Dr. Umar Johnson (or as I refer to him, Malarkus Garvey), over years, has garnered a reputation for making provocative statements. From his multiple appearances on The Breakfast Club, to The Joe Budden Podcast, to Nick Cannon’s Counsel Culture Show, and so many other platforms and venues, in a social media ecosystem in which attention is currency, Johnson has penchant for going viral. So, I really try not to give him undue attention. However, there are some things worth the time, especially given the gravity of the harm(s) perpetuated. And this is one of those times.
In his most recent appearance on The Art of Dialogue, Johnson speaks on the indictment and arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs on federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Johnson makes a number of ridiculous claims, including his belief that the timing of Combs’ arrest and the trial of Justin Johnson for the 2021 murder of Memphis rapper and businessman, Young Dolph, was meant to be a distraction from Kamala Harris and the ongoing presidential campaign. But his defense of Combs is, in my opinion, most egregious.
At one point during The Art for Dialogue interview, Johnson says the following:
“Let me tell you the mistake that Puff made that Jay-Z did not make. And I am not accusing Jay-Z of anything, let me be clear. But let’s say, hypothetically, if Shawn Carter [Jay-Z] had any skeletons in his closet, one of the most effective things he did to clean up them skeletons and seal off them skeletons . . . he got married and created a family.”
Johnson then goes on to say that white men, even if they are “cross dressers,” homosexuals,” “pedophiles,” or “murderers,” protect their image— “legally and publicly”— by getting married, having children, and raising a family. To further drive his misogynistic point home, Johnson says that the women white men marry could be a “hoe,” “whore,” or “prostitute.” But white men, “Every last one of them, build a wife . . . because it protects their public image from the types of accusations that Sean Combs has.” In short, according to Johnson, this is the lesson Johnson believe Combs should have learned: “If you’re going to be out here, doing the things that Puffy does, get your ass a wife and build a family.”
Dr. Umar Johnson can dress in a fatigue ensemble, with a camouflage shirt emblazoned with “Malcolm X” on the front, in large block letters. He can espouse ideas about the need to embrace pan-Africanism, advance a Black agenda, and protect Black women, but it does not change the fact that he is a misogynist. Johnson may think of himself as some sort of revolutionary figure. However, there is nothing revolutionary about perpetuating harm, against Black people, in general, and against Black women, in particular. On the contrary, anti-blackness and misogynoir are the status quo in a society steeped in and shaped by imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.
Black women and children are not human shields for Black men. Marriage is not a preventative measure against predatory behavior, nor is fathering children insurance, against allegations of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. As grievous as Johnson’s statements are, they are especially dangerous, since they belie the fact that there are men, married with children, who commit sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. To suggest or claim otherwise not only is shameful, but also puts people and communities at risk.
In her book, Salvation: Black People and Love, bell hooks writes:
“Obviously, we live in a society that remains white supremacist, capitalist, and patriarchal. As long as these systems dominate all our lives, black people, and especially anti-sexist black couples, will always need to vigilantly create the alternative ground where our love can grow and flourish.”
When speaking about marriage, family, and children in his interview with The Art of Dialogue, Dr. Umar Johnson does not emphasize or prioritize love. Instead, to Johnson, women and children are merely objects to be used for the purpose of preserving and protecting power—of men.
hooks continues in her writing:
“Much of what we encounter in the mainstream culture will militate against this love. More and more black people are internalizing a negative vision of black heterosexuality. Unless we continually and collectively challenge the construction of our bonds as always and only predatory and ruthless, all signs of love between black women and men will be erased.”
Dr. Umar Johnson is part of the mainstream culture that must be challenged collectively.
The media platforms to which Dr. Umar Johnson gravitates are ones that either embrace his ways of thinking, are uncritical of his ideas, or are ill equipped to offer sufficient critique and pushback, in real time. To an audience that is already primed to accept misinformation, disinformation, and confirmation bias, Johnson appears harmless. But while he is good for funny memes and GIFs, the laughter is not worth the cost. No amount of content creation or engagement farming is worth the risk of putting people’s lives and well-being at risk.
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