Jeb Middlebrook fell in love with the world of hip-hop at age 10 in his hometown of Austin.

Hearing his first record by The Fresh Prince, and watching trains pass in Austin with graffiti scrawled on them, he knew this art of self-expression through lyrics and beats was something that spoke to him.

At the time, hip-hop music was popular, but so was rock, country and other genres of music.

“It’s all just music,” the 1998 Austin High School graduate said. “Hip-hop just became my vehicle.”

At age 18, Middlebrook moved to San Diego, Calif., what he calls “one of the most diverse communities in the United States,” to join AmeriCorp, where he learned to freestyle rap from another volunteer. After obtaining a college degree from the University of Minnesota, he returned to California, where he founded the group AntiRacist 15 with Trevor Wysling ( “Raw Potential”).

Now a self-proclaimed “rap-tivist,” Middlebrook, whose stage name is “Jus Rhyme,” focuses on promoting social justice.

Middlebrook appeared at the Coffee House on Main in Austin Thursday for a Post-Election Gathering co-hosted by the Welcome Center.

“We can create our own communities,” he said. “Politicians can help, and sometimes they don’t.

“Music and conversation are often those bridges,” Middlebrook said. “It starts with talking to people.”

The gathering was the first of what the Welcome Center and the Austin Human Rights Commission hope will be regular discussions about topics citizens are concerned about.

“This is an opportunity for residents to say what does change for us,” Middlebrook said. “What do we want Austin to be?”

Brought in to help kick-off the first gathering, Middlebrook signed CDs and T-shirts from AR-15’s album, “Stand in Solidarity.”

Among attendees Thursday were three volunteers with Minnesota SOL (Strengthening Our Lives), a Twin-Cities-based non-partisan, non-profit organization that aims to promote civic engagement in Latinos.

The members — Karen Munoz, 17, Diego Perez, 14 and Monica Illescas, 19 — have visited Austin once before to appear on a monthly education program for Latino families.

Recently, SOL worked to register Latino voters.

“Then we went canvassing,” Perez said. “If they weren’t registered, we registered them.”

The group registered more than 3,000 voters and gained more than 4,000 members.

Welcome Center Executive Director Liliana Silvestry said they have joined with the Human Right Commission to conduct surveys to gage what issues matter to people. Once those topics have been identified, speakers and guests will be invited to appear, and then monthly gatherings will be promoted.

The purpose, Silvestry said, is connection.

“Conversation is the key,” she said.

Middlebrook is the son of Kay and Rodney Middlebrook of Austin. He has a sister, Hannah, a senior at AHS, and an older sister, Lia, of Minneapolis.

To learn more about AntiRacist 15, visit www.antiracist15.com.