Whether you knew him as head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) or organizer of the Million Man March, one thing is certain: Benjamin F. Chavis is on a mission to serve the black community. Chavis and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons have teamed up to encourage youth empowerment through the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), a nonprofit group that has hosted "Get Your Money Right" financial-empowerment summits, helped Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and, notably, registered droves of people to vote. They've done this all using hip-hop stars as a draw.

Now in its fifth year, HSAN Came to the University of Pennsylvania's Irvine Auditorium on Wednesday to, among other things, conduct a televised town-hall meeting on community empowerment. On the eve of his arrival, Chavis talked about that, violence in the community, and where hip-hop stands today.

City Paper: What brings you to Philadelphia?

Benjamin Chavis: Philadelphia was the first city to link hip-hop with people voting. In the summer of 2003, we registered 10,000 to 15,000 voters in Philadelphia alone. Philadelphia has a record of responding in record numbers and in keeping the momentum. Hip-hop is so strong in Philadelphia and for our fifth anniversary there was no other city under consideration."

CP: HSAN's mission says that it is nonpartisan, but you do most of your work in cities and areas that lean heavily Democratic. How do you maintain a nonpartisan stance when much of your constituency leans hard to the left?

BC: We don't choose party lines to decide what cities we are going to work in. Some cities happen to be mainly Republican, some cities mainly Democratic, but that's not the factor. The factor is where there is a strong hub of hip-hop culture."

CP: Chuck D [of Public Enemy] once said that hip-hop is the black CNN. Where is hip-hop now, compared to where it was when Chuck D made that statement?

BC: Hip-hop is intergenerational and now over 30 years old. It's stronger … a global phenomena, where different cultures have inherited a hip-hop perspective. Hip-hop artists are calling for change all over the world. Young people have high aspirations and [HSAN] wants to help the youth fulfill these aspirations.

CP: How can community empowerment help with problems of violence?

BC: Violence is self-destruction, that's why we have to go to the root of social problems - such as poverty and ignorance - that are real in cities. HSAN's overall goal is to eliminate issues like poverty and ignorance. It's no longer good enough to say, "Don't do that!" We have to provide alternatives to get their mind right. Young people have a thirst to gain self-empowerment and they want to see change. Young [Philadelphians] want to improve where they live.