By MICHELLE SELLERS

Southeast Queens honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week with a unique Hip Hop Summit – a one-of-a-kind conference bringing together community youth, elected officials and some of the biggest names in hip-hop music. Participants explored the connection between today’s young people and King’s message and announced ongoing initiatives in an attempt to keep "the dream" alive.

As part of an onstage celebrity panel that also included hometown hip-hop legends Reverend Run of RUN DMC fame and rap impresario Russell Simmons, rapper Nas, said that King wanted to know what the youth’s issues were.

Nas explained to the nearly 800 people who packed the York College auditorium in Jamaica on Jan. 21 that the day’s event had the same purpose – to explore the issues that most impact today’s youth.

The gathering of big names in a community forum sent the message to kids in attendance that they are not alone.

"It was important to see role models like Nas, Russell Simmons and Reverend Run," said 17-year-old Southeast Queens resident Keashauna Royster.

"This gave us a chance to see that this is real," she said.

According to Royster, events like the hip hop summit also help to close the generation gap when talking about community unity.

Today’s program "wasn’t just for teens," Royster said, "Grown-ups came to unite with us. Unity was Dr. King’s dream."

Latifah Johnson, 17, also from Southeast Queens, reflected on the day and said, "I thought it was very positive."

"It is not everyday that you see people coming together. There is a stereotype that Blacks and Latinos can’t get together without having a fight," Johnson said. "Dr. King fought for peace until his death."

"I think we accomplished that today," Johnson said.

According to Senator Malcolm Smith, who helped organize the event, the hip-hop summit was a first step in helping transform a heavily criticized music genre into a beacon for change.

"Today we are planting the seed," said Smith.

Youth groups came from all over the tri-state area to support the summit presented by Smith’s organization, Bringing Teens Together (BTT) and Russell Simmons’ Hip Hop Summit Action Network.

After accepting an award for his sponsorship of the event, Simmons thanked the crowd and described Dr. King’s role in voters’ rights and Civil Rights.

"Dr. King made it so y’all can vote – and y’all don’t vote," Russell Simmons said.

As the owner of Def Jam Records and clothing line Phat Farm, Russell Simmons is now head of the Hip Hop Youth Summit Action Network and is giving his backing to the "Rap the Vote," campaign to increase voter registration "all the way to the polls."

"Take advantage," he urged the audience."God didn’t vote for Congressman Meeks. Take the time to take advantage of all the opportunities you have."

Bringing Teens Together (BTT), a youth organization developed by Smith, extends its services to teens by giving them the opportunity to play a vital role in the community that starts by "developing workshops," he said.

With the launch of the Jan. 21 service, youth empowerment and input became "number one" according to those who dedicate themselves to help young people by "supporting their dreams," said Senator Smith’s Youth Director Fred Simmons.

The first annual Hip Hop Summit has plans to develop a cadre of projects which include the "Save-a-Student" project, the "Youth Membership Drive," the "Read to Succeed," project, and an anti-drug campaign.

"This is the first summit that brought the artists to them to allow the teens to have their moment of fame with the artists," Fred Simmons told the PRESS. "We chose Dr. King’s theme of non-violence as a duplicate and replica to set the mood of thought in the country."

An initiative to restore King’s dream could come in the form of the construction of a hip-hop oriented community center in our own backyard.

Although a youth center is still in the idea phase, elected officials and rap artists agreed that the establishment of a place for kids to turn to would expand the interest of artists as sponsors of projects, Fred Simmons said.

"New hip hop center will give teens a chance to explore their options," Royster commented. "There will be no excuses – we need activities to go to."

The Hip Hop Youth Center "will definitely be in Southeast Queens. Youth will be involved in the groundbreaking to the grand opening," Fred Simmons said.

Funding for the Hip Hop Youth Center will come from "state and private donors," according to Fred Simmons who is "looking into several entities," for the project which is expecting donations from "Russell Simmons and the hip-hop community," who have pledged to help.

Hollis, Queens’ RUN DMC was the first hip hop artist to have it’s video aired on MTV and Reverend Run of the rap group came out to show his support of keeping King’s dream alive.

"I believe everybody here has a dream. In 1979, I started in music – and it was just a dream. The dream came true when I put my heart into it," Run said.

"The images portrayed on BET are ‘thugged-out’," Run said. "But everybody is not ‘thugged-out’, if you are, you will be put in the grave or in jail. You don’t have to be a thug to make it in this generation. Look at it as giving of yourself."

After being greeted by cheers and an award, rapper Nas told the crowd, "music is a gift from God."

"God is real. The God’s son tattoo over my stomach represents that I am a child of God. What’s most important is that God got me out of the streets and got me right here," Nas said blowing kisses to audience members who shouted ‘I love you.’

"I wanna see all y’all reach the top," the rapper told the audience, before signing autographs.

Queens based youth organization, Business Leaders of Tomorrow (B.L.O.T.), Director Van Holmes brought 25 of his students to the Hip Hop Summit to "encourage and motivate" those who are "interested in the music business," he said.

"They immediately came back and started writing their business plan," Holmes said. "It was great to hear Rev. Run say ‘you don’t have to be a thug,’ so they know to just be themselves."

"We always need someone to help connect us," Holmes said about the students who spoke with Russell Simmons during the Hip Hop Summit.

"This was an opportunity to see real, live heroes and hold on to their vision as Rev. Run said," Holmes added.

There is open enrollment for youth participation in Bringing Teens Together. For more information, call Senator Smith’s Queens office at 291-9097.