Owning a specialty clothing venture or testing the audio of musical compositions by using one’s car stereo are ordinary business activities. But not so, if you happen to be Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the Grammy-winning co-founder of The Roots, a music historian, author, entrepreneur, and the musical director for NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Engaging in commonplace business activities gives one pause when the clothing company specializes in hoodies. And when being stopped on the road and searched by police under the assumption the car is stolen is a repeated occurrence.
Democracry.org featured an hour-long segment with Ahmir Thompson, as he discussed his middle-class upbringing and experiences today.
Takeaway Lesson: African American music, culture, history, and marketing strategies dominate in today’s world, yet the intersection of civil rights with creative and entrepreneurial issues affects minorities on a daily basis.
References
DemocracyNow. org: https://www.democracynow.org/2013/9/2/questlove_on_police_racial_profiling_hip. Note: The Democracrcy.org content contains some adult language and video scenes.
New York Times Book Review: Mo’ Meta Blues: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/books/questlove-publishes-his-memoir-mo-meta-blues.html
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