The Power of Nipsey Hussle
April 2nd, 2019 and I think about his murder and moving forward to do the work that I have always done. Reflecting on the murder of Nipsey Hussle and what he signifies for the City of Los Angeles, the people of the streets, the people in the movement, the people in the trenches makes me feel pride while at the same time thinking about white supremacy and a colonial state of mind. Prior to Nipsey’s murder on Sunday, March 31st, 2019, I have been questioning my role in the fight against white supremacy and dismantling colonialism.
On Sunday, March 31st, 2019, my course and the scholars that bless the space spent time analyzing the role of the United States government in the destruction of the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala) and how this history is intimately tied to people that flee these countries in hope of help. In our conversation, we discussed the heavy hand of white supremacy and the colonial tactics of war sponsored by the School of the Americas that trains soldiers from all over the world to terrorize their own people. Same school and tactics used in the training of Immigration Custom Enformcemnt (ICE) agents. Our guest lecturer, Jasmin Tobar reminded us of the massacre in her parents country of EL Salvador. Womxn and children often raped then hung, shot and/or cut up in pieces in the name of salvation under the premise of war. Sunday was heavy. Walking in South Central, looking around me at the people and places, smelling the air as I walked up to the metro, all I could think about was dismantling white supremacy. How do I do it? How can I make a change?
Coming home to a loving partner and my King Lapu-Lapu who is excited for his bubble bath is a blessing. As we get ready for our family time, we dive into our bubble bath excited to play with our toys and make costumes from the massive amounts of bubbles that I love. Bubbles bring me back to the time my parents would save their money to take the family to Vegas to stay at the Las Vegas Hilton. Having a large tub in the hotel room meant lots and lots of bubbles. I pass this tradition on to our King Lapu-Lapu. As King Lapu-Lapu and I laugh at our bubble costumes, my husband says out loud: They killed Nipsey Hussle!
We all stop. We look at each other and King Lapu-Lapu asks in his high pitched voice, “why Dada” We are silent for a good while as King Lapu-Lapu continues to ask, “why Dada?” The silence continues.
Our son’s question begs for an answer. Why was Nipsey Hussle murdered? I think of white supremacy and colonial power playing a great role in the demise of great leaders. In Amerikkka, the underlying idea of power and greed are found all around us in the form of capitalism. It is hard to escape engagement with capitalism when the entire country functions from a premise that power, money and greed are essential to upward and social mobility. At this moment, 2019 is plagued with dude in office that threatens with closing borders, calling us illegals good for nothing and assuring that the narrative of us as a people is cemented in the idea that we are not good if we do not contribute to their agenda—white supremacy. Saslow’s (2018), Rising Out of Hatred: the Awakeing of a Former White Nationalist, highlights that “most white people don’t want to be called racists, but they do want to make sure their culture and their position in society isn’t going to be undermined” (pg. 8).
What happens when Black, Brown, Yellow and Red folk start to make moves within a capitalistic structure to create freedom for their communities? Nipsey Hussle stressed Black ownership. Nipsey Hussle stressed advancement of the Block by buying as much of the Block to create systemic change that then leads to systemic legacy. Granted all of the actions that we do as investors in our Block is within a capitalistic structure. I understand this. However, some believe that to create systemic change, you need to infiltrate the system and start taking it over piece by piece. Others believe that systemic change and legacy comes from creating a new system that operates outside of Amerikkkan ideology. Whatever your belief is, I respect it. What is important to highlight is that Nipsey Hussle was powerful because “he remained loyal to [his] soil” (E-40). He made money and invested in his community of Crenshaw. Step by step, Nipsey Hussle was making moves to secure the “bag” and develop systems of intentional change to help the community understand its Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005).
The Power of Nipsey Hussle emerges from him as a movement to force dialogue regarding how Crenshaw and his Block is important because they learn about investment, business, technology, education, violence prevention, and art. The Power of Nipsey comes in dismantling a colonial mindset that continues to perpetuate the belief that to be successful, power must lie in the hands of few and not in the hands of the community. It is a daily ritual for our our son King Lapu-Lapu to chant the dicho (saying) of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN): “Para todos todo, para nosotros nada.” This act reminds me that Nipsey Hussle and many others were, are and will continue to do the legacy building to create systemic advancement for the people and by the people!
Rest In Power Nipsey!
In Solidarity,
La Doctora