What’s up all of you young, black professionals out there!
My name is Elon James White and I am brand new on the YBP scene. I am honored to have the opportunity to share what I do with this community and I hope its something that you guys might be amused by.
I’m the creator/host of a web series called “This Week in Blackness”. On the show, I talk about things that I believe play a role in the black American life. It could be political, pop-culture, or whatever comes to mind that day.
I’ll be dropping in to give you guys brand new eps of the show when they go live. Please free to give any feedback. I’d love to hear what you guys think.
My latest episode, Episode 10, is below (language NSFW).
Here are links to the last 2 eps (TWIB #8, TWIB #9).
Thanks to Fredric for offering me the opportunity to do this. It’s very much appreciated.
When superstar lyricist Nas declared, “Hip-hop is dead!” in 2006, he reignited a long-running debate among artists and observers in the rap community. While the money-guns-girls wing of commercial rap is certainly here to stay, many fans insist that hip hop’s political roots are rotting. But on the eve of an election in which a presidential candidate is a professed Jay-Z fan who brushes off his shoulders in speeches and fist-bumps his wife, it appears that the political soul of hip hop is primed for a reawakening.
It’s no secret that the most widely covered news stories involving hip hop in the last few years have been less than flattering. Rapper Ludacris recently made headlines with a pro-Obama song he released in July. On “Politics as Usual,” he rhymes in support of Obama about Sen. John McCain and Sen. Hillary Clinton: “Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant; McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed.” The lyrics prompted an Obama campaign spokesman to condemn the song as “outrageously offensive.” Then there was Don Imus’s referral to the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hoes” last April. What followed was a national backlash that pinpointed commercial rap as the source of the kind of misogyny many felt he had aimed at a group of young black women. The Imus comment, and the anti-rap fallout, became such a big deal that Oprah devoted a show to the subject of misogyny in rap music. Hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons and rapper Common appeared on the show, defending rap artists as poets who simply paint pictures of the world as they see it.
It wasn’t the first time Simmons was called upon to defend the culture of rap. In 2001, he founded the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), a non-partisan organization dedicated to fighting poverty and injustice through voter education and other programs. With commercials on MTV and through initiatives such as Hip Hop Team and “Vote For It ‘08,” HSAN is making voter registration and political education as easy as poking friends on Facebook. (In March 2008, Simmons stepped down from his leadership role to publicly endorse Obama, who he said “represents the best candidate to suit the ideas that matter most to meâ€â€eradicating poverty, conflict resolution, the environment and foreign policy.”)
Another hip-hop political organization, The Hip Hop Caucus, founded by the Rev. Lennox Yearwood in 2004, has recruited artists like T.I. to evangelize. Voting is a particularly personal issue for T.I. who will not be allowed to pull the lever for any candidate on Nov. 4, because of a prior felony conviction for gun possession. So T.I. (born Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.) has joined forces with the Caucus as the spokesman for its “Respect My Vote” campaign. “If I can’t vote, the least I can do is to make up for my minus-one by urging others to vote,” he says.
Perhaps the best evidence that hip hop’s political consciousness is still simmering just beneath the surface is the success of the annual Rock the Bells Festival. Now in its tenth year, Rock the Bells has become the Lollapalooza of hip hop, bringing together some of the most prolific, and politically conscious artists of the last 30 years, selling out stadiums in the process. This year’s lineup included A Tribe Called Quest, Nas and De La Soul as well as more polemical rap-activistsâ€â€Dead Prez and Immortal Technique. In backstage interviews, reactions to politics and the presidential election varied from full support of Obama from rap artists Rakim and Redman to frustration and disillusionment from Ghostface and Method Man. Rakim remarked, “Get out and vote for who you think is going to make a difference. For me, I think Barack is that candidate.” Pioneering female rapper MC Lyte encourages her fellow artists to take the responsibility that comes with their influence seriously. She wants luminaries of the hip-hop community to be “extremely certain in whatever it is [they] do.”
