Taken Out of Context

Recently, Lupe Fiasco (a rapper who hails from Chicago) was interviewed on a D.C. radio show and was asked about his thoughts on the presidential election of Barack Obama. Lupe talked about how important and significant this moment was for his community, the American history and for himself as an African-American man. He even mentioned that he went to see Obama play basketball on the day of the election! During the interview, Lupe said how Obama's acceptance speech "did not move" him at all. What moved him was the scenes of Jesse Jackson, the civil rights activist, crying. After this interview, people accused Lupe of bashing Obama. Lupe didn't say Obama, the man, didn't move him, he said that about his speech. Obama's speech was aimed towards the American people and about the issues that are important to us. Lupe was more emotionally touched to see a civil rights activist cry. It showed how after all the work(whether you agree with it or not) Jesse Jackson has put into fighting for civil rights felt about the day when Obama was elected President. Jesse Jackson's tears were just some of many at Grant Park on Election night. Each person has their moment and whatever this particular moment meant to them, they showed it. This visual had more meaning to Lupe then Obama's first speech as President-elect. This was Lupe's personal opinion and I think he already acknowledged how powerful this moment of having Obama elected, and not his speech, was to him as well as to a civil rights activist.