President Elect Obama is receiving well deserved best wishes and congratulations from millions of people across America and throughout the world. The hip-hop community in particular came out in record numbers to vote and to help provide the margin of victory for Obama.
Global Grind expresses it gratitude especially to the hip-hop generation for helping to make history. We are sure the Obama campaign also is very grateful for the tremendous turnout of youth voters.
We are issuing an urgent call to vigilance and continued action by America's young voters to insure that Obama's leadership is fortrightly supported. The election is over, but the essential work of transformation has just begun.
Fixing the economy for all Americans with emphasis on the working and middle class to restoring confidence in the corridors of Wall Street will require the same serious focused leadership that has come to embody Obama's successful journey to the White House.
Steadfastness of resolve will be necessary. Hip-hop is about perseverance. It is about not only overcoming the odds, but it is also about rising to the occasion to make the critical difference.
Delivering health care to all, increasing quality education opportunity, ensuring social and economic justice, protecting the environment, international dialogue and peace to end war and poverty and overall making our participation in democracy more effective and long lasting means not sitting down but continuing to stand up, speak out and to take back responsibility.
We must internalize the hard won lessons of the Obama campaign. Participatory democracy works. Keeping our faith in God and country and always striving to make our communities and world a better place is a sustained priority. Hip-hop is the culture of transformation. Obama is the "transformative" President Elect. Yes, let's celebrate. But we must be more involved and accountable now than ever before to support Obama.
We can not afford to go back to politics as usual. The change that we prayed and worked for is here.
Discuss Russell's post at Global Grind
"Delivering health care to all, increasing quality education opportunity, ensuring social and economic justice, protecting the environment, international dialogue and peace to end war and poverty and overall making our participation in democracy more effective and long lasting..."
I suspect this is what Miss South Carolina "meant" to say.
Why weren't these issues inspiring enough to "transform" hip-hop before the election?
I would also like to lobby hip-hop for an end to the propagation of homophobia, misogyny, and wealth envy.
I really hope that the hip-hop community that is claiming to contribute to Obama's success will take cue from the future president - he is ever impeccable in his appearance, whether in suit or rolled up sleeves.
Enough of this hip-hop fashion - saggy baggy pants, long white/black t-shirts flowing to the ankles! When I see the pictures and films from the 70s, other than skin, one can hardly tell whites and blacks apart in what the wore. And then came hip-hop and everything and people went out of their ways to look different, separate from the establishment. Granted not all can look the way Obama looks but let's clean up our acts along with other stuff that Mr. Simmons mentioned above.
Well said and well done.
It's telling that Simmons makes no mention of liberty or freedom. The role of equality is the U.S. must be an equality of Liberty, not an equality of outcomes. What fun would the Olympics be if they forced everyone to run the race at the same speed?
It might be worth learning some history before changing this nation:
"Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom."
--Alexis de Tocqueville
"Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude."
--Alexis de Tocqueville
Check out the change.gov site for an opportunity to give your input, and get in the practice of participatory democracy. The Internet is supposedly transformational -- let's prove it.
Please do continue to get the word out around the country. Together, this country will roll up their sleeves, and greet a brand new way of being.
Obama has lit the torch of inspiration. It's up to us, especially the 18-24's, to put yourself out there to serve something bigger than yourselves.
The 50 state strategy of getting an office in each state to help people learn about Obama was tremendously successful. This created the support. I strongly believe this is what is needed to keep the support alive for the next four years.
The same old media coverage is just not going to work. Guaranteed.