Click HERE to listen to our Hard Knock Radio interview w/ Kevin Powell
http://www.swift.fm/mrdaveyd/song/58699/
The discussion around leadership especially in the Black community is an on going one that will continuously be revisited. For some its old news that needs to be avoided. With so much going on in our lives why have a discussion about leadership where one may wind up stressed out and left with lots of questions. For many others, as activist/ author and Congressional candidate Kevin Powell points out such discussions are necessary if for any reason to keep people accountable.
The community needs to be accountable to those who speak and does things in their names. It’s understandable, when one looks at how messy politics can be.. but to not be political is political and far too often with dire consequences. Hence a community must constantly challenge, hold up high, push and agitate.
For those who see themselves as leaders such discussions are important in order to check in and make sure one is truly repping the interests of the folks they are trying to serve versus serving the interests of the institutions they are a part of.. In short a leader is in service to his community and constantly giving voice to the voiceless.
In our interview with Kevin Powell builds off many of the points he lays out in an upcoming article to be featured in Ebony Magazine. He gives an incredible and insightful breakdown of of what leadership should ideally look like in the Obama Era. He notes its not enough to simply have a few people who look like us in high places. It’s important to have a plan of action to help put into place the things people truly need.
In our interview Powell goes into great detail explaining the challenges our generation has of being lured by the ‘cult of personality’ and media punditry and how we must align ourselves with those who do the work in terms of organizing.He talks about the importance of bridging generational, class and gender divides. He talks about how we should build coalitions with others. He also talks about how we should look to make room for others to emerge. We also talk about Kevin’s run for Congress and the recent lawsuit that was launched against him by his opponent which was dismissed and seemed designed to be a distraction and a money drain versus being something of any real substance.
Like I said a lot of ground gets covered.. too much to write..
Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner
They know Rangel can get things done, like block they stuff and get Hillary and Bill Clinton in New York. All this Powell kid can do is arue with white girls like he did with that white girl on “MTV REAl World”. That is his claim to fame. HIP-HOP (HELPING IGNORANT PEOPLE – HURT OUR PEOPLE) . They are just using that kid to get rid of people with tenure that they can’t manipulate like they want. Russell Simmons, Kevin Powell, Wycleff Jean, and the rest of you “Hip-hop” people are no good for the African American or Black Community. We know who are” financing” you to continue to keep our people confused. WHATEVER HAPPENS IN NEW YORK, IF THEY DUMB ENOUGH TO FALL FOR IT, SO BE IT. SELLING ASS OUT “MARLON WAYANS” – PLEASE!!!!!
I thought Kevin made some excellent points. At the end of the day it is about meeting the basic needs of people. In addition, we use the word community and never really define that in terms of what are “our” aspirations. I’ve travelled to 7 different countries in the world. Associating with the rural and local people and I’m always struck by the sense of community and the organization that comes out of that sense. These communities don’t have internet and cellphones that we’ve been conditioned we can’t live without and yet, they are committed to changing their conditions. To them the most valuable commodity or resource is the people. I feel net neutrality is a serious issue that the people must win, but I also get the sense that people feel this battle is do or die. We live next door to each other and we have to organize via the internet/facebook. People don’t even speak or relate to the humanity of each other that I feel a real community should. A true community establishes conditions and terms of it’s members. You simply can’t bleed the block or send out messages that are harmful to the community without consequences or enforcement. We’re so busy battling that we’ve forgotten how to speak to our neighbors or to get to know them. If we really functioned as a community we wouldn’t have the generational, class, and gender divide the degree we do!
“WHATEVER HAPPENS IN NEW YORK (HAITI, OR WHEREEVER YOU ALL ARE FINANCED FROM), IF THEY DUMB ENOUGH TO FALL FOR IT, SO BE IT”.