Russell Simmons Safety Net

I attended Russell Simmons annual Art For Life Charity Auction at his estate in the East Hamptons. It was a reminder that African-Americans in this new century must become holders of wealth. In a capitalist society, it is the only safety net that can be counted on.

Simmons and his brother Danny started a foundation ten years ago that is dedicated to ensuring that children of color in New York are exposed to art and have access to viable programs that introduces them to and spurs their natural creativity. This is a program of tremendous importance.

Art is the chair from which a culture grows. A people are desolate without culture. Black culture in this country survived and ultimately moved to a dominant position through our creativity in the Arts. Our prodiginess to sing, dance, write and paint quietly undermined the racial stereotypes placed on us by the greater society. It is hard to hold a people in bondage on the basis of sub-intellect when through their art, they show a capacity to interpret the world with a deep understanding of its political and social dynamics and their role in it.

In my hometown of Shreveport, black people‘s development have been shackled by too little exposure to the wonderful art that Africans in the Diaspora all over the world have produced. Sitting in a small theater watching artists interpret or going to a show to see a painter inform is critical to a peoples view and understanding of who they are.

Because Russell Simmons was able to obtain significant wealth, he has chosen to use it to enrich people of color. He provides a safety net for the Arts in the city of New York that is not subject to the whims of who is in power in Albany and Washington.

We need more Russell Simmons.