May 01, 2007 @ 10:36 am
Rev. Al Sharpton "Marching for Decency"
Reverend leading rally against rap lyrics and record labels in NYC.
Rev. Al Sharpton will head up a "March for Decency" this Thursday in New York City, commemorating James Brown's birthday and protesting the social ills perpetuated in the music industry. The march is geared toward record labels and will pass the buildings where four big ones - Sony, Warner Music Group, Universal, and Time Warner - are housed. The march, which begins at 3 pm at the Sony Building on 55th and Madison, will conclude with a rally in Columbus Circle.
Rev. Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN) is calling for record companies to install a code of conduct for artists. He said, "I think it is important that we make a strong appeal as consumers to demand standards that will not offend us or dehumanize us based on race, gender or any other category."
Also spearheading the rally are Brooklyn Councilwoman Darlene Mealy and Tamika Mallory, NAN's Decency Initiative Director. "I am leading this march as a mother and as a young black woman who is part of the hip-hop generation," said Mallory. "We must reshape the positive culture in music, and redefine images of women in media. We will no longer tolerate misogyny and racism as a mainstream form of entertainment for our children."
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http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2007/05/march_for_decency/
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Comments
1.
Gregory Bryant says:
I basically want to leave a poem about for our people. Stop usung the N word.
The “N” Word
The use of the “N” word is a total disrespect to me. Because of that word some of our people were found hanging from a tree.
I know some of our young people are trying to give the word a new meaning. But the word was and still is totally demeaning.
There is no derivative to make the “N” word right. It’s a word to keep us enslaved and destroys the will to fight.
We try to keep it in house and change the spelling to make a perfect fit. But if you keep slinging it loud and proud you open the door for others to call us it.
We have over 400 hundred years of disrespect and the “N” word we were called. We need to realize to use it we should all be appalled.
All I am saying is our ancestors are rolling uncomfortable in their grave. Our use of the “N” word is denouncing the lives they gave.
(Copyright Gregory Bryant for Feel the Flow Publishing)
May 4, 2007 at 3:30 pm
2.
Jeff says:
I'm sorry Helina, but it sounds like you are just going off on an emotional rant. Yes, there are many artists that demean women and make songs that will do nothing but hold their culture back (Cam'ron, Young Jeezy), but you lump every hip hop artist in that category, and THAT is truly ignorant. You claim that they are the uneducated ones, yet you include people like Talib Kweli and Common in the group with crap like 50 Cent. Talib Kweli. A rapper who makes songs like "Joy" and "Black Girl Pain", and all you can see is that he is a rapper so automatically he is stuck in your category of being a thug. Now I don't know you, so I'm not going to claim that you as a person are judgmental, but this little mini-essay you just wrote was without a doubt judgmental.
May 3, 2007 at 9:03 am
3.
Helina says:
You CANNOT blame CORPORATE AMERICA!! Corporate America does NOT go to these filthy low-life black men (or the correct word is really BOYS) and force them to spew THEIR FILTH!! Are Black people really mind-less human beings who cannot think for themselve. SOME BLACK PEOPLE ALLOW other races to do this! Everyone is responsible for his or her actions. That’s basic BIBLE and BASIC commonsense. As a black woman, I’m willing to join and participate in any meaningful organization to stop the filthy black rappers and hip hop singers who sell millions of CDs, videos etc. that contain far WORST DEPLORABLE FILTH than the comments of Don Imus!! Blacks should PROTEST RAP and HIP-HOP music and they should PROTEST DISGUSTING BLACK COMICS such as Woopie Goldberg, Dave Chappell and many others. Blacks should be diligent in their efforts to stop the vile degrading and demeaning of our young women, not to mention the impact of other people’s view of us. Some Black people make me horribly sick when they don’t take the necessary actions or raise a LOUD VOICE to stop these filthy black BOYS from making millions of dollars by WHORING and HOing down the black woman. This should start a much needed UNITY of INTELLIGENT BLACK MEN and WOMEN to stand up for their mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, granddaughters etc. Here is an excerpt from Russell Simmons, a multi-millionaire who makes his money pimping off demeaning black women.
