Rosa Clemente, 2008 Green candidate for Vice President, announces 'Path of Most Resistance' speaking tour

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Friday, January 23, 2009

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org



WASHINGTON, DC -- Rosa Clemente, the Green Party's 2008 candidate for Vice President of the United States, has announced a national speaking tour with a focus on Hip Hop conferences, symposiums, town hall meetings, and many other public events, as well as Black History Month, Women's History Month, and Latino Heritage Month.

Know Thy Self Productions LLC is organizing the tour, which is titled 'The Path of Most Resistance Tour 2009.' Ms. Clemente can be reached at clementerosa@gmail.com and at 347-489-9738.

"The tour will be a chance to continue speaking about the important themes we raised in the McKinney-Clemente campaign," said Ms. Clemente. "While while many in this country, particularly the Hip-Hop generation, have high hopes for the Obama Administration, now is not the time to be silent. The first few months are critical -- we must make our voices heard, if we want to see a real change in the direction of the United States."

Rosa Alicia Clemente is a community organizer, radio journalist (WBAI 99.5 FM in New York City), Hip-Hop activist, and the first Latina in US history to run for Vice President. She was the running mate of former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.

Ms. Clemente was recently commissioned by the Green Institute (http://www.greeninstitute.net) to write four articles describing her experiences on the 2008 campaign trail. Her first piece, "Why President Elect Barack Obama is not the first Hip Hop President," has already been posted on the site (http://www.greeninstitute.net/clemente_obama). She has been featured on Pacifica, BET, Air America, CNN, MSNBC, Al-jazeera, and other networks. Before the vice-presidential campaign, Ms. Clemente participated in several other speaking tours, including the Hip Hop for President Tour with Rebel Diaz, Speak Truth to Power Tour, ACLU College Freedom Tour, and Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win.

Ms. Clemente has delivered workshops, lectures, and commentary for over fifteen years. In 1995, she developed Know Thy Self Productions, a people of color speakers' bureau. Seeing a need for young people of color to be heard and taken seriously, she began presenting workshops and lectures at universities, high schools, community centers, and prisons. She has presented at over 400 colleges, conferences, town halls, rallies, and international conferences. Know Thy Self Productions includes an expanded college speakers bureau which has produced four major Hip-Hop activism tours and consults on issues of media justice, voter engagement amongst youth, and youth development.

Born and raised in the South Bronx and Elmsford, New York, Rosa Alicia Clemente is a graduate of the University of Albany and Cornell University. Ms. Clemente's academic work has covered national liberation struggles in the US, with a specific focus on the Young Lords Party, the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, Afro-Latino identity and politics, media justice, and African-American and Latino relations.

While a student at the University of Albany (SUNY), she was the first Puerto Rican woman to serve as president of the Albany State University Black Alliance (ASUBA). She was appointed Director of Multicultural Affairs for the Student Association during her senior year. At Cornell Ms. Clemente was a founding member of La Voz Boriken, a social political organization dedicated to supporting Puerto Rican political prisoners and Puerto Rican independence movements. 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 2003, Ms. Clemente co-founded and coordinated the first ever National Hip Hop Political Convention (NHHPC), which drew over 3000 activists who created and implemented a national political agenda for the Hip-Hop generation. In 2005 she co-founded the R.E.A.C.Hip-Hop Coalition, a Hip-Hop generation-based media justice organization. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast, Rosa Clemente traveled as an independent journalist to the devastated areas; her on-the-ground reports were distributed all over the world.

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193

Tally of Green election victories http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html
Green candidate news http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php
Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections

Rosa Clemente http://www.rosaclemente.org