Editing MC Lyte (section)

===Leadership and philanthropy===
In 1991, MC Lyte was featured in TV informercial promoting pro-choice abortion rights political action "The Most Exciting Women in Music" alongside [[Corina (American singer)|Corina]], Juliet Cuming, [[Kim Gordon]] ([[Sonic Youth]]), [[Lady Miss Kier]] ([[Deee-Lite]]), [[Kate Pierson]] ([[The B-52's]]), [[Crystal Waters]], [[Tina Weymouth]] ([[Talking Heads]], [[Tom Tom Club]]).<ref>{{Cite AV media | last=CheeseFoodProduct |title=The Most Exciting Women in Music | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUMLLsQozMg  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/qUMLLsQozMg| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live| publisher=[[YouTube]] | date=November 7, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newsweek.com/raising-voice-choice-204072 | title=Raising a Voice for Choice | work=[[Newsweek]] | date=June 30, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2002/06/25/Today-in-Music-A-look-back-at-pop-music/42021025000319/ | title=Today in Music: A look back at pop music | work=[[United Press International]] | date=June 25, 2002}}</ref>

In February 2006, her diary, as well as a [[Phonograph|turntable]], [[gramophone record|records]], and other assorted ephemera from the early days of hip hop, were donated to the [[Smithsonian Institution]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=13003&ArticleId=227532|newspaper=Latin American Herald Tribune|title=MC Lyte's diary goes to Smithsonian|access-date=November 10, 2010|archive-date=July 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713183357/http://laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=13003&ArticleId=227532|url-status=dead}}</ref> This collection, entitled "Hip-Hop Won't Stop: The Beat, the Rhymes, the Life" is a program to assemble objects of historical relevance to the hip hop genre from its inception.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Hip-Hop Comes to the Smithsonian |publisher=[[National Museum of American History]] |date=February 28, 2006 |url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/news/pressrelease.cfm?key=29&newskey=318 |access-date=March 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525191627/http://americanhistory.si.edu/news/pressrelease.cfm?key=29&newskey=318 |archive-date=May 25, 2012 }}</ref>
MC Lyte served as the President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy (the [[Grammy]] organization) from 2011 to 2013.<ref name=explains>{{cite web| url= http://hiphopdx.com/editorials/id.2704/title.mc-lyte-explains-how-to-join-the-recording-academy-vote-in-the-grammy-awards| website= HipHopDX.com| title= MC Lyte Explains How To Join The Recording Academy & Vote in the GRAMMY Awards| author= MC Lyte| date= January 13, 2015| access-date= September 2, 2016}}</ref> She was the first African American woman to serve in this role.<ref name=explains />

She is the founder of Hip Hop Sisters Foundation,<ref name="Grimm"/> which presented two $100,000 scholarships to college students each of the first two years of its inception and three $50,000 scholarships as a part of its #EducateOurMen initiative during its third year during the [[Soul Train Music Awards]] Red Carpet Preshow.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopsisters.org/news|title=Two MC Lyte $100,000 First Wave Scholarship Winners: 2nd Year in a Row|website=HipHopSisters.org|date=September 4, 2012}}</ref>