Rosa Clemente
Encyclopedia
Rosa Alicia Clemente (born April 18, 1972) is a United States community organizer
, independent journalist
and hip-hop activist
. She was the vice presidential
running mate
of 2008 Green Party
Presidential
candidate Cynthia McKinney
in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.
Clemente was born and raised in South Bronx, New York. She is a graduate of the University of Albany and Cornell University
. Clemente has been delivering workshops, presentations and commentary for over ten years.
Clemente's academic work has focused on research of national liberation struggles within the United States, with a specific focus on the Young Lords Party and the Black Liberation Army
. While a student at SUNY Albany, she was President of the Albany State University Black Alliance (ASUBA) and Director of Multicultural Affairs for the Student Association. At Cornell she was a founding member of La Voz Boriken, a social/political organization dedicated to supporting Puerto Rican
political prisoner
s and the independence of Puerto Rico.
Clemente has written for Clamor Magazine, The Ave. magazine, The Black World Today
, The Final Call
and numerous websites. She has been the subject of articles in the Village Voice, The New York Times
, Urban Latino
and The Source
magazines. She has appeared on CNN
, C-SPAN
, Democracy Now!
and Street Soldiers. In 2001, she was a youth representative at the United Nations
World Conference against Xenophobia, Racism and Related Intolerance in South Africa
and in 2002 was named by Red Eye Magazine as one of the top 50 Hip Hop Activists to look out for.
In 1995, she developed Know Thy Self Productions (KTSP), a full-service speakers bureau
, production company
and media consulting service. Seeing a need for young people of color to be heard and taken seriously she began presenting workshops and lectures at colleges, universities, high schools, and prisons. In the past ten years she has presented at over 200 colleges, conferences and community centers on topics such as "African-American and Latino/a
Intercultural Relations", "Hip-Hop Activism
", "The History of the Young Lords Party", and "Women, Feminism
and Hip Hop". KTSP now includes an expanded college speakers bureau which has produced three major Hip Hop activism tours, "Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win" with M1
of dead prez
and Fred Hampton Jr.; "The ACLU College Freedom Tour" with dead prez
, DJ Kuttin Kandi, Mystic
and comedian Dave Chappelle
; and the "Speak Truth to Power" Tour a collaborative tour of award winning youth activists
.
In 2003, Clemente helped form and coordinate the first ever National Hip Hop Political Convention that drew over 3000 activists who came together to create and implement a national political agenda
for the Hip-Hop generation. 10 days after Hurricane Katrina
ravaged parts of the south
, Clemente traveled to the areas as an independent journalist and her on-the-ground reports were broadcast on independent radio
stations all over the world, including Air America, NPR
, Pacifica Radio
, Democracy Now, Indymedia
, Hard Knock Radio and many more independent
and mainstream
media outlets.
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
, independent journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and hip-hop activist
Hip Hop Activism
Hip hop activism is a term coined by the hip hop intellectual and journalist Harry Allen. It is meant to describe an activist movement of the post- baby boomer generation....
. She was the vice presidential
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
of 2008 Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
Presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
candidate Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States...
in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.
Clemente was born and raised in South Bronx, New York. She is a graduate of the University of Albany and Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. Clemente has been delivering workshops, presentations and commentary for over ten years.
Clemente's academic work has focused on research of national liberation struggles within the United States, with a specific focus on the Young Lords Party and the Black Liberation Army
Black Liberation Army
The Black Liberation Army was an underground, black nationalist-Marxist militant organization that operated in the United States from 1970 to 1981...
. While a student at SUNY Albany, she was President of the Albany State University Black Alliance (ASUBA) and Director of Multicultural Affairs for the Student Association. At Cornell she was a founding member of La Voz Boriken, a social/political organization dedicated to supporting Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s and the independence of Puerto Rico.
Clemente has written for Clamor Magazine, The Ave. magazine, The Black World Today
The Black World Today
The Black World Today is a communicative website founded in July 1996 by former press secretary to Maurice Bishop, Don Rojas.The site contains numerous regular contributors, including Conrad Worrill , Ron Daniels , Ron Walters , Bill Fletcher , Hugh Price The Black World Today is a communicative...
