>>> TONIGHT, VIRGINIA’S EMBATTLED GOVERNOR RALPH
NORTHAM, A DEMOCRAT, IS
RESISTING CALLS TO RESIGN.
PROTESTERS MARCHED OUTSIDE THE
STATE CAPITOL TODAY, ALL IN
RESPONSE TO THIS RACIST PHOTO
FROM HIS 1984 MEDICAL SCHOOL
YEAR BOOK PAGE WHICH SURFACED
LATE FRIDAY.
LATE FRIDAY. I’M JOINED NOW BY GEORGETOWN
PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR OF "WHAT
TRUTH SOUNDS LIKE," MICHAEL ERIC
DYSON.
DYSON. THANKS FOR BEING HERE, SIR.
>> BROTHER ARI, ALWAYS GREAT TO
BE HERE.
BE HERE. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK IS
IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE
AWAY, PARTICULARLY IF THERE
ISN’T A WAY TO EJECT THE
GOVERNOR FROM OFFICE?
>> WHO KNEW THAT BESIDES BLACK
FACE BEING DONE BY THE GOVERNOR
AS A MEDICAL STUDENT, HE OWED A
DEBT TO AFRICAN AMERICAN
CULTURE, ESPECIALLY THE
CARIBBEAN SIDE.
CARIBBEAN SIDE. HE OBVIOUSLY IS SAMPLING SHAGGY,
"IT WASN’T ME."
SO HERE IS A MAN WHO HAS DENIED
THE FACT THAT HE HAS
PARTICIPATED IN A HORRENDOUS
EXPRESSION OF ANTI-BLACKNESS.
I APPRECIATE THAT.
BUT IF YOU CAN’T ACKNOWLEDGE IT,
IF YOU CAN’T SAY THIS WAS WRONG,
AND THAT IS ME, AND I
PARTICIPATED IN SOMETHING THAT I
NOW FIND REPREHENSIBLE, THEN WE
CAN’T HAVE ANY PROGRESS.
NOW, WITH THE CONSEQUENCE OF HIS
ADMISSION BE THAT YOU GOT TO GO?
MAYBE.
MAYBE. BUT THE THING IS YOU GOT TO PAY
THE TITHES FOR THE CHURCH OF
CONSCIENCE.
CONSCIENCE. YOU GOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WHAT
YOU DID IS WRONG.
AND LOOK, THE PRECIPITOUS
DECLINE OF CIVILIZATION OR MORAL
CULTURE HAPPENS IN FITS AND
SEIZURES AND STARTS AND IT
HAPPENS BY TREASURYCHERY.
THIS GUY HAS TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT
AND THEN GET OUT OF THE WAY.
>> VERY INTERESTING THE WAY YOU
PUT IT.
PUT IT. I’M TORN.
I’M TORN. YOU MAKE A SHAGGY REFERENCE, BUT
WE’RE IN A VERY SERIOUS
DISCUSSION, NOT THAT WE CAN’T
HAVE BOTH.
HAVE BOTH. IT MAKES ME THINK OF SHAGGY
SAYING NOT ONLY "IT WASN’T ME"
BUT SHAGGY ON TOUR WITH STING.
WHO THE SAW THAT COMING?
>> YOUR BROAD REFERENCE TO
CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE IS
ASTONISHING.
ASTONISHING. THAT’S WHY YOU’RE GOING TO BE
ONE OF THE GREAT TREASURERS OF
OUR DIFFICULT CHER IN THE
FUTURE.
FUTURE. >> WE’RE ALL JUST LISTENERS AND
FANS, AS YOU ARE.
WITH REGARD TO YOU BEING A FAN,
HAVE I SOMETHING TO GET TO
BEFORE I LET YOU GO.
>> GREAT.
>> GREAT. >> BUT THERE IS ANOTHER BIG
SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE WHICH EWE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A LONG
TIME.
TIME. YOU LOOK AT CONTROVERSY NOW THE
DAY AFTER THE SUPER BOWL.
ARTISTS AND CELEBRITIES SAYING
YOU GOT TO BOYCOTT THE EVENT
BECAUSE OF THE NFL’S TREATMENT
OF COURSE OF COLIN KAEPERNICK
AND HIS PROTESTS.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> SOME OF THE STARS WHO DID
PERFORM TAKING HEAT.
I WANT TO SHOW CARDI B TALKING
ABOUT WHY SHE TURNED DOWN THE
HALFTIME SHOW TO STAND WITH
KAEPERNICK.
KAEPERNICK. >> HE’S STANDING UP FOR
MINORITIES, AND IT’S LIKE IF WE
DON’T SUPPORT WHOSE STANDING UP
FOR US, WHO GOING TO SUPPORT US?
AND THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY
HE STAND UP FOR.
