Dr. Umar Johnson is a very popular and often divisive voice in Black culture these days. Whether it’s his thoughts on the rap battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake or, in this case, his thoughts on politics, he’s always making waves for his staunch perspectives. But a lot of folks think that the psychologist and social media personality was too quick to hop in that conversation. Moreover, he posted a screenshot of an alleged text message that the Kamala Harris campaign sent him to link up, along with his enthusiastic response. However, many reacted to this post by doubting that this was actually from the Harris campaign. Did Dr. Umar fall for the trick or is he trying to make this conversation happen through some Internet hijinks?
“Hello Dr. Umar Johnson. [redacted] from the Harris2024 team,” the alleged text message from the Kamala Harris campaign to Dr. Umar began, sent at 10:30PM local time. “You are a big part part of the Black community. Can you help us by completing a Zoom meeting with VP Kamala Harris. Paying [redacted]. We are looking for about an hour of your time. Please advise if you would like to complete the Zoom call. Your help can get us across the finish line. HARRIS2024.” Scroll through the replies in the Twitter post below to see folks’ skepticism.
Dr. Umar’s Alleged Text Exchange With Kamala Harris’ Campaign
“Peace & PanAfrikanism,” Dr. Umar responded at 11:45PM local time. “I hope that all is well. I’m not interested in your money. However, I am very interested in having the zoom conversation with Vice President Harris to discuss our needs and her plans for the Black community. This zoom must be livecasted to the national Black community and may not be prerecorded. I promise to be completely respectful of the Vice President but I will ask direct questions about miseducation, mass incarceration, police brutality, economic strangulation, gentrification/migrant crisis, reparations & and [sic] the need for a federal anti-Black Hate Crimes Bill.”
Other figures like Meek Mill might share some of Dr. Umar’s sentiments. “I wanna ask Kamala Harris questions about her past as a da. Even if she had to be tough….” he recently tweeted. “All I hear is rumors of her. I would ask her 3 questions about black and brown men going to prison. And her views and try to help her understand from a survival standpoint point she may have never had to encounter!”
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output.
Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond.
Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C.
His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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