Rapper, T.I. has been outspoken about the incoming Trump presidency that is days away.
In an open letter to Trump, T.I. said:
“Should it ever at times seem as though we are against you, I assure you it’s a result of you defining yourself as the representative for those who are and who always have been against us,” he wrote.“The deck has always been stacked against us in this country. With every generation, there have been strategic steps taken to oppress, imprison and control US. All we’ve ever wanted was equality and empathy as the historically disenfranchised citizens that we are, in a nation that we’ve contributed to just as much as anyone else who calls America their home.”
The King of The South created Instagram videos expressing his displeasure with celebrities like Steve Harvey and Kanye West taking meetings with President-elect Trump.
“Trump knew that young people were against him,” said T.I. “So who does he get to appeal to them-Kanye West. Why? Not because they buy his shoes or listen to his music, but to sway the young people who are against Trump that he’s ‘not that bad’.”
Vincent J. Peters, a technology expert and former Obama deputy field organizer spoke his mind. “I cannot help but be confused and a bit disappointed,” Peters told RESPECT Magazine’s Mr. Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. by phone. “In a letter where Mr. Harris speaks of, “creating a healthy dialogue that may hopefully unite US, addressing issues that have not be addressed, and asking the President Elect who are you and who do you want to be?” I ask myself what better way is there to create a healthy dialogue, address issues that haven’t been addressed, or understand who a person is outside of meeting that person face to face?”
Peters even broke down the parallel between what T.I. said and a speech Malcolm X’s Ballot of The Bullet speech in 1964, that is said to have subliminal references to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and U.S. Representative John Lewis, then King’s protege. The two were known to be friendly with former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and would have coffee together at the Whitehouse.
In Malcolm X’s Ballot of The Bullet speech, he stated:
“That same white man knowing that your eyes are wide open will send another negro into the community telling you to support him so he could use them to lead us astray…The first thing the [White racist] does when he comes to power, he takes all the Negro leaders and invites them for coffee, to show that he’s alright. And these Uncle Toms can’t pass up the coffee. They come away from the coffee table telling you and me that this man is alright.”
“To put things into proper perspective if 2017 was the 1960s Mr. Harris would be the person telling Dr. Martin Luther King and John Lewis not to meet with Lyndon B. Johnson,” Peters told Respect Magazine. “If Dr. King and Congressman Lewis would have listened to those who shared the same or similar sentiment as Mr. Harris, some of the most substantial legislation for civil rights and the advancement of African Americans in the US would have never been proposed or passed.”
You can check out more of Vincent J. Peter’s interview by clicking here.
