Close Menu
    Advertise With Us
    Religion

    ‘Kanye West, us and Trump’

    4 Mins Read0 Views
    Advertisement
    Pastor Rasheed Z. Baaith

    ‘Kanye West, us and Trump’

    By Pastor Rasheed Z Baaith

    “I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.” (Psalm 96:4)

    America is now a place where this country is actually two territories composed of what is called red states and blue states. And we find that among both groups are Democrats and Republicans, Independents and others. These designations are as much about politics, race, gender and social status as they are about geography although the Southern states are usually thought to be red states and the states of the North are blue states. The supporters of President Trump and his polices are red state people, those who oppose him are considered blue state folk. The disdain and loathing each group has for the other is so deep that rules of civility along with common sense are no longer in play.  It is so deep that certain ethnicities believe that for one of their own to support one stance or the other is a betrayal of the worst nature.  Particularly in our community.

    As a result of that thinking, when Kanye West announced he not only supported President Trump but that he “loved” President Trump, condemnations were quick and unrelenting. Like many of us I was appalled at what Kanye said. I thought the statement was uninformed, intellectually lacking and spoke to how confused Kanye is. How can you support anyone who holds your people in such low regard, who believes Nazis are “good people” or has said your homeland is full of “—hole countries?”

    Yet here is the thing: no matter how much so many of us are unhappy about what Kanye said, it is his right to say it. For us to attempt to limit his speech because we disagree with it is tantamount to what the slave master did to us. They did not want us to think or speak about anything but the status they forced us into. For us to do the same is apartheid era behavior.   In addition, Kanye said that he saw no change in the violence in Chicago when President Obama was in office. While any negative statement about President Obama is considered blasphemy in the black community, I have to agree with Kanye West.  Here is what so many of us forget: that before Parkland and since Parkland our children suffered gun violence.  In the cities of LA, New York City, Miami and Chicago just to name a few, children of color have been dying by gun violence in epidemic numbers. A lot of officials who could have brought more focus to this epidemic and to those victims, including President Obama, did not.  I don’t know if it was because Raul Emmanuel, the Mayor of Chicago, had been his former Chief of Staff and he did not want to threaten their relationship or what. But the fact is he didn’t do all he could have to impact that horror.  We may not want to accept that truth but it does not change the fact of it.

    Finally there’s this. When Chance said that not all Black people have to be Democrats, he is correct.  Some of us need to be everywhere and that includes in the Republican Party, the Independents, the Democrats and among the Progressives.  It is without question we certainly have not gotten all we should have from our loyalty to the Democratic Party, but we have gotten a whole lot less from the Republicans.

    I believe profoundly that Kanye West is wrong in his support of a racist like President Trump, but I believe it is even more wrong to tell Kanye he cannot voice that support. Think about it.

     

    Share.

    Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

    Related Posts

    This College Chaplain Fills The Pews By Teaching, Not Preaching Lawrence Lockett Jr., Morgan State University chaplain. Credit: Lawrence Lockett Jr. via LinkedIn By REV. DOROTHY S. BOULWARE (Source: Amsterdam News) It’s understandable for parents of strong faith to worry about the spiritual lives of their children who’ve gone away to college. After all, it’s easy for a young person, perhaps on their own for the first time, to suc-cumb to the temptations of partying late on Saturday night and sleeping in on Sunday morning. But Minister Lawrence Lockett Jr., chaplain at Morgan State University in Baltimore, is packing them into the pews most Sundays. He is engaging them in lively ways during the week. And students are joining the choir, accompanying worship on various instruments, and serving as readers and leaders throughout the service. It is by the grace of God for sure, but also by the loving service of Lockett, who’s beginning his second year as the school’s director of chapel. He has grown his flock from the 25 or so students who showed up at his first services to more than 200 each Sunday. Sometimes, it’s standing room only. “We’ve been trying to figure out what to do next because on Easter Sunday we had 342 people, and some were standing in the back,” he said. Word In Black talked to Lockett about the secrets of his success: how his adjustment of Sunday ser-vices got people into the pews, why his philosophy for guiding students on their spiritual journey centers on independent thought, and how his “Spin the Block” initiative is shaking things up on campus. The in-terview has been edited for length and clarity. Word in Black: The first thing we want to know is, how do you get so many young people to chapel every Sunday?. Lawrence Lockett: Well, first of all, I changed the time of service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I realized a lot of the students like to sleep in late. It gives them time to do whatever they need to do. I’m sure many of them still like to party hearty over the weekend. So they have a good chance just to kind of refocus, recali-brate, get themselves lunch, and then come over to the chapel for service. When I started in November, maybe 20-25 students came, but now it’s over 200 that come every Sun-day, and it’s pretty cool. So now we’re repositioning ourselves to go after the freshman class this year. If we have the same success as last year, there’s definitely not going to be any room. Word in Black: Tell me about pastoring on a college campus. Lawrence Lockett: Morgan actually started as a biblical institute, so the Christian traditions have al-ways been here. As a pastor or shepherd, I’m walking students through their questions, not always just trying to preach answers to them. It’s about being vulnerable. I tell them I was in their same position, just trying to figure it out. And it’s not me just trying to give them answers. Having been there helps me really walk with them and anchor them in the storm of life that’s going to come. I want them to understand that their soul really matters. A lot of students focus on mental health, but they really need to focus on spiritual health as well. It should be one and the same. So I’ve been trying to preach that, if anything, spiritual health is just as important as your mental health. But we do encour-age the use of the counseling center, for sure, if there is a mental health crisis. WIB: What does Monday through Friday look like for you? LL: Mondays, we are usually off because of Sundays. On Tuesdays, we have Bible studies, so I’ll host a Bible study at noon along with my colleagues that work in the chapel. And then, I’m teaching a class called Hip-hop and the Gospel on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., dealing with mixing culture and religion. On Wednesdays, we do something called “breath and balance,” which is just a meditative type of pro-gram with breathing exercises as stress relievers. We work with the School of Nutrition Science and the food resource center so that the students get a nice free meal and practice breathing exercises and meth-ods to feel good about the day. For Thursdays, we started something called the mosaic, in which we have different campus ministers gather in small groups, just like a mosaic painting. So the students who come on Sundays then get plugged into small groups on Thursdays. And on Fridays at 1 p.m., we do prayer for Muslims.. We have an imam lecture and then lead in corporate prayer. It’s a good mix. WIB: What is “Spend a Block?” Didn’t you receive an award for it? LL: That started last year. We just basically do services outside: outside the residence halls, in the quad, wherever it may be. Honestly, worship on a college campus looks different than it did 20 or 30 years ago. Students want something real and authentic, something they can gravitate to, and something that’s convenient. So when we’re outside, people are like, “What’s all the noise outside? What’s all the music?” Then they come outside, and there are chairs, so they grab one and sit and enjoy the service. We come to them. They don’t have to come to us. At the very beginning of the semester, we do services outside the four resi-dence halls. And that kind of gives us a steamroll into homecoming week. And we’ve seen a lot of success because of that. WIB: What should I expect when I arrive for Sunday service? LL: You’re gonna see a lot of involvement with students. I’ve learned that students like to feel invested, and they want to participate in what’s going on. They don’t want to be told by adults what they should and shouldn’t do. So when you go to the service, you’ll see our praise team full of students. You’ll see a choir full of students. You’ll see students reading scripture. You’ll see students giving testimonies. And then I’ll come in and give a sermon, or I’ll have a guest friend or a guest preacher come in to do the sermon. But you’re gonna see a lot of student involvement, and I think that also assisted with a lot of the growth be-cause when they see fellow students, they understand they’re just like me, and if they can do it, I can do it. WIB: What about musicians and choir? LL: The musicians are also students. They say, “Hey, I love to play. I wanna use my gifts in some way, shape, or form.” And they’ll ask whether or not there’s a spot for them. And we say absolutely. And there is a chapel choir. Some of the members are also members of the university choir. WIB: What is the “next” you see for the chapel? LL: I want the students to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. The chapel really is the heartbeat of the campus, and I want students to know more about where faith, hope, and belonging really stem from. I also want the chapel to become more interfaith and involve as many students and beliefs as possible.