live Video app for Facebook by Ustream

CJ, the Deputy Director at the League of Young Voters Education Fund, visited Clark University after Trayvon Martin’s tragic death. Check out what the students had to say about it:

Hit us up in the comments – what’s your Truth Is statement?

This female duo out of Pittsburgh has been sending us some awesome music for awhile now. Their new song just dropped, spreading the message of empowerment and positivity.

Hit us up in the comments and let us know what you think:

Check out their Facebook page to learn more about the talent behind the music.

It’s finally Friday – and we’ve got a hot new FREE download below for you. Check it out:

Although there were some minor technical glitches, #AsktheCandidate, the interactive candidate forum hosted by the WI-League of Young Voters and dozens of partner organizations, was a huge success. Not only did 14 of Milwaukee’s local candidates participate in this youth-driven candidate forum, held in the Bradley Center’s fourth street atrium, but the event also trended on Twitter locally and was watched by 289 live viewers on the League’s Ustream channel, YoungVoterLive.com.

While #AsktheCandidate focused on giving Milwaukee’s voters an opportunity to ask questions in the “real world,” Twitter also allowed people to express their concerns via the web. The interactive nature of the event provided a platform for many of Milwaukee’s youngest voters to engage in the civic process and even inspired Mayor Tom Barrett to tweet, “Huge crowd at #askthecandidate! Especially excited to see so many young people involved and engaged.”

The most consistently asked question during this exciting mashup of culture, technology and politics, was related to jobs and African American unemployment. Questions concerning youth recreation and the Milwaukee Jobs Act were also addressed throughout the evening.

Sparks flew during the Common Council panel, as County Supervisor Eyon Biddle, on more than one occasion, attempted to address his responses towards his opponent in the 15 District Aldermanic race, Common Council President, Willie Hines. Although forum organizers repeatedly instructed all panelists to not respond or address their fellow panelists, Biddle attempted to engage Hines in a debate, only to be shut down by the event’s hosts, Dasha Kelley and Khalif Rainey. In his final statements, Alderman Hines looked in Biddle’s direction as if to suggest that he was unswayed by his younger opponent.

The event featured performances by B*Right, Tony Marley, Ujuzi Fresh and local rap star, Prophetic.

The next WI-League of Young Voters event will take place April 2nd at Coffee Makes You Black and will feature national recording artist and up-and-coming rap star, Dee-1. Check back to 99problems.org for more details.

99problems.org’s Dee-1 ran into the multi-talented Dawn Richard at the VibeHouse X Allhiphop.com Breeding Ground event at SXSW. After finding out that Dawn is close friends with his first cousin, Dee-1 asks the R&B star about the 2012 election. Let’s just say that she’s all in. What about you?

The event was sponsored by Adidas via @CashmereAgency.

@TheLeague99 was on hand to experience one of the biggest shows in hip-hop history, the VibeHouse X AllHipHop.com Breeding Ground Showcase at SXSW. Some of hip-hop’s biggest names took the stage, including Wiz Khalifa, Chevy Woods, Yo Gotti, Travis Porter, BJ the Chicago Kid, Snoop Dogg, Mystikal, Timbaland and more. Our very own Dee-1 was also one of the luminaries to rock the crowd.

You can check out Dee-1′s (to jump to Dee-1 go to 1:11) and everyone else’s performance here.

Check more flicks after the jump

99problems.org’s @DJWillieShakes got up with 2DopeBoyz’s Meka to chop it up about DJing at Kanye West’s surprise performance at SXSW. Meka was on the wheels when 2 Chainz brought Kanye West on stage to make a surprise entrance at AllHipHop’s SOB celebration. Meka is registered to vote. You should be too.

Earlier today, the League linked up with the brilliant crew from the film Brooklyn Castle at South by Southwest. We live-streamed our interview on YoungVoterLive, but wanted to make sure everyone got to see Dee-1 chop it up with John Forte and filmmaker Katie Dellamaggiore.

The film was made about a middle school in Brooklyn, the alma mater of Jay-Z. The documentary follows some seriously incredible kids at a school that completely turned around as their chess team became one of the best in the nation. Shout out to I.S. 318!

Video streaming by Ustream

Watch the trailer here.