I wrote this short opinion piece back in July never got around to publishing it. Then guess who I run into a couple weeks ago…

Mr. Harry Belafonte! Meeting him was everything! Gave me even more inspiration to be better, do better personally and professionally. What an icon.

Harry vs. Jay

A colleague, very knowledgeable and funny guy, we’ll call him Ed, pointed out this article to me.  I thought it was interesting how Jay Z thinks of his image as being charity.  I totally get what he means, I think my presence is meaningful in some type of way, everyone’s is, but I don’t think my image or anybody’s image becomes charity or helpful to others without some backing to it.

Perhaps Harry Belafonte’s words pierced a bit.  It always hurts when an older and wiser person tells you something that has some semblance of the truth.  We feel we know it all and we have lived and who is this old fogey telling me what I should be doing.  However calling a grown man a boy, with all that he has done for the civil rights movement is a bit disrespectful as well.  I believe Jay, can I call you Jay!  Should have shrugged it off, as one of his many songs says, and did something more than saying his image is charity, you can read what has been said by both sides here.

Hmmmmm I don’t know do a PSA, some roundtables with teens from the community, organize a boycott because people do listen when you and your wife speak. Boycott in every state that has stand your ground laws, boycott anything that would directly effect change.  Maybe that’s what Harry meant.  Perhaps his message and J’s reaction got lost in translation.

Start-over guys…

DFE

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