It’s not that I’m mad; I’m just worried. Last week, Kanye drew in thousands of fans who are still living through nostalgia for his music and reminiscing about the good times.
I get it, but I don’t.
I get it because I used to be a HUGE Kanye fan; at every tour and with custom merch, Kanye was the blueprint to my favorite times.
But as we fight through three more years of this administration, I’m worried about our future.
Because Black people, we are NOT standing on business.
It’s a very popular saying to say “We are not our ancestors,” and you’re right, we aren’t. Our ancestors fought tirelessly for things; they pushed back on people that treated them like shit.
That’s how we have the Black Panthers.
That’s how we have the Freedom Riders.
That’s how we have ANCESTORS.
I drew my line at the Trump photo in 2016 and stayed there, yet here we are, Nazi chants, Hitler shirts, Candace Owens opps and many more incidents, and you all are still showing him he can do and say whatever he wants without repercussions.
My concern is, who are our leaders?
Who will care about our kids?
Who will be the voice to say this is our limit; we can no longer show support?
It’s clear those that hold on to the ounce of the man he was 10 years ago can’t let go. So what does he have to do to make you really say, “Okay, this has gone too far”? Because, you guys, it’s gone way too far.
I understand mental illness, but we are enabling him. I mean, at least we used to get a press conference apology; now it’s just – “If I stay silent long enough, people will forget.”
The online chatter tears down Jay-Z and calls him a sellout, in the same world where a Hitler & Trump supporter exists. How does he receive more hate?
In my opinion, Black leaders won’t exist in a decade.
They’ve been deemed corny and dramatic; they get suppressed on social media; they don’t have thousands of followers.
People only want to be upset to seem like they are standing in allegiance with others online. But you cannot be outraged by the things Trump does and the Project 2025 implementation and say you’re going to a Kanye West show in 2026 with his politics aside.
That is his personality; that is how he wants to be seen in this world.
What are we influencing and teaching if everything is about status and visibility more than grounding and education?
We went through the rise and fall of Black Lives Matter, as well as the scandalous actions of nonprofit leaders who used money to fund their social media lifestyles instead of helping those in need.
Who are the leaders?
Let’s use your line… “politics aside.” Who is teaching our community to fight?
It seems our community picks and chooses when things outrage them. Everyone is entitled to do as they please. I no longer listen to R. Kelly; I do not support Kanye West, and Diddy remains simply Diddy (I never widely supported him).
I know we would be nothing musically without these individuals, but we can also acknowledge the harm they have caused. Only 2 of these men have been held accountable for their actions. 1 of them keeps selling out shows like he didn’t do an interview in a KKK outfit.
So again. I’m not mad at the people who went, my friends that enjoyed it, or the people I saw on my timeline.
I am truly just wondering who is left to stand on some business and tell these people we are not cash cows and can’t be bought.
But I suppose for the right price, everyone can….
By Teja Smith
Teja Smith, founder of the agency Get Social, is transforming the landscape of social media for social justice, playing a crucial role in securing Vice President Kamala Harris’s ticket while engaging over 2 million millennial and Gen Z voters. In her recent TedX talk in Los Angeles, she emphasized the vital role of social media in political campaigns, making her insights invaluable in today’s advocacy efforts.