IT’S CRAZY.
IT’S CRAZY. >> THAT’S ONE VIEW.
I WANT TO SHOW THE OTHERS,
THOUGH.
THOUGH. TAKE RAPPER AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
ACTIVIST MEEK MILLS CELEBRATING
WITH PATRIOTS OWNER ROBERT
KRAFT.
KRAFT. THAT’S ROBERT KRAFT’S BLING YOU
SEE ON THE SCREEN COURTESY OF
MEEK MILLS’ INSTAGRAM.
HAS BEEN AN ALLY ON REFORMING
CRIMINAL JUSTICE.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE. AS YOU KNOW PROFESSIONAL MILL,
JUST GETTING OUT OF PRISON
EARLIER THIS YEAR.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS ISSUE
WHICH I DON’T THINK LENDS ITSELF
TO ONE SIMPLE BINARY CRITIQUE?
>> HOW DID WE GET TO THE POINT
WHERE IT’S A SINGLE STREAM OF
CONSCIOUSNESS?
CONSCIOUSNESS? WE HAVE AN INSIDE GAME, AN
OUTSIDE GAME.
OUTSIDE GAME. THURGOOD MARSHALL WAS IN THE
COURTS IN DEFENSE OF BLACK
PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAS IN
THE STREETS.
THE STREETS. MALCOLM X WAS ON THE PLATFORM IN
HARLEM.
HARLEM. ELLA BAKER, JULIAN ROBINSON,
ANGELA DAVIS, THERE ARE MULTIPLE
STREAMS OF CONSCIOUSNESS, AND WE
MUST GET BEYOND EITHER/OR.
COLIN KAEPERNICK IS AN
EXTRAORDINARY SYMBOL OF JUSTICE.
SO IS ERIC REID, WHO IS MALCOLM
JENKINS, WHO PLAYS THE GAME.
THOSE MEN ARE ON THE FIELD.
SHOULD WE HOLD THEM TO ACCOUNT
FOR PLAYING A GAME?
NO.
NO. LOOK.
LOOK. WHEN JAY-Z AND RIHANNA AND CARDI
B REFUSE TO PLAY, THAT’S OF A
VAST MAGNITUDE.
VAST MAGNITUDE. THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
TRAVIS SCOTT, NOT SO MUCH.
BIG BOY, NOT SO MUCH.
GLADYS KNIGHT HAS BEEN A SOCIAL
JUSTICE WARRIOR FOR MANY OF HER
74 YEARS ON THIS EARTH.
EVEN THOUGH WE MIGHT DISAGREE
WITH THE JUSTIFICATION SHE
OFFERED FOR HER PERFORMANCE, HER
EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE GROWS
OUT OF A TRADITION THAT MUST BE
RESPECTED.
RESPECTED. AND IF YOU THINK SHE MADE A
MISTAKE, DON’T CANCEL HER OUT.
CANCEL CULTURE HAS TO BE
CANCELED.
CANCELED. THE OBSESSION WITH BLACK
APPROPRIATE AND LEGITIMACY HAS
TO BE DONE.
>> WHEN YOU SAY CULTURE CANCEL,
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING SOMEBODY.
>> I’M TALKING ON TWITTER, ON
SOCIAL MEDIA, MANY BLACK PEOPLE
WHO SAY I DISAGREE WITH I DON’T,
I CANCEL YOU OUT.
YOU ARE CANCELED.
NOW, THERE ARE SOME LEGITIMATE
REASONS TO BE UP IN MS.
R. KELLY CANCELED.
THEY CANCELED R. KELLY, BUT THEY
ALSO CANCEL GLADYS KNIGHT.
I’M CONFUSED.
I’M CONFUSED. YOU CAN’T CANCEL OUT ANOTHER
HUMAN BEING.
HUMAN BEING. CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO
HISTORICAL AMNESIA.
HISTORICAL AMNESIA. DRAWN ON THE CARD OF CORRUPT
UNDERSTANDINGS.
UNDERSTANDINGS. WE ARE BROAD, COMPLEX.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAYS TO
PROTEST.
PROTEST. COLIN KAEPERNICK, I LOVE HIM AND
SUPPORT HIM, BUT I ALSO SUPPORT
THOSE WHO GO WITHIN AND SAY
LET’S TAKE THE $100 MILLION THAT
THE NFL OFFERED, LEVERAGE IT IN
DEFENSE OF POOR PEOPLE AND
PEOPLE WHO ARE DEALING WITH CASH
FAILURE THAT HAS TO BE DEAL
WITH.
WITH. MEEK MILL IS A HERO AS WELL.
>> AS ALWAYS, I’M LEARNING FROM
YOU AS YOU DO IT.
I FEEL LIKE IT COULD BE A DEF
POETRY JAM HALFTIME SHOW.
