Black political leadership in America is dead! Thank God for (hip hop) mogul Russell Simmons?

Perhaps it’s a sign of black political and economic success that the notion of a leader of black America has essentially fallen into desuetude. Indeed, the public agendas of erstwhile black leaders demonstrate how irrelevant even they seem to think such a notion is today. After all, men like Jesse Jackson and Vernon Jordan now seem more preoccupied with their rights to sit on corporate boards than the rights of blacks in general.

It is instructive to note, however, that the burgeoning black middle-class now has more in common with middle-class whites than with poor blacks. And, this economic disparity within the black community precludes the unity of political purpose for blacks that was the case when they were fighting for voting rights, desegregation of public places of accommodation, integration of schools, compensatory affirmative action and other civil rights causes.

By contrast, today, office politics, not civil rights, incite and unify the political concerns of middle class blacks. And, activism for them involves networking up the corporate ladder into management and boardrooms, not protesting in the streets. Indeed, middle-class blacks derive inspiration and racial pride more from businessmen like Ken Chenault, CEO of American Express and Richard Parsons, CEO of Time Warner than from political flame throwers like Julian Bond, Chairman of the NAACP and Al Sharpton, professional political court jester. (Incidentally, does anyone know what happened to Senator Barack Obama?)

Furthermore, the social interests of increasing numbers of blacks revolve more around owning club memberships and beach homes than fighting discrimination and inner city crime. And, there’s the rub: Because clearly a significant percentage of blacks remain affected by chronic poverty, crime and now, even political neglect. After all, since black political leaders rely on middle-class blacks (and whites) for campaign contributions to remain in office, poor blacks (who rarely vote) have no one to pay any more than lip service to their concerns.

But help for poor and marginalized blacks is coming from a most unlikely source: the hip hop community. And, before convulsing with incredulity, please check out the organized efforts by hip hop vanguards to empower blacks using the self-help methods pioneered by Booker T Washington over a century ago.

Undoubtedly, hip hop mogul Russell Simmons is more in-tune with the concerns of poor blacks in America than any politician has been over the past 20 years. After all, it is Simmons who has led opposition to draconian Rockefeller drug laws that have had a very disparate impact on poor blacks (longer sentences for a small amount of crack cocaine that blacks usually possess than for a much larger amount of powder cocaine that whites usually possess); he’s the one who rails against racial profiling of young blacks (especially for “driving while black”); he’s the one preaching the values of business enterprise and economic self-determination; he’s the one promoting yoga and Buddhism as more hip than gang banging and “living the thug’s life”; and, he’s the one making even traditional political activism cool with his rap-the-vote campaign; etc….

Russell Simmons: A new political leader for black America? No, just a brother who got his (and then some) and is helping other brothers and sisters get theirs!

Click here to read more about the man and his mission in his own words.

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