Chuck D., a member of the controversial rap group Public Enemy, and Minister Conrad Muhammad, the national student representative of the Nation of Islam, will speak at Sanders Theatre tonight at 7:30 p.m.

The Black Students Association (BSA) invited the speakers as part of "a year-long celebration of Black History and Black culture," said BSA Vice President Zaheer R. Ali '94.

The topic of the speeches will be "the political messages in rap music," according to Ali. A BSA flier sent out last Sunday described the event as "a forum on rap and its influence on the Black liberation struggle."

Public Enemy has provoked controversy most recently with their video "By the Time I Get to Arizona," which shows members of the group violently attacking people in response to the state's refusal to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The Nation of Islam, founded by self-proclaimed prophet Elijah Muhammud in 1934, advocates Black empowerment and liberation. The organization has recently come under fire for the anti-Semitic remarks of current leader Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Hillel Coordinating Council Chair Shai A. Held '94, who organized the recent protest against City University of New York (CUNY) professor Leonard Jeffries, has said that he does not know of any demonstration is planned for this event.

Approximately 450 people protested the February 5 speech by Jeffries, chair of the CUNY Afro-American Department who has widely been condemned as an anti-Semite. Eight campus organizations, led by Hillel, sponsored the rally. BSA and two graduate student groups invited Jeffries to speak at Harvard.

Ali said that the College has planned additional security measures for Chuck D. and Muhammad's speech but that he does not know how extensive they will be.

The BSA vice-president said he is unsure how the event will be received on campus.

"I really can't predict how people will react," he said.

Tickets for the event are $5 for students and$3 for BSA members. BSA members will be givenpreferred seating in the orchestra section.

Only people with Harvard IDs will be admitted,although members of the outside press withcredentials will be allowed to attend.

The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural andRace Relations, the Tufts University Pan-AfricanAlliance and the Afro-American Cultural Centerprovided financial support for the event