The Beats For Peace Tour will kick off at S.O.B.'s in New York, May 8. The six city tour will feature Slum Village, Pharoahe Monch, Medusa, Anwar Superstar, The Jazz & Hip-Hop Orchestra, Supernatural and others.

The goal of the tour, which is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), is to encourage youth activism using hip-hop and spoken word.

"Today we face the task of responding to a challenging time in our history," says AFSC's Beats for Peace co-organizer Sunanda Ghosh. "We mourn the loss of life during the September 11th attacks and the United States' policies since September 11th have threatened human life and well being both at home and abroad."

Co-organizer Erik Wissa said that Beats for Peace hope to alert the youth of America that many civil liberties that are currently enjoyed are "rapidly eroding."

"Constitutional protections that took decades to fight for are being pared back, not to mention the ramifications of the War on Iraq," Wissa added. "The cost of war falls not only upon those caught in its crossfire, but also on those who are most vulnerable in this country. Social spending is the first item cut to accommodate a bloated military budget - increasing the existing burdens and injustices on our communities - particularly communities of color."

THE BEATS FOR PEACE TOUR travels to the following Northeast cities:

New York City May 8, 2003 - S.O.B.'s
Northampton, Massachusetts May 9, 2003 - Pearl Street
Providence, Rhode Island May 10, 2003 - Lupo's
Washington, DC May 11, 2003 - Nation
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 12, 2003 - The Electric Factory
Boston Massachusetts May 13, 2003 - Somerville Theater

AllHipHop.com