Nipsey Hussle: Artist and CommunityActivist

On Thursday, April 11, 2019 the life of Nipsey Hussle (Ermias Joseph Asghedom) was celebrated during a Memorial Service at the Staple Center in Los Angeles, CA. Thousands packed the Staple Center while many more watched the televised service from home. In attendance were notables including Beyonce’, Jay-Z, Snoop , and Stevie Wonder. During the service, a letter from President Obama was also read acknowledging Nipsey Hussle’s efforts to inspire and empower his community by creating businesses and jobs in the Crenshaw area where he lived and where he was tragically shot and killed outside of his Marathon clothing store on March 31, 2019 at the age of 33.

My introduction to Nipsey Hussle, the music artist and community activist, began about two years earlier at a screening of filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s Netflix documentary entitled “13th” which also included a panel discussion moderated by Ava DuVernay including Nipsey Hussle as a panelist. I initially wondered what the young man would offer to the conversation about racial inequality in America and soon learned that Nipsey Hussle was not just a music artist, but also an humanitarian who was dedicated to being a positive contributor to his community. I wrote an article for Huffpost.com about the screening and panel and included a quote from Nipsey Hussle. When asked by DuVernay how he could get more young people involved in social change, Nipsey Hussle responded that content creators need to “let young people know that we have the power to create what we need.” Nipsey Hussle did just that by creating businesses in his community and hiring people of color in his community. Before his death, Nipsey Hussle was schedule to meet with the Mayor of Los Angeles’ office and other community leaders about how to bring about positive social change in Los Angeles. Hopefully, his mission will continue and his life efforts will not be in vain. May the Marathon Continue.