YOU DO IT SO ELOQUENTLY, IF I
MAY SAY.
MAY SAY. BUT YOU’RE SPEAKING TO THE POINT
THAT IF CANCELLING, AS YOU CALL
IT, IS AN INFORMATIONAL DEATH
PENALTY.
PENALTY. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> THEN IT SHOULD ONLY IN YOUR
VIEW I SEE ARGUING BE USED FOR
THE EXTREME.
THE EXTREME. SO THE R. KELLY, A CASE THAT IS
ALLEGEDLY FELONIOUS.
ALLEGEDLY FELONIOUS. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> WOULD BE DIFFERENCE OVER
STRATEGY.
STRATEGY. THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO ASK YOU.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> IT SEEMS EXPLICITLY IMPORTANT
IN BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS AND BLACK
AMERICAN CULTURE WHERE THE
EXPERIENCE HAS SO OFTEN BEEN
DISAPPEARED.
DISAPPEARED. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> FOR HAVING WHITE ARTISTS AND
WHITE BUSINESS TAKE WHAT IS THE
VALUE AND TRY TO EXTRACT IT,
THAT IT SEEMS PERILOUS, I WONDER
WHAT YOU THINK, TO ASK ARTISTS
TO SAY WELL, YOU SHOULD ACTUALLY
DISAPPEAR YOURSELF FROM WHAT
MIGHT BE THE BIGGEST CAREER
OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM THAT COULD
ALSO BE A SOCIAL OPPORTUNITY
BECAUSE THEY CAN USE THEIR MUSIC
TO THEN CONTINUE TO PUT THEIR
ARGUMENTS OUT THERE.
>> ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
LOOK, THAT’S A BLACK CITY.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, RUN BY A BLACK
WOMAN NAMED KESHIA LANCE BOTTOMS
IN A CULTURE THAT WAS IN A VERY
POSITIVE WAY PUT FORTH BY MARTIN
LUTHER KING IN MY VIEW, THE
GREATEST AMERICAN WHOEVER LIVED.
SO THERE ARE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF
BLACKNESS.
BLACKNESS. COMPETITION, TO BE SURE.
AND YES, I AGREE WITH PEOPLE WHO
ARE SUSPICIOUS OF THE FACT THAT
IS THAT BLACKNESS BEING
CONSIGNED TO THE PERIPHERY OR
BEING ONLY USED IN DEFENSE OF A
SPECTACLE OF VIOLENCE, THE NFL,
THAT REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE ITS
OWN PROBLEMS?
OWN PROBLEMS? BUT IF THE NFL IS TRYING TO COME
TO GRIPS WITH THEM, AND COLIN
KAEPERNICK IS THERE TO MAKE SURE
OF THAT AND CARDI B AND JAY-Z
AND RIHANNA AND OTHERS OF US WHO
ARE SOCIAL ACTIVISTS, THERE ARE
MULTIPLE WAYS TO GRAPPLE WITH
THAT.
THAT. TO REDUCE IT, THE COMPLEXITY OF
OUR BLACKNESS TO THAT ONE SCRIPT
IS RIDICULOUS.
IS RIDICULOUS. AND AS YOU SAID, THERE ARE
MULTIPLE WAYS IN WHICH USING
THAT PLATFORM NOW THEN SOMETHING
CAN BE DONE.
THOSE TWO YOUNG LADIES WHO SANG,
CHLOE AND HALLE ARE THEIR NAMES,
I STAND CORRECTED FROM BEYONCE’S
CAMP I THINK WAS A BEAUTIFUL
REPRESENTATION.
REPRESENTATION. I THINK GLADYS KNIGHT WAS TOO
AND BIG BOY AND TRAVIS.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAYS TO MAKE
THE POINT.
THE POINT. >> I DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.
IT’S INTERESTING GETTING YOUR
NUANCE ON IT.
IT’S WHERE POLITICS AND CULTURE
MEET.
MEET. EVERYONE IS WATCHING THE SUPER
BOWL.
BOWL. SO I WANTED TO GET YOUR VIEWS ON
THAT AS WELL.
AS PROMPTED, PEOPLE CAN FIND
THIS ONLINE.
THIS ONLINE. PROFESSOR, I IN AN INTERVIEW ON
FRIDAY WAS SPEAKING TO THE GREAT
LYRICIST.
LYRICIST. PUTTING RESPECT ON PROFESSIONAL
DYSON’S NAME.
DYSON’S NAME. YOU’LL HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT TOO.
I DON’T THINK YOU HAVE SEEN IT.
>> BUT REPRESENTS DETROIT WITH
LETHAL INTENSITY AND FEROCITY
AND POETRY.
AND POETRY. I LOVE THAT, BROTHER.