1. “Some defenders of rap music and hip-hop culture, such as the pioneering mogul Russell Simmons, deny any connection between Imus and hip-hop. They describe rap lyrics as reflections of the violent, drug-plagued, hopeless environments that many rappers come from. Instead of criticizing rappers, defenders say, critics should improve their reality. Simmons go on to say: “Comparing Don Imus’s language with hip-hop artists’ poetic expression is misguided and inaccurate and feeds into a mindset that can be a catalyst for unwarranted, rampant censorship,” Simmons said.
The TRUTH IS: Russell Simmons, Robert Johnson (founder of BET), Snoop Dog, JAY Z, 50 Cents, etc. are the MOST VILE, FOUL, and CRASS human beings that breathe!! Since when should black men who don’t want to rise above their environment’ in a dignified manner, believe that:
1. It’s OK to demean your women to make money, so they can enjoy a comfortable life.
2. If they can’t make money by whoring their women, then (according to Russell Simmons)they want other people to help them out of their hopeless’ environment.
Many of the troubles in black communities are created by black people themselves. NO BODY owes these filthy black thugs a GOD-DAMM THING!! BLACK WOMEN CERTAINLY DON’T OWE them ANYTHING! Of every racial or ethnic group of people in AMERICA today, NO other men or BOYS of any race will demean and ‘HO’ down their own women (in this vile way) like a filthy, crass black male would. Any person can lift himself or herself up if they really want to. Since most of these rappers are uneducated, why even put their self-destructive lyrics on the air? That’s a very SICK way to draw other people’s attention. I HOPE AND PRAY that those BLACK THUGS will get to read this post.
May 2, 2007 at 2:40 pm
4.
AH says:
It's sad that Al Sharpton gets any news. He's such a LAME human.
The Black community should ban him from getting involved in real issues. Because when he's involved everyone closes their mind. Saying - we have to listen to the N(word) idiot talk again.
That stabbing years ago should have expired him...
May 2, 2007 at 10:12 am
5.
deepcovercondoms says:
rapper went way to far it not about al sharpton if sharton was not in the pic we wounld be talking about jessie. and so on.... it about each one of us return to our hood's like old schooler did we can change this but we choose to talk and make mad cash off of it we allow drugs and drug dealer in our hood's and we disrespact of our sister as well we need to wake rev al is there because our sorry azz or not.... who the next ckuck dee ??????
May 2, 2007 at 5:07 am
6.
BklynBandette says:
I feel you Elle. Things are going terribly Wrong.
May 2, 2007 at 3:22 am
7.
Elle says:
I happen to be a fan of the Reverend's; nevertheless the bandwagon is already getting way too full on this... what happened to CONTEXT, people? Barack Obama got bad press for meeting with Ludacris about an AIDS awareness campaign in November over this! Nevermind that they were trying to do something positive... he's a rapper. And Common, who is one of the most progressive artists in hip hop could barely get a word in on Oprah to defend his art, as if he should apologize for the entire industry. I heard a white suburban soccer mom's phone ringing "gin and juice" in an upscale hair salon the other day. Bottom line... consumer demand is what keeps negative rap going. After all, look at us... we do love a scandal. We are all a bunch of "hos" for drama, and we love to point us some fingers!
May 1, 2007 at 11:53 pm
8.
BklynBandette says:
Once Russell and the Gang agreed to make adjustments, that should have been it. It should have been a dead issue. A done deal. But Mr. Sharpton continuing on with this Pseudo Crusade is ridiculous- especially coming from him. And although I think we all can agree that HipHop has taken a wrong turn and needs to be re-directed, Sharpton and Jackson should not be Captains of the ship.
May 1, 2007 at 9:31 pm
9.
Jesus. says:
Believe me, Al Sharpton is going to hell. I'm an authority on these things.
May 1, 2007 at 4:35 pm
10.
Jeff Seaton says:
Al Sharpton marching for decency is like President Bush holding a rally for peace in the Middle East. That man is the biggest ambulance chaser in all of America, he has no right to be telling other people that they aren't decent. So quick to point the finger at problems in our society, yet did Al Sharpton publicly apologize for falsely accusing the lacrosse players from Duke? Surely didn't. Did he scold that girl for deceiving the country and lying to everyone? Nope. Al Sharpton doesn't give two shits about anyone but Al Sharpton. Lauren Hill said it best: "Hypocrites always wanna play innocent/ Always want to take it to the full out extent/ Always want to make it seem like good intent/ Never want to face it when it time for punishment."
May 1, 2007 at 4:23 pm