Urban Think Tank History
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Brief History of the UTT
In June of 2000 Yvonne Bynoe and Chic Smith founded The Urban Think Tank Institute in Brooklyn. The not-for-profit organization's goal was to provide a forum for the hip hop generation to discuss and analyze public policy issues related but not limited to African-Americans. In September of 2000 the Institute began its quarterly publication of Doula: The Journal of Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture. The publication aimed at mediating a conversation for thinkers about hip hop and rap music. Importantly, as a publication, it countered many of the mass media projections of hip hop culture. The Urban Think Tank also started a website and began hosting panel discussions to further the dialogue surrounding issues faced by African-Americans. The Institute continues to conduct research and write position papers and articles on their findings. Five years after its conception, the Think Tank currently plays its role as a forum for discussion for the hip-hop generation of intellectuals.
The Urban Think Tank Institute was founded at a time when there were very few think tanks dealing with issues faced by African-American youth and none dealing exclusively with Hip Hop and Hip Hop culture. Yvonne Bynoe has stated that the one of the goals of Urban Think Tank Inc. is to "tell it like it is," that is to say to develop a critical and historical dialogue parallel with the music. As the political climate seems to become increasingly uncaring of issues affecting African-Americans (see what Yvonne Bynoe says of the Reagan, Bush I and Bush II presidencies), the Urban Think Tank Institute aims to mobilize the youth of the Hip Hop generation to conceive of the music politically and to shape their own political consciousness. In this way, one of the primary goals of the Urban Think Tank institute is to help formulate an agenda for members of the Hip Hop generation so that they can gauge which artists and politicians best represent them. As a result, some of the major focii of the Urban Think Tank Institute have been voter registration, candidate profiles and campaign analysis.