I think we may have just seen one of the greatest acts of leadership this year — in a year in which everyone’s leadership has certainly been tested.
“I didn’t want to come, and I don’t want to be here…but I’m responsible to be here.” If you haven’t seen the speech by Atlanta rapper and activist Killer Mike in response to the killing of George Floyd, watch it. That is just the beginning of his speech, and it explains why he is a leader: Leaders show up even when they don’t want to and deliver the messages people need to hear.
Killer Mike's speech is a lesson in leadership.
The message this time is also a welcome one. End the violence; vote instead. Bring your pain to the polls. Use the system to your advantage, don’t become a victim of it. I can’t think of a better message to send a community struggling with so much right now, being attacked on all sides.
Killer Mike shows another hallmark of leadership. He knows his audience. “In this city, you can find over 50 restaurants owned by Black women. I didn’t say minority, and I didn’t say women of color.” Atlanta is a Black mecca, and Killer Mike knows it’s time to be real, not politically correct. Authenticity matters. It’s not about excluding other people of color. Killer Mike is talking to his people.
He then turns to institutions, addressing CNN, the Atlanta-based network. His plea is one that is long overdue: Stop spreading fear and anger. We are bombarded by fear-based messages every day from so many sources that we no longer have a sense of the real risks we face. Our health and happiness suffer as a result. We distance ourselves from others for fear that they might hurt us rather than see them for who they are. (Isn’t that the definition of discrimination?)
Killer Mike pleads with CNN to give people hope instead. Again, he is addressing his community. We, Atlanta, are different from the other cities. We can be better. We can be the “phoenix” rising from the ashes. That is the passion that leaders must have for people to follow.
Perhaps the best part of his speech, for me, was the appeal he makes, after he has demonstrated his passion. The ask is a simple, tangible one: stay home instead of rioting and use that time to “properly plot, plan, strategize, and organize, and mobilize in an effective way.” Is that not the same as a leader asking his followers to develop a plan of action?
Killer Mike also has some specific, actionable guidance: He tells followers to fill out their census forms. Who would have expected that in this context? But it’s the things that leaders see that other people don’t see that makes them special. Killer Mike sees the bigger picture. He knows the institutions need to change for anything to get better. So he tells his followers to fill out the census to make themselves visible to policymakers and then exercise their power – which, again, comes at the polls, not in the streets. Want violence? Beat up the politicians by removing them from office. He uses the language of his people. That is what they want to hear. Not because they are violent, but because they are angry and they need an outlet for that anger.
Killer Mike doesn’t end on a negative. He loves Atlanta and the Black community that defines that city, so he brings it back to community. He tells his people “I love and respect you all. I hope we find a way out of it, ’cause I don’t have the answers, but I do know we must plot, we must plan, we must strategize, organize, and mobilize.” He is humble. He is honest. He is authentic. He is passionate. He is thoughtful. And his closing thoughts repeat his message: be strategic, not reactive. We can win this. We can beat racism.
That is more leadership than we’ve seen from others this year. As Killer Mike says, “it is the responsibility of us to make this better right now.” That’s the call to action that every leader needs first to hear and then to make.
