This one hurt different. I won’t act like I’m familiar with a lot of his music, or even a super fan. I know a few songs, which I found to be thought-provoking, and I’m familiar with his work within his community. For me, it didn’t hurt because I lost my favorite musician. It hurt because a little girl and boy lost their father, a woman lost the love of her life, an entire community lost a leader. It was in that same community where he lost his life Sunday afternoon. Nipsey Hussle stood outside of the business he worked so hard to build in his community, only for some coward to take his life.
For many, money is the motivation, but not for Nipsey. He used his money as a tool to create change in the Crenshaw neighborhood, by providing job opportunities, a co-working space to bridge the gap between inner-city neighborhoods and Silicon Valley, resources for those lacking, and most importantly, hope. Hope that no matter ones circumstance or the hand they are dealt, they too could beat the odds. That’s the shit that hurts. You have someone using their fame and money for good, only for them to be taken from this earth due to a senseless act of gun violence.
As a wife and mother to a black king and prince, I found myself so emotional since the news of his passing. The world we live in is so freaking scary, and no matter how much I love them, the world will never love them the way I do. There are lessons we have to teach our young black boys, that they won’t even be able to fully comprehend until a certain age. Many may disagree that parenting a black boy differs, but I wholeheartedly agree that it is not the same. How do we parent young black boys to be aware of what they may encounter in the world, without making them fearful of the world? How do we explain to them that opportunities may be harder for them because of the color of their skin? Or that driving while black is real? The list goes on. All I can do is pray that despite all of the noise and cruelty, he will survive and succeed. Pray that he allows his parents to be his first teachers, and not the streets. Pray that we will always lead by example and instill morals and values in him, to make the world a better place. Pray that the world will give this young black man a chance to be a ray of light in this dark world. Tonight, I hugged and kissed him just a little tighter. He’s too young right now to understand why, but one day he will. God willing.
