New video footage from a community forum in Philadelphia has emerged showing Lupe Fiasco (pictured) discussingthe importance of voting in local elections, further underscoring his controversial stance of not voting in presidential elections.
RELATED: Lupe Fiasco Says ‘Yes’ To Voting At Philly Panel
In the aftermath of the 2008 election, an important debate was spurred within Black communities about whether sitting on the sidelines during presidential races constitutes voter apathy or political activism.
At the Art Sanctuary Rap Sessions’ “Hip-Hop Activism in the Obama/Tea Party Era” event at the historic Church of the Advocate last week, Lupe talked about his own voter participation in Chicago’s local races and stressed his belief that engaged citizens can feel a more immediate impact on their lives through voting in local elections rather than just voting for president.
“The school board, judges, who is sheriff in your community is more [significant] to your quality of life on a daily basis than who is in the oval office, ” Lupe told the audience, fleshing out in more detail his recent disagreement with comedian D.L. Hughley and journalist Roland Martin.
Appreciating Lupe’s perspective, Angela Woodson, a political consultant who appeared alongside Fiasco said, “I’m glad that he stressed the local factor around electoral politics.”
The former director of Outreach for the Ohio Governor’s Office of Faith-based Initiatives said that while she believes voting for president matters, get-out-the-vote efforts should pay more attention to federal, legislative, and local races.
“Lupe is right,” Woodson continued. “We have to put more emphasis on empowering ourselves through those local efforts.”
Watch Lupe discuss his perspective on voting here:
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Lupe Fiasco: Local Elections Are More Important Than Presidential Ones was originally published on newsone.com
