We know you saw it on social media over the weekend and was confused. Juvenile on stage next to an older white guy performing “Back That Azz Up” but flipping the words to #BackThatVoteUp. It was a very confusing scene.
Well if you haven’t been too deep into the Democratic Presidential Candidates, that older white guy is Tom Steyer, who brought out Juve, Yolanda Adams and DJ Jazzy Jeff to his South Carolina primary rally.
Unfortunately for Steyer, it wasn’t enough to keep him from dropping out of the race as he did on Saturday. He finished third in the South Carolina primary behind Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders but was still considered a long shot.
“We live in a country that is deeply unjust economically where rich people have been profiting at the expense of everybody else,” Mr. Steyer said in his speech to supporters. “And I didn’t get in this race and start talking about things to get votes. I was in this race to talk about things that I cared the most about.”
Steyer is not alone in his bowing out, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is also out of the nomination process. However, Mayor Pete didn’t jig like this:
#BackThatVoteUp Party before we Vote, Tom Steyer took the stage with Juvenile at Allen University.
Presidential candidate Tom Steyer released a new digital ad narrated by Grammy award-winning hip-hop artist MC Lyte. The video was filmed on the campus of Allen University and featured unscripted commentary by the hip-hop pioneer, Allen University students, and African-American women during the Dec. 10 Ladies First Town Hall hosted by the South Carolina Black Women’s Caucus, Black Women 2020, and the Steyer campaign.
Steyer’s ad affirms the candidate’s commitment to addressing the social and economic issues that impact African-Americans across the country, as well as captures real moments with voters on the campaign trail. It also features endorser Bianca Chardei, an America’s Next Top Model alumna, and media personality Shamara Afia.
As the founder of the national initiative #EducateOurMen, MC Lyte has been recognized for her public advocacy of HBCU sustainability and education. She questioned Steyer about his plans to expand educational and economic opportunities for black women and men, “This is important for us — yes, as a community, too — yes, have our young women and young girls supported, but it goes without saying that we need our other half. We need our men to feel strong.”
MC Lyte told Steyer, “Thank you very much for being here today, I felt your humanity and your heart, thank you.”
The ad release follows Steyer’s recent trip to South Carolina, where he unveiled a $125 billion plan to address the educational disparities in the African American community through different initiatives to bolster Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Since that policy launch and a solid December debate performance, Steyer has announced winning the endorsements of Rep. Leola Robinson-Simpson and the Mayor of Sellers, South Carolina, Barbara Hopkins.
Reparations is a hot buzz right now, but few people have put the energy into the concept to come up with a substantive plan that works for Black Americans.
Billionaire presidential candidate Tom Steyer believes that there is a reason behind this… people just don’t know. Yup. Folk are ignorant as hell. And as shocking as that sounds to you, most certainly it took The Breakfast Club host Charlamagne Tha God off guard when he said it, it is not hard to believe. Black people, racism and their pain has been this countries dirty laundry that has been kept in the hamper of modern culture for centuries. The only time there is a little Febreze (in the form of an apology, a law, a conviction of a cop) folk are supposed to act like them damn dirty clothes don’t stink. But they do and Steyer wants Black America to know he is down to do this country’s backed up laundry.
Recently he appeared on The Breakfast Club and CTG shared how Black people feel about the Democratic party taking them for granted.
Charlamagne says, “I like the fact that people are demanding that candidates have a Black agenda. I love the conversation about reparations.”
Steyer responds, “I think it has to happen.”
He expands by saying:
“There is no way that we can do reparations without talking about truth first. We have to do a national commission talking about what happened over that last 400 years.”
“No we don’t. We can watch Roots! We know what happened” Charlamagne interrupts.
Steyer corrects him. “You know. But not everybody in America knows. I know. Oh… Are you kidding me?”
“If you don’t know the history of slavery, than you don’t know the history of America.”
“And I completely agree. And people don’t. We need to go through that process together and do a study. Not only of what happened.” Stayer continues. “In order for us to figure out the best way to do reparations, we need to go through a process of what happened. People do not know Jim Crow.”
He further talked about going down to Bryan Stevenson’s EJI Lynching Museum in Alabama and talked about America’s need to go and see how horrible Blacks had it after slavery all the way up until- well Black folk are still getting lynched. This in his opinion (along with the study) are steps to figuring out what is the truth about systemic racism in the United States. He also believes there should be a formal apology for slavery, which he says has never been done.
This sounds good. But Mr. Steyer did a Bernie Sanders thing to the panel. He did not provide a solution, but gave a face of white liberalism that exudes shock and disgust at what happened to Blacks. If he were serious, he would have had a plan more structured than a tour to educate folk about the “truth of what happened over the last 400 years.” He also needs to have his facts straight.
According to the NPR, in 2008, the year of “Yes We Can,” the U.S. House of Representatives gave an apology for The formal apology for slavery and Jim Crow. The actual resolution was introduced by Tennessee Representative Steve Cohen (D) who brought up that if the America government can apology for interning Japanese citizens and also made Japan apologize for forcing Chinese women to work as sex slaves during World War II, then they can made good right on the ill of the greatest MAAFA on the earth.
Steyer, you have to do a little more work for us to believe you, sir.
(@TeamTomSC) February 29, 2020