I think our use of the term "black leaders" is becoming increasingly antiquated. Either black or white, leaders are always leaders, right? Leaders are people you can look up to and who get things done. I think that's the bigger issue. It's not if we need leaders or we need leaders who are black. As you read in the book, most of the people we surveyed, more than 80%, agree. "Black leaders" are great leaders who happen to be black. Leaders are not exclusive to black America.
Speaking of those "black leaders" or the leaders who just happen to be black, your commentary with Al Sharpton states that he believes that you should always "judge people on the basis of what they do." As a civil rights activist, Sharpton serves a distinct purpose, yet his influence with young black professionals is kind of tenuous. Is Al Sharpton's leadership style still relevant? And how do you contrast that with someone like Barack Obama?
Some people think that Sharpton's style is more appealing than Obama's. But strictly in the context of "black leadership", I'm sure it will always be relevant to a certain constituency. Will Sharpton be more relevant on a national stage than someone like Barack Obama? Probably not. But that is not to say that he's not relevant to a certain constituency. Different leadership models work for different people. Do I think he's going to be as influential as someone whose leadership transcends beyond the strict confines of race in this country, like Barack Obama types? No, probably not if you're basing it on numbers. But as I mentioned in the book, it takes all kinds of leaders to get certain things done.
When discussing the "black vote," Party Crashing makes it quite evident that the only unifying tie between members of the hip hop generation is race. Once socioeconomic status is factored into the equation, political divergence occurs. How do you think the media will respond to the injection of class into discussions of race? What do you think the media's future perception of the "black voter" or "the black vote" will be?
The media still largely has antiquated notions, by even using such terminology as the "black vote." I've said that on the air. Black people are not getting in a room and deciding how they're going to vote together. Early in the Democratic nomination race, Barack Obama was trailing Hillary Clinton by 40 points in the black community, and everyone kept asking, "Is it because he's not black enough?" That's ridiculous. Voters consider things as individuals in determining whether they want to vote for someone, regardless of their skin color. I think the media is reluctant to recognize that evolution – you know, black people thinking differently for a variety of reasons. Some of it is due to class. Some of it is due to education. Some of it is due to religious and cultural beliefs. The fact of the matter is black people are becoming individuals that can articulate their hopes, dreams, and perspectives as well as as white Americans. The media, as well as the political establishment, really has to start catching up because they're really behind the curve on this. It amazes me just how behind the curve they are.
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