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     *Howard University will present its Third Annual Hip-Hop and Higher Education Symposium, “HIV/AIDS and the Hip-Hop Generation,” at the school's Blackburn Center Ballroom (2397 6th Street, NW) from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 27.  

       Panelists will include running back Clinton Portis of the Washington Redskins, singer Lyfe Jennings, rapper Jim Jones, HIV/AIDS activist Maria Davis and TV personality Melyssa Ford. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President & CEO of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network, will deliver the keynote address.       

       There will be a viewing of two short films courtesy of BET’S Rap-It-Up campaign. A scheduled town hall meeting will include discussions on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, HIV/AIDS and the Black Church, and HIV/AIDS and Black Women.       

       "The purpose of this year’s symposium is to raise awareness about the staggering rates of HIV/AIDS infection in young African American males and particularly, in African-American women, who are members of the hip-hop generation," said Joshua Kondwani Wright, MA, chair of the symposium. "It will also impart helpful knowledge, for those living with the disease, to lead a healthy life."      

       The conference is sponsored by Howard University’s Afro-American Studies Department and the University Student Health Center.