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The social justice arm of Jay Z‘s record label, Roc Nation, has convened a coalition of social justice leaders from various industries for a summit this summer amid the U.S. midterm elections.
The United Justice Coalition was assembled by Team Roc, which leads the label’s philanthropic initiatives, and is set to gather in New York City on July 23 to raise awareness about racial justice and policy issues impacting people of color across America.
Dania Diaz, Roc Nation’s managing director of philanthropy, told ABC News the team hopes that the summit will lead to political action and engagement amid the midterm elections.
“It is an opportunity for people to really learn about issues that impact their communities — issues that are going to inevitably come up in midterm elections — and hopefully, it’ll drive action,” Diaz said.
The summit will feature celebrities, activists, academics and the family members of those who lost their lives to gun violence and will highlight issues like criminal justice reform, mental wellness and political and civic engagement.
Headliners include Charlamagne Tha God, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Dream Corps. founder Van Jones, Until Freedom co-founder Tamika Mallory, and professor and author Michael Eric Dyson.
Diaz said that Roc Nation’s mission to fight systemic injustices is “synonymous” with the mission of hip-hop.
“If you think about it from a lyrical standpoint and from just a cultural standpoint, the voices that drive hip hop and the music and the lyrics and the experiences that are brought to the table are really largely from a social and racial justice lens,” she said. “And so I think that when we talk about hip hop, as a vehicle to move culture, it’s also a vehicle to address social justice issues and systemic problems.”
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