Public Enemy co-founder Chuck D and Hip Hop 4 Peace founder Tina Marie Tyler are among the honorees for the upcoming Rap 4 Peace: A Hip-Hop Gun Violence Awareness Conference & Gala. The event will be held on National Gun Violence Awareness Day (June 2) at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, Calif. 

For their volunteerism and peacebuilding contributions, the evening’s honorees will receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award for lifetime achievement. Hip Hop 4 Peace (HH4Peace) is launching the conference and gala in partnership with the UNESCO Center for Peace and the United States Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations. 

In comments given to Billboard, Tyler says in part, “The racial disparity in gun homicides has plagued Black and Hispanic communities for decades, Change starts with dialogue to better identify the causes of gun violence and how we as a community can effectuate meaningful change. This award is truly humbling as many folks are doing amazing things in communities across America. This conference will examine the issue of trauma as an underlying cause of gun violence in Black, Hispanic and vulnerable communities. Hip-hop was born from historic and systemic trauma and serves as both a mechanism for healing and a catalyst for change. Peace is the foundation of hip-hop culture.”

Echoing Tyler’s sentiments, Chuck D tells Billboard, “I’m just one of many people in this movement and all of them should be recognized for their contributions. For me, awards are like notches on a yardstick showing us how far we’ve come and how much more we have to go. This nation’s normalized behavior of gun violence is not normal. Hip-hop can, and should, lead the way to bring peace into our neighborhoods.”

According to a recent study published by Brady United, Black people represent 14% of the U.S. population but account for 60% of those killed by gun homicide each year. Firearm violence is also the leading cause of death for Black teens.

“As we work to lessen gun homicides, especially in Black and vulnerable communities, we use this occasion to discuss issues, solutions and to honor those who are making peace a priority,” stated Guy Djoken in a press release announcing the forthcoming Rap 4 Peace: A Hip-Hop Gun Violence Awareness Conference & Gala. Djoken is president of the United States Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations and executive director of the UNESCO Center for Peace.