Rapper and entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs announced on Friday the launch of Our Black Party, a platform that aims to advance the needs of Black people.
"I'm launching one of the boldest things I've ever launched. I'm launching a Black political party with some young Black elected officials and activists. It's called Our Black Party," the voting advocate wrote on Twitter. "It doesn't matter if you are Republican or Democrat."
So, I'm launching one of the boldest things I've ever launched. I'm launching a Black political party with some young Black elected officials and activists. It's called @OurBlackParty, it doesn't matter if you are Republican or Democrat…
— Diddy (@Diddy) October 16, 2020
The mantra of Our Black Party (OBP) is "Our freedom cannot wait," according to its website. The party will operate around nine core tenets, including the Black community's right to economic equity, a just criminal justice system and a right to multi-faceted advocacy, among other things.
The agenda of OBP reads as follows:
"We are committed to creating an agenda and elevating policies and people focused on Black liberation. With this agenda, we will energize voters — current and new — reframe the national political landscape, and reshape culture for the benefit of Black people."
Among the party's initiatives are legalizing marijuana, defunding police, building intergenerational wealth and addressing racism in healthcare.
Dr. Wes Bellamy, Our Black Party co-chair, said the platform is a vehicle for change on a number of levels.
“From a national, state, and local perspective, there’s currently a lot of energy in terms of people wanting to do something and Our Black Party is one vehicle that can be used to corral collective energy to cultivate change," Bellamy told Revolt. "We don’t just want symbolic change, we want substantive change.”
On Thursday, Diddy spoke about the current election and expressed support for Joe Biden while chatting with Charlamagne Tha God for Revolt TV.
"White men like Trump need to be banished," Diddy said. "That way of thinking is real dangerous. This man literally threatened the lives of us and our families about going to vote."
The Harlem native warned against the consequences of getting the 74-year-old reelected.
"If Trump gets elected, I really do believe in my heart there will be a race war," Diddy said. "That's why this message is not just for Black people. This message is to everybody. This man is really trying to turn us against each other."
In regards to Biden, Diddy said he isn't in love with the Democratic presidential candidate, but he has to get in office. The artist specifically pointed to the presidential debate from earlier this month, saying Biden didn't defend the Black community when he was given a chance to address race.
Diddy said he felt better about Biden after he picked Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.
"Just having three girls and having them be able to witness that is great. It pushed me, it moved me," the family man said. "Black women have got us to this point. To see him recognize that, I started feeling a little bit better. I think we all did start to feel a little bit better."
Harris having a chance to become vice president will help in holding the White House accountable, Diddy said.
"We have somebody that we could dialogue with, somebody that we could relate to in office, but his cabinet is going to have to reflect that," the musician said.
Reflecting on Trump's “stand back and stand by” comment from the debate, Diddy said Black people are in a war.
"We're not taking this like it's a war," he said. "We're taking it like it's a presidential election. We're in a war of love versus hate. The number one priority is to get Trump out of office."
Diddy also announced the relaunch of his VOTE or DIE initiative, which gives celebrities a chance to get involved in encouraging more people to participate in elections. As the founder of REVOLT, the media mogul is also using his network to advocate for Black needs.
The platform will host several programs in the coming weeks to highlight the significance of voting.
"Our research shows that the youth are desperate for a definitive shift in how America works, so it's critical that we inform and politically activate this generation to take action and define the future," said Detavio Samuels, CEO of REVOLT TV.
You can learn more about Our Black Party here.
