By Kenneth L. Hardin

I align myself with Malcolm X’s words, which were captured in his 1965 autobiography,  “I’m for the truth no matter who tells it. I’m for justice no matter who it’s for or against. I’m a human being first and foremost and, as such, I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

Because I strongly believe in what one of the most revered, reviled and controversial social change activists for Africans in America during the turbulent 1960s said, I’ve been referred to as an “Uncle Tom Sellout Ni**er” by my own people. That belief has also drawn the ire of those who don’t look like me, resulting in my being erroneously painted as the scary, angry, Black boogeyman. The way I’ve handled the criticism leveled at me from both sides is, I clear my throat and hit them with a little taste of Taylor Swift,  “…and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate. Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake. I shake it off, I shake it off.”

The most recent case of the Knee Grow side eye directed at me came when I shared my thoughts about America’s former favorite dad, convicted rapist Bill Cosby. I revoked Bill’s hood access card back in 2004, when he felt it necessary to criticize and condemn poor Africans in America struggling in the margins. He did this while sharing remarks at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The unwarranted attack was during the recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. This predator opted to come down hard and call out his perceived failures of skinfolk. He then went on talk shows and gave other speeches wagging his elitist judgmental finger at those who looked like him, but without his level of access and success.

When he was finally cornered for the decades of drugging and sexually assaulting women, unlike other skinfolk, I had no desire, inclination or intention of trying to defend him. I’ve heard the weak defenses of it being the historical pattern of white women trying to tear down a successful man of color. Nope. I listened to the conspiracy theory of him being targeted because he was trying to buy NBC. Please. As the excuses continued, I had to cut it off and say, “Naw fam, he was just a serial rapist who got away with it because of his celebrity.”

Sadly, in our community, we tend to look the other way or easily forgive those who engage in immoral acts simply because of a history of being wrongly accused or reaching celebrity status. I initially celebrated the OJ verdict, but now believe he’s a double murderer. I sang “I believe I can fly,” but R. Kelly should’ve been in prison 20 years ago. Clarence Thomas and Diddy should be in there too braiding his hair. We have to separate the art from the artist and stop elevating people to lofty places in our community simply because they can run, jump, sing, dance and possess a shared similar physical characteristic.

I don’t apply this logic solely to those with more melanin. My lighter skin brothers and sisters are just as guilty with the way they’ve made Elvis a god knowing his reported affinity for those not at the age of consent. The same holds true for Jerry Lee Lewis. Harvey Weinstein was a major figure in Hollyweird while sexually abusing actresses by the pound. I refuse to watch any movies with Mel Gibson, but he’s still beloved by many in spite of being captured on recording angrily demeaning his wife and people of color. But the one that astounds me the most is our former Racist in Chief. In spite of all his documented immoral behavior, being found liable of sexual assault, admitting on tape to sexually assaulting women, facing 91 felony indictments, four trials, bankrupting four businesses, he and his family profiting off his presidency, a questionable relationship with Putin, siding with white nationalists and stoking the flames to overthrow our government on Jan. 6, white folks defend him. I’ve heard he’s been unfairly treated, the news media is biased against him, and he’s being held to a political double standard. Why is he not being held accountable by his own people? What is the point of having a constitution if he’s allowed to violate it and people defend his doing so? Brother Malcolm said, “You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.”

I refuse to subscribe to this warped sense of tribalism. I’ll continue to speak the truth and call out colorblind wrongs as I have for the last 30 years all while happily wearing any label the brotherman or the otherman gives me.

Kenneth L. (Kenny) Hardin  is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.