On Thursday, Sept. 25, the Commons hosted a unique discussion panel in a presentation called "Hip-hop, the Presidential Election and the Youth Vote." The panel was based on the idea that both of these entities encourage and empower the voice of youth.

"Hip-hop is part of the right hand of the government, which is the media. It is inclusive and controlled by the same entity that you pay your taxes to so they are not that far apart," said panelist rapper M-1 of Dead Prez.

The purpose of the discussion was aimed to inspire commitment for both the upcoming election and long-term political change.

"Everybody looks at the president as the beginning of the end-all, and that is a myth," said panelist Angela Woodson. "Doing that does not create a job, help minimum wage or do anything for health care or address student loans and higher education."

This election in particular is argued as critical for progress in our generation. According to panelist Adam Mansbach, the previous generation was focused on retaining rights rather than actively embracing them.

"Your generation and mine have come up in a world where we have never really won a significant political victory, and that's important for so many reasons, but primarily because the enormous, galvanizing effect of a win empowers people to go out and do political work for the rest of their lives," said Mansbach.

The strength of a nation was defined as the strength of its communities. Vanderbilt students were encouraged to continue to pursue involvement with local politics or city councils in order to gain immediate and future empowerment.