Back among the crowd, concertgoer Priscilla Simon, a Howard University senior, said, “I’m so excited to be voting for the first time and the words of these prolific artists have only encouraged me to have my voice heard.”
Hip hop’s adults aren’t merely urging kids to voteâ€â€they’re running for Congress. Kevin Powell, a cast-member of MTV’s first season of “Real World” and a founding editor of Vibe magazine, ran in the Democratic primary for a seat in the 10th District of New York this month. (Powell, who was unsuccessful in his bid, says he will run again in 2010.) At a fundraiser in New York City in July, Powell said, “The time is now to take back our communities! As a son of the hip-hop generation, it is my duty to speak for my disenfranchised brothers and sisters. Change is coming to Washington!” Obama supporters are hoping it’s the “change we need.”
It’s been more than a year since I last brought up the factual evidence of the institutional affirmative action for White Americans. The numbers don’t lie, and now, in the beast that is this political climate, we’re seeing the effects of that ignorance first hand.
Many can deny the causality of our current situation. It can be blamed on a political party, a president, an even other countries. What is most compelling, however, is the effect of selfish and isolationist practices ingrained in White culture. The idea that if I look out for myself, if I have no civic responsibility, if I contribute to the idea that Black problems, Latin problems, poor problems, middle-class problems, Kansas problems, and Wall Street problems don’t affect me, that my family and I will be ok. The arrogance that is afforded by the privilege of never having to confront who you are, your intentions, your mistakes, or your stupidity is catching up…and our whole country is suffering.
The writing is on the wall. The polls are close, despite the basic logic of changing direction from the catastrophic failure of the status quo, because of the ingrained thoughts of ‘who deserves to be in charge’. It isn’t a Harvard-educated Black man, right? The brain-washing is evident in the blind rationalization of supporting candidates who have no secondary education, no foreign experience, and no business being in national politics. Cancer survival 4 times over and the church of Jews for Jesus don’t add up. Indeed, the white privilege of being ordinary and being just like me has reiterated the false premise of what is supposed to be the qualification. Only within the moments of a bi-racial candidate being extraordinary is being normal a privilege lauded by Whites.
All this, while ignoring the blatant truth that being ordinary of any other color gets you nowhere.
The financial markets are tumbling because of the privilege to exploit a system built on the mentality that this implied privilege will sustain itself. All of the players are white, rich, and making money hand over fist. In fact, the white privilege is so thick, the term of too big to fail is an oxymoronic caricature explicitly gargled throughout the players to ensure that the burden always falls to those who are not.
It seems too simple. It seems too far-fetched. It even seems too paranoid, but remember YBP, these are institutions that have existed for more than 160 years. The fall of these iconic symbols are a mere snow-globe symbol of a new day that is feverishly fighting forces that have festered like the aforementioned cancer. The end of anything always results in extreme measures to survive. Right before impact, you clinch your body. Right before getting stuck by a needle, you envision the pain and jump. In election 2008, the death of white privilege will go kicking and screaming into the night, yelling hypocritical logic like the validity of Bristol Palin’s illegitimate child and marriage. The comedic mindset that AIG can borrow money from itself, that McCain’s own advisors acknowledge that he isn’t fit to run a business, and that uneducated, rural Christian voters are somehow a sudden important factor is a farce.
We know this. Tim Wise knows this:
White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do–like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor–and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college–you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.
White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.â€Â
White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.
Keep your head on a swivel, YBP. Keep your head….and vote! 
A letter to the Republican nominee:
Dear Sen. John McCain’t,
Good day! Let me first introduce myself. I’m an American, period. Yes, I was born and raised in the good ole U.S. of A. I have been pretty happy here, but can’t necessarily say that I am consistently “proud” of my country. It’s cool, though. I must say that I have been following this election from it’s birth (actually conception, but metaphorically, I fell asleep for awhile).
