Russell Simmons's Open Salon Blog

Energizing Our Core

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 12:09:28 -0400

I’ve always said that as a vegan, I try not to eat anything that would run away from me. But the truth is that while watching the Republican convention last week, I found myself becoming a little envious of all the political “red meat” that was getting thrown to that party’s faithful. Of course I consider the Republicans’ convention diet---a big helping of fear, distrust and divisiveness served with a bed of lies---about as appetizing as a greasy Big Mac. But whatever discomfort I felt with the Republicans’ message, I still couldn’t help but notice how that meat seemed to energized and motivated many of the delegates.

So as we enter the homestretch of this election, I want to encourage the Democratic Party to keep its’ core similarly well fed—albeit on a much healthier, positive and uplifting diet. Because while there might be real truth to the theory that this election will come down to who can win over America’s uncommitted center, I still feel it would be a serious mistake to let our own core get too hungry.

In our quest to win over the center, let’s not marginalize the beautiful coalition that brought us to this moment in the first place—the young people inspired by a message of hope and change, the hip-hop nation, the peaceniks, the tree huggers and those truly concerned about the plight of poor people. These people might occupy a space a little left of center, but they still have real power through their numbers. Remember, while Governor Palin might be the current flavor of the month, there are still more moms out there carrying yoga mats than hockey sticks. I understand that over 30 million people visited Oprah’s website to learn about Ekhart Tolle’s A New Earth. That means there are over 30 million Americans who are more interested in expanding their consciousness than looking to expand our troop presence in Iraq. Governor Palin might have energized the NRA crowd with her tales of bear hunting, but I know that there are also millions of members of the Humane Society and PETA who were just as disturbed by her heartless attitude towards animals.

And by sharing those messages, we will truly energize our base. Because our base, if properly engaged, will get out there and knock on the doors, that will make the 25 dollar donations, register new voters and drive people to the polls on Election Day. We’re going to ask so much from them, and I’m confident they’re going to deliver. If we keep our base energized, I believe people will come out in huge, record breaking numbers on November 4th. But in order to ensure their commitment, we need to keep feeding them their inspiration.

I concede that there is a lot of wisdom in appealing to the center at this stage of the game. But I also believe that there are still smaller opportunities out there to keep our more progressive wing engaged and energized. To talk about the need to reform our drug laws. To talk about the need to break our addiction to oil. To talk about the blood the NRA and the gun manufacturers have on their hands. To talk about the fact that almost twice as many Americans were killed in Chicago this summer as in Iraq over the same period. And even to talk about an issue that is admittedly not on most people’s radar, but that is very close to my heart these days: how we contribute to the abuse of nine billion farm animals. To let people know that not only does our treatment of farm animals make us physically ill and create incredibly bad karma for humankind, but it also is a huge source of global warming, a source that far outweighs all forms of transportation put together. That’s why it would be so beautiful for Americans to hear that even eating just one less hamburger a week would have an incredibly positive impact on how we feel and how we live. Again, I understand that this is far from a centrist message. But I’m still hungry for it. And I think I’m not alone.

I’m not looking for a big public hug for the progressives right now. I realize that might be too much at this stage of the game. I guess all I’m really asking for from the Democratic leadership is a little wink. Just to let us know you still love us. Because we still love you.

Taking Back Our Families

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:08:45 -0400

The other day my brother Reverend Run texted me with some exciting news: the parenting book he recently wrote with his wife Justine, "Take Back Your Family: A Challenge To America's Parents made the New York Times bestseller list. While some might be surprised that a parenting book written by a rapper and his wife would hit the bestseller's list, I wasn't shocked that people of all backgrounds were interested in Run and Justine's views on raising a successful family.

For five seasons, their hit reality show Run's House has inspired families with its' honest dialogue on how to enjoy the good times and survive the hard ones. Since Take Back Your Family shares their parenting philosophies in even greater detail, it was only natural that the book would reach so many people.

But the full impact of Take Back Your Family was really brought home to me when I got a call from a friend of mine who had just finished the book. "Please tell your brother how inspired I was by his book. I loved how positive and uplifting his message was," he told me, before adding. "Too bad Obama didn't use the same tone when he talked about parenting. He might not have rubbed so many folks the wrong way."

My friend was referring to Senator Obama's now infamous Father's Day speech, in which he suggested that too many African-Americans think that parenting "ends at conception" and that they need to show more "courage" in raising their children. Jesse Jackson's response to that speech might have gotten all the headlines, but the truth is he was voicing frustrations felt by many in the African-American community. There was a perception that not only was Obama speaking down to people caught up in the struggle, but even worse, in doing so he was providing conservatives with another opportunity to point their fingers at Black men.

But while I respected my friends' view, I had to tell him I thought his frustrations were misplaced. I encouraged him to see that while he felt inspired by Run and frustrated with Obama, in fact they were both promoting a very similar message. "It's just that you've never felt any sort of judgment coming with Run," I told him. "You're so used to him promoting love and acceptance through Run's House that you were open to everything you read in the book. Obama wasn't really saying anything other than, "Take back your families." It's just that since he was delivering that message from the political stump, you heard it as a judgment instead of as encouragement."

What I wanted my friend to understand is that both Run and Obama are incredibly dedicated family men and are qualified, because of the commitments they've made in their own lives, to deliver a message of parental responsibility. And I really believe that when someone like Reverend Run or Barack Obama encourages you to make family your first priority, they're not saying it out of judgment or a sense of arrogance. Instead, they're just trying to help you tap into some of the joy, stability and tranquility that family has brought to their own lives.

But ultimately, I was just thrilled that family has become such a passionate issue, especially in the African-American community. When I hear a very healthy debate about the responsibilities of fathers, when I see Take Back Your Family on the bestseller list or pictures of Barack Obama playing with his daughters in every newspaper, it lets me know a very positive change is taking place in this country. You don't have to dress a certain way, speak a certain way, hold a particular kind of job or even look a certain way to be considered a "family man" anymore. Your race, your religion, your background, the kind of music you listen to--thankfully all of that is becoming irrelevant. Instead, all that matters is that you make a commitment to putting your family first.

That's why I'm so excited about a Barack Obama presidency. It's going to be incredibly healthy for this country to address the issues surrounding families with a new voice and a new perspective. I'm also extremely proud of my brother--- while he first became famous as a rapper helping introduce America to hip-hop, I believe he's ultimately going to be remembered as the rapper who helped re-introduce this country to family.