Let Dre Have His Day
by Natanya Duncan | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile)
After we have spent all this time on multiculturalism, and advocating for the presence of African Americans and "others" to not only have a foot in the door, but a seat at the table, we now want folk to buy and spend black?
In response to Andre Young’s aka Dr. Dre’s decision to give a sizable gift to the University of Southern California, Dr. Walter Kimbrough, the President Dillard University, an HBCU located in New Orleans, writes "But as the president of a black college, it pains me as well. I can't help but wish that Dre's wealth, generated as it was by his largely black hip-hop fans, was coming back to support that community."
Let us be reminded that HBCUs (with some exceptions such as Bill & Camille, Oprah, Puffy, and Spike using their money for their alma maters and other HBCUs) are supported by the alumnae, some corporate foundations, student loan monies, Title Three, maverick research grants, and community folks. In fact, most of the HBCUs that remain open today were started or maintained through the benevolence of a select few. (I know you're gonna hit me with the land grant conversation, but the schools did not stay open because of the grants alone).
So here is my pro-Garvey question, do we as a community have the collective change (nickels, dimes, four quarters) that would add up to even more than what Dr. Dre gave USC (located in his 'hood)? It is easy to empathize with the disappointment Dr. Kimbrough expressed, but remember when you point the finger, there are three pointing back at you.
It would have been great for Dr. Dre to give that money to say a crippled Morris Brown, a Morgan, a Dillard or even my beloved Clark Atlanta University. In weighing Dr. Dre’s decision not give my alma mater Clark Atlanta University that money when our Mass Communications Department could have used it, I had to ask myself another question; do we have the infrastructure to best use the money for the kind of specific program it is intended? Can we ensure that student retention and graduation, not to mention specialization in the field Dr. Dre is targeting, will drastically improve in, lets say, a four year period? Or would we end up moving the money from one line item to another in order to "catch back" what we didn't move on or complete say, 10 years ago?
I am happy Dr. Dre had the bread to give and will be able to get a nice tax write-off. The brother is giving USC his "clean" money. While the money he is giving to USC is getting media attention today, we may never know just how much money—clean or otherwise—he has actually spent in his hood, on his peeps. Had this been his one and only move of this nature, then maybe I would be less understanding. Those earphones he put out are a bit pricy (If one of you want to sponsor a pair for me, feel free), but it’s good that he is sharing the "ends".
I am perfectly willing to also consider that there may be some other forces at work or motives for the donation. Dr. Dre may have some fine print in a contract with one or more of his corporate alignments. But this simply brings me back to the pro-Garvey ideal. If we are willing to find ways to fund and keep funding ourselves, we can select our bed partners and dictate terms. (Please don't spank me Sis. Imani Perry, but the ideals can be lived even more so now than during Garvey's era.)
Let Dre have his day! Let Hip Hop show some clout. Let us as a community take heed and begin to gather our collective forces and support our institutions so we can say "Mine for Yours" (Shout out Modern Free) and not "give me yours so I can have mine."
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Natanya Duncan is an Assistant Professor of History at Morgan State University. Her research focuses on female activism in the Garvey Movement.
Title: Let Dre Have His Day by Natanya Duncan
Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
10:55 AM
Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
10:55 AM
