New York, N.Y. - February 9, 2005?Today, the National Urban League, in partnership with Russell Simmons? Hip Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) and the Verizon Foundation kick off the 2005 Hip-Hop Reader.com program at the School of Democracy & Leadership in Brooklyn.

The 2005 kick off rally will be hosted by Marc H. Morial, President & CEO, National Urban League; Russell Simmons, chairman Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and Patrick R. Gaston, President, the Verizon Foundation.

More than 1100 high school students between the ages of 14-18 will attend the program launch. HipHopReader.com is made possible by a grant from the Verizon Foundation.

Hip-Hop Reader is a youth literacy and leadership program designed to enhance the reading interest, technology usage, and civic engagement of urban high school students. The program is being piloted in New York City through funding from The Verizon Foundation with the support of the New York City Department of Education and Public Libraries. Students who register to the program on www.hiphopreader.com can interact with members of the Hip-Hop Reader Leadership Council, which consists of hip-hop artists, educators, public servants, and other celebrities who create the Hip-Hop Reader Reading List. Students can earn prize-redeemable points for reading the lyrics, poetry, and books on the Hip-Hop Reader Reading List, and for participating in local events. Points can be redeemed for prizes, which are donated by merchandise sponsors and shipped to students via their schools.

The reading list includes selections by HSAN co-chair Sean P. Diddy Combs; Native Son by Richard Wright; Juicy by the Notorious B.I.G.; and The Ballot or the Bullet by Malcolm X.

National Urban League (www.nul.org) Established in 1910, The Urban League is the nation?s oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. Today, the National Urban League, headquartered in New York City, spearheads the non-partisan efforts of its local affiliates. There are over 100 local affiliates of the National Urban League located in 35 states and the District of Columbia providing direct services to more than 2 million people nationwide through programs, advocacy and research.

The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), the largest non-profit, nonpartisan national coalition of hip-hop artists and recording industry executives, was founded in 2001 by Russell Simmons. The organization is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music while serving as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States.

The Verizon Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications. The foundation invests in and partners with organizations that focus on literacy and education initiatives, technology and work force development programs, and domestic violence solutions. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.

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