Congratulations on reaching puberty! Boy does time fly! I do feel like I’m in junior high with the class presidential election in full swing! By the way, your running mate sounded like Summer from Napoleon Dynamite in her convention speech and I was feeling like Obama was Pedro. She was really obnoxious. You really know how to pick ‘em! I really didn’t gel well with the popular crowd and pom-pom girls, even in my small town. I can’t wait for Obama’s ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ to bust a move and get the crowd fired up.
I must say that I am terribly shocked that you ended up being the Republican nominee for President of the United States. I, for sure, thought Huckabee would get the anointing. I really just wanted to pass out laughing when Katie Couric said, “Today President Huckabee announced…” President Huckabee, that’s hilarious. Well, you have prevailed. You are the ‘Big Elephant Maverick’ and could possibly be my next president.
Are you serious? Really? Why do you want to do this to the country that my ancestors built? We have had a 3rd grader’s life of policies that just did not work for 98% of Americans. They failed us. Why do you want to make us even worse off? You voted with the current president over 90% of the time. You graduated third from the bottom of your naval academy class. You, and the departed Jesse Helms, voted against MLK day. You dumped your physically challenged wife for a barbie doll beer heiress. Additionally, YOU didn’t love your country until you were deprived of her company. Again, are you serious? Do you think you can win by suddenly hijacking Obama’s “change” anthem or appealing to small town America? I admit, it’s clever. This ’small town America’ thing may get you some votes (and boy have those people been duped).
Well, I assume that no matter what happens, half of America will be depressed on November 5th. I think I will be numb for several years if you do slide in. However, if you do slither in, please ask Colin Powell and Condi Rice to help you out. Put Denise Huxtable’s Navy hubby and that Steele guy from Maryland in your Cabinet. Find a way to “abolish” Clarence Thomas (and O.J. if you can) and include your “black” child in family get-togethers and family photos. Give us something to smile about.
Lucky for you, all of this you really don’t have to worry about because in the end, Pedro wins the election!
Best regards,
An American, period
P.S. You are Uncle Rico.
Let’s just reflect for a moment on the pride and affinity that we have for this country.
Okay, good. Depending on your life experiences, you may still need time or you were finished before I typed the word “country”. I’ll pray for the latter.
As we gear up for the July 4th holiday, we anticipate all that it means to be an American. We bring the flag out of the basement and hang it on the front porch.
We buy $5 flag t-shirts at Old Navy for the entire family (they always seem to be marked down to $3 after the holiday). We plan a day at the beach or park. Let’s not forget the pride that captivates us as we watch the mass fireworks presentation and hear the symphony play the national anthem of the United States of America — The Star-Spangled Banner.
As a side note, Marvin Gaye’s 1983 rendition gives me serious goosebumps. How much pride do you feel when you see a photo of the two American athletes raising their fists in protest at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City?
Alright, side note complete.
Mrs. Michelle Obama (my new role model) has been heavily criticized for her comments about pride and her country. She told a group:
For the first time in my adult life, I’m really proud of my country.
She has defended those remarks and clarified that she was referring to politics and government policies in America and not pride in the American flag (pin) so to speak. She claims that more people are becoming involved in the political process than ever before.
The new chronicle in American pride is a ‘Got-cha!’ The right and far-right (although near-right is probably as guilty) have been smearing Mrs. Obama as a “Mad Black Woman” who can’t see the opportunties that Lady Liberty grants. (Also, Sen. Obama has been criticized for not wearing a flag pin, yet he wears one now and the critics have been muted).
Here’s the “got-cha”: Sen. John McCain has been quoted on several occasions in print and live media saying, “I didn’t really love America until I was deprived of her company”. Say what?!! Check out this piece on Huffington Post. The saga will continue. Oh, but I wish it would end.
We all have a close “loving” relationship with this nation. The land is beautiful, but the policies (and the questioning of other Americans’ pride) must change.