, The Final Call
The Final Call
The Final Call is a newspaper published in Chicago. It was founded in 1979 by Minister Louis Farrakhan and serves as the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam.-History:...
and numerous websites. She has been the subject of articles in the Village Voice, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Urban Latino
Urban Latino
Urban Latino magazine is an American lifestyle publication geared toward Latinos and Latinas 18-34. It was started in 1995 by a member of an art collective and a New York University student....
and The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
magazines. She has appeared on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
and Street Soldiers. In 2001, she was a youth representative at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
World Conference against Xenophobia, Racism and Related Intolerance in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and in 2002 was named by Red Eye Magazine as one of the top 50 Hip Hop Activists to look out for.
In 1995, she developed Know Thy Self Productions (KTSP), a full-service speakers bureau
Speakers bureau
A speakers bureau is a company which operates to facilitate speakers for clients requiring after-dinner speakers, motivational speakers, awards hosts, cabaret acts, conference facilitators and keynote speakers....
, production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
and media consulting service. Seeing a need for young people of color to be heard and taken seriously she began presenting workshops and lectures at colleges, universities, high schools, and prisons. In the past ten years she has presented at over 200 colleges, conferences and community centers on topics such as "African-American and Latino/a
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
Intercultural Relations", "Hip-Hop Activism
Hip Hop Activism
Hip hop activism is a term coined by the hip hop intellectual and journalist Harry Allen. It is meant to describe an activist movement of the post- baby boomer generation....
", "The History of the Young Lords Party", and "Women, Feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
and Hip Hop". KTSP now includes an expanded college speakers bureau which has produced three major Hip Hop activism tours, "Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win" with M1
M-1 (rapper)
Mutulu Olugbala also known by his stage name M-1 is a rapper, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip hop duo Dead Prez along with his friend stic.man...
of dead prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
and Fred Hampton Jr.; "The ACLU College Freedom Tour" with dead prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
, DJ Kuttin Kandi, Mystic
Mystic (singer)
Mystic is a hip hop artist hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. Raised by her mother , she lived in rural California, Hawaii, and Oregon before settling in her eventual home base, Oakland, California.Early on in her musical career, she collaborated with fellow female producer The Angel and...
and comedian Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...
; and the "Speak Truth to Power" Tour a collaborative tour of award winning youth activists
Youth activism
Youth activism is when the youth voice is engaged in community organizing for social change. Around the world, young people are engaged in activism as planners, researchers, teachers, evaluators, social workers, decision-makers, advocates and leading actors in the environmental movement, social...
.
In 2003, Clemente helped form and coordinate the first ever National Hip Hop Political Convention that drew over 3000 activists who came together to create and implement a national political agenda
Political agenda
A political agenda is a set of issues and policies laid out by an executive or cabinet in government that tries to influence current and near-future political news and debate....
for the Hip-Hop generation. 10 days after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
ravaged parts of the south
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, Clemente traveled to the areas as an independent journalist and her on-the-ground reports were broadcast on independent radio
Independent Radio
Independent radio indicates a radio station that is run in a manner different from usual for the country it broadcasts in. In countries where there exist government-run radio stations that served as the primary or only the variety of licensed broadcaster, the term independent radio generally means...
stations all over the world, including Air America, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio is the oldest public radio network in the United States. It is a group of five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations that is known for its progressive/liberal political orientation. It is also a program service supplying over 100 affiliated...
, Democracy Now, Indymedia
Independent Media Center
The Independent Media Center is a global participatory network of journalists that report on political and social issues. It originated during the Seattle anti-WTO protests worldwide in 1999 and remains closely associated with the global justice movement, which criticizes neo-liberalism and its...
, Hard Knock Radio and many more independent
Alternative media
Alternative media are media which provide alternative information to the mainstream media in a given context, whether the mainstream media are commercial, publicly supported, or government-owned...
and mainstream
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
media outlets.
External links
- Rosa Clemente's website
- "Where We Live" Radio Program Co-Hosted by Rosa Clemente on WBAI 99.5 FMWBAIWBAI, a part of the Pacifica Radio Network, is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station, broadcasting at 99.5 FM in New York City.Its programming is leftist/progressive, and a mixture of political news and opinion from a leftist perspective, tinged with aspects of its complex and varied...
8-9 pm Thursdays in New York City. - Hip-hop, Money, Youth & Liberation: A Talk with Rosa Clemente
- Rosa Clemente and Matt Gonzalez respond to Biden-Palin Debate Response to only televised 2008 U.S. Vice-Presidential Debate, Democracy Now! October 3, 2008.