For years now, the name Russell Simmons, in addition to being lauded as a media mogul, a forefather of the globalization of Hip Hop culture, has also been synonymous with powerful men accused of rape and sexual assault.
Still, with the way Black women are treated in this country, I didn’t know if Simmons, a beloved figure in the Black community, would be held accountable and publicly shunned in the ways men like Harvey Weinstein were.
And while they featured worthy voices like Marc Lamont Hill, Talib Kweli, self-proclaimed raptivist Mysonne, and rapper Bun B, they also tapped Simmons.
The decision to promote his voice, after the debacle of “The Breakfast Club” interview, in the midst of a protest which claims ALL Black Lives Matter, did not go unnoticed and uncriticized.
For all of his contributions to Black culture, Simmons, who is an alleged decades-long predator of Black women, is not fit to speak on such a panel.
