Recently rapper T.I. issued an open letter to former President Obama and later a second letter to Donald Trump. Now he has released his third letter, and this time the letter has been issued to us.
Each of the letters were inspired by his latest musical projects, US or Else, and Us or Else: Letter to the System.
This time around he spoke with Ebony Magazine about why he needed to issue his last letter to the people or us.
When asked about who makes up “us,” he said, The Black community, the hip hop community or whoever is against the oppressive communities that have historically tried to bring us down. Right now, I dont necessarily think its a race thing. There are some White people riding with us just like it was in the Civil Rights Movement.
He continued, Its a community of people and its a cause that transcends race, gender, sexual orientation, social status. Its people who are fighters for whats right.
He writes in his third letter:
As I write this letter, I cant help but express my frustration and concern for US. I also cant help but question my contribution to the status of where we are. I understand that I too have been guilty of doing the very things that put us here. Even still, right now the state of our community is more alarming than ever. And while I know this letter may be misunderstood by many, unduly dissected and misconstrued by most others, I still need to write and speak about these things that deeply concern me.
You see, all of US sometimes feel that one of the most difficult things in the world is to talk to US about US in an effort to help US. However, we cannot dismiss the fact that we cant fix what we do not address. You see weve somehow allowed ourselves to think its okayto neglect and abandon our responsibility to ourselves and to our community. Everything cannot be blamed on THE SYSTEM.
We can no longer afford to be entertained beyond the point of accountability. We cant keep selling each other out and be willing to do anything to be seen, to be famous or to be rich.
Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that have no true value for real, man. And I mean, we do it just to impress people that could care less if your children or your childrens children have anything left to show for your life after you gone. You see somewhere along the way, weve allowed the pursuit of fame and things to blind us to the issues that prevent us from moving upward. So, we cannot continue to get caught up in having material abundance and yet be fundamentally and spiritually broke.
Every one of us must do something to contribute to transforming our community for the better. We have been underserved, underprivileged and unfortunate for far too long. There are no more excuses. Its not enough to have limited progress and allow our expectations and sense of purpose to evaporate. So, if that means we must sacrifice some nights at the club and give up buying the latest designer handbags and sneakerswell then damn, so be it. I can only hope that one day soon well understand our true economic buying power by investing in our own communities and putting our money into businesses that keep our dollars in our community.
It is imperative for US to parent our children and educate them outside of the school systems, as our education system was not designed to lift US out of oppression. If we know that the pipelines to prisons are multiplying, well we must ask ourselves what can we do to end it? We must keep ourselves busy with finding ways to generate wealth for generations to come and work to pass down things to our children for them to pass down to their children. You see man, who wants to fight who on Instagram should not be as important as fighting for equalityand whos f**king who should never be as important as creating a strategy to help break the cycle [of] oppression.
You see, if we dont acknowledge and accept where we are failing, then well never do the work that it takes to make it right for US. See, we are the benefactors of too much sacrifice and blood, sweat and tears to allow petty differences and trivial discrepancies to continue to separate and divide US, while we are being used, exploited and conquered. We should not live one more day ignoring the sh** that suffocates and strangles US keeping US imprisoned in our own communities. We cannot afford to not stick and work together for the betterment of our community.
As we look to the future for US, there could not be a better time to assess where we go from here. And while theres currently great turmoil, there is even greater opportunity for US to work together to transform our community. Far too many of our children are fatherless, far too many of our mothers are standing in the prison waiting rooms and far too many of our young people feel hopeless.
We must work to reshape the need for our children to want to live so fast even if it means dying too young. Now, I am not here to demonize or vilify, but to pledge my commitment to help US do what needs to be done. You see if we continue to devalue ourselves we cannot realistically expect respect from others.
Now, how can I sit here in a place of privilege and say such things and make such suggestions you ask? Well, I answer simply because I know what its like. I know what its like to not know where youre going or how to get there. I know what its like to have no one around you who can teach you how to be what you hope to become.
I know what its like to be so distracted by your surroundings and in the moment that its seemingly impossible to not get caught up in em. I know what its like to feel so much smaller than the activities of your environment that you cant see how not to succumb to em. I know what its like to not be able to focus in class due to real life hunger pangs. I know what its like to be disruptive just to pass the time and take your mind off whats lacking at home. I know what its like to be laughed at by your teacher when you tell them what you hope to be in life.
I also know what its like to be told by your teacher that youll never amount to anything.
I know what its like to feel hopeless and to feel like youre not good enough just because of where youre from. I know what its like to be profiled and to be abused by the police. I know what its like to be racially profiled, treated unjustly and abused by the police just because of how you look.
But even more importantly than knowing all these things, I know what its like to overcome em. Now, I know its not easybut all of US can do something.
Respectfully yours,
Tip Harris
#USORELSE
Source: http://www.ebony.com/news-views/tip-harris-letter-to-us#axzz4WF717jjp
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