Not to go all Tabitha Soren on you, but wouldn’t it be nice if national politics really became the next big urban youth trend? I know that Diddy tried it with his 2003 “Vote or Die” fashion venture youth campaign, but maybe this time around might we go for something a bit more, uh, nuanced?
This week Barack Obama ended his latest Harlem World tour with a $50 ticket fundraiser at the Apollo Theater. One of the openers for the night’s events was Chris Rock, who I guess was there to keep the crowd happy while Obama dined with Al Sharpton at Sylvia’s (cliche much?) before his big speech.
Keeping in mind the ongoing fascination with the national black leaderships alleged dislike of the latest Big O (hi Juan!), this moment couldn’t have been better timed: dinner with Sharpton, stumping by Chris Rock, and some fancy words from Cornel West.
And whatever any of the above’s motivation in falling in behind Obama might be, I can’t help but think that Rock himself best summarized the changing tide of sentiment. As Bonney Kapp reports:
Rock, never one to shy away from blunt language, told the crowd that he was glad to see the crowd “on the right side of history.” Because, he said, “You’d be real embarrassed if he won and you wasn’t down with it. ‘I can’t call him now! I had that white lady. What was I thinking? What was I thinking,” he joked, referring to Obama’s main rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton.![]()
Hee hee. You can watch a video of Rock’s delivery here.
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