A public disagreement ensued between social justice advocate and lawyer Angela Rye and Detroit-based content creator Brandi McGill, better known as BrandiTheeMilennialManager on social media, has sparked a larger discussion of elitism in politics. The latest topic of discussion originated from Rye’s critique of former president Barack Obama in October during an episode of the Native Land podcast where she states that he isn’t doing all that he can politically. At the time of the clip’s release, the discourse around it was predictably skewed and one of the many voices to contribute a take was McGill. The content creator is widely known for her direct approach and the colorful language often embedded into her messaging. But that’s essentially besides the point.
The latest of it all and what folks are most riled up about is Rye’s response to McGill. In a circulating clip of Rye she appears to be responding to McGill but also others who are critiquing her. “You never worked on The Hill, you didn’t work in an administration, you ain’t even worked in city hall,” Rye said. “I’d invite you to get beyond your experience, and I’m not telling you to shut up and dribble. I’m not telling you to shut up and do your corporate job or whatever it is that you do…but I am saying understand that there’s range, some of y’all are lacking it.”
Those were the words that have contributed to the commotion of the timeline. More than a few people feel that Rye’s words contribute to a tone deaf rhetoric that insinuates political participation matters more when your resume cosigns your perspective. And while I can admit that her words weren’t productive to the larger agenda of what needs to be occurring during the season of midterm elections, I’m inclined to extend a bit of grace due to Rye’s track record of persistence and involvement advocating for the greater community through her work.
That also doesn’t mean we shouldn’t address what her sentiments imply and how it has rubbed many the wrong way – rightfully so. Disagreeing was never the problem, it is the approach and how it isolates the people who are already apprehensive to get politically involved in the first place. The idea that in order to have validity within your perspective is dependent on where you’ve worked or the education you’ve received is a tired litmus test meant to block the people who routinely foot the bill of America’s shortcomings. Everything is political, and everyone has the right to intervene, offer their perspective, and engage in a capacity that is serving. Even if it isn’t “refined” or “polished,” showing up is a lot better than sitting by and doing nothing at all.
People, whether they have the education pedigree or government experience are actively trying. That cannot be overlooked, nor should it be. You can’t ask people to show up to the polls and be engaged in politics just to be hyper critical of how they show up. That defeats the purpose. While we’re in a critical landscape and many of our everyday liberties are on the line, the choice to diminish someone like Brandi’s efforts is an unproductive call. That isn’t to say that everyone who has an opinion and an audience should be blindly followed, but the acknowledgement of the messenger’s track record is just as much an important factor.
The likes of non-ideal political and community leaders have shown us that repeatedly throughout history and even today. The examples reach across the decades. Age didn’t stop Claudette Colvin. Education didn’t dilute Fannie Lou Hamer. The unknown didn’t stop Harrient Tubman. Racism didn’t define Shirley Chisholm.
Intellectual elitism has no place in evolution. Its unproductive role in the regime that has long intimidated and deterred some from being active has only driven a wedge between us all. It is counterproductive to the mission of showing up as a united front against the issues and system that seeks to oppress us all – despite educational background and socioeconomic status. All in all, whether creators or everyday working people want to lend a voice to the political landscape to mobilize through their platform, it is well within their right to exercise that agency.