Essay 1382

Political News in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• U.S. Sen. Barack Obama teamed with rapper Ludacris to hype AIDS awareness. “I talk a lot about sex in my music, but you don’t ever hear me talk about condoms,” said Ludacris. “I can’t speak for other rappers, but I think it’s important that I let you know to be safe when you’re having sex. Young people need to know about HIV/AIDS before it is too late, so it’s extremely important that we talk about it.” Wow, a rapper promoting safe sex. What’s next, a Black man becoming president?

• The Los Angeles City Council decided to back the mayor’s veto of a proposed settlement in the case involving a Black firefighter who was served dog food by coworkers (see Essay 1379). “All I have to say is that I look forward to trying the case,” said the firefighter’s lawyer. “I think it will come back to haunt the mayor and the city,” said a City Councilman who opposed the mayor’s veto. “The greater message is you can be dehumanized, and nobody cares. I think it was a very poor [decision] that will send shock waves through a community … that will sit back and say, ‘The same old thing.’”