Famed Hip-Hop statesman Hakim Green explains his support of Kamala Harris.

I won’t make the same mistake twice—this time, I’m voting for Kamala Harris.

In my early adult years, my friends dubbed me the conspiracy theorist Don DaDa. Growing up in the late ’80s and early ’90s in NJ/NYC, at the crossroads of Hip Hop culture and “woke-ism” ideology, I encountered the early purveyors of conspiracy theory narratives. From Greenwich Village to Harlem, Bed-Stuy Brooklyn to The Bronx, the city was a library filled with all the classic conspiracy theory texts. Books like “Behold a Pale Horse” by William Cooper, anything by David Icke, Jim Marrs’ “Rule by Secrecy,” and Dr. John Coleman’s “The Conspirators’ Hierarchy: The Committee of 300” shaped my personal politics.

These books warned of an upcoming “New World Order” orchestrated by the evil Illuminati, a secret organization involving groups like Freemasonry, the Jesuits, the Deep State, international bankers, and the financial elite. David Icke even warned of the blood-drinking offspring of aliens who used human beings for their wicked bidding. These theories profoundly impacted my lack of real political engagement. I was stuck, standing still with mystical answers for real issues and problems.

By the early to mid-2000s, I was extremely active in the “conscious community” in NYC, attending rallies, debates, and symposiums. It felt like a revival of the late ’80s consciousness movements. 125th St in Harlem was ground zero for this renewed surge of Black Power, with the Grand Master of “Black Consciousness” being Sa-Neter, whose tapes and DVDs were known worldwide before the internet. Lectures from figures like Phil Valentine, Ashra Kwesi, Dr. Sebi, Polight, Minister Wesley Muhammad, Tajj Tarik Bey, and others presented a multitude of theories and ideologies. These ranged from spiritual and psychological to economic, health and wellness, citizenship and civics, and religious teachings from the Nation of Islam, Hebrew Israelites, Sunni and Orthodox Muslims, Moorish Science Temple, Black Nationalists, and the Christian community.

Despite the occasional hate and vitriol at these debates, a glaring characteristic was the lack of true political engagement with the government. People were organized essentially for entertainment value and the commerce derived from it. Book and DVD vendors, food vendors, and merch tables at these events were well-supported at times. However, given the subject matter and the brilliant minds involved, the true value of this community was being wasted. Many of us were caught up in a cycle of conspiracy, history, mysticism, and “what-about isms.” We were drunk off knowledge and wisdom without understanding, and understanding is the best part. Understanding proves what you claim to know. It’s those “actionable items” Jay Z spoke of in his critique of Colin Kaepernick (though his timing was wrong).

Conspiracy theory is what prevented me from voting for President Obama. I was duped into believing all the conspiracy theories about him were true. I was listening to folks who had powerful theoretical questions but very few practical, actionable solutions. I just knew Barack Obama was being used to usher in the New World Order, and the great scheme included getting American citizens chipped via the Affordable Care Act. Yeah, they had me bad.

The irony is that the Affordable Care Act would be a powerful device for my “deprogramming.” In 2015, I broke my left wrist, and after several observations by different doctors, it was determined I needed reconstructive surgery. Three months prior to my injury, my mom and fiancé (now my wife) convinced me to sign up for Obamacare. No one forced me to get a chip. Though I didn’t vote for President Obama because of my belief in conspiracy theories, I was able to access a needed benefit created for regular Americans like myself. This showed me that the government could be used for the benefit of the people.

The Obama/Biden administration demonstrated how progress is measurable through actionable items aimed at uplifting the poor and middle class, the labor class—regular Americans. It showed how coalitions of people could change how the government dealt with its citizens, truly investing in America rather than exploiting it.

In 2010, I returned to Jersey and reconnected with my old activist comrades from the late ’80s and early ’90s. Ras J. Baraka and the Baraka family had become extremely influential in the local political scene in Newark, NJ, and they were rooted in my brand of politics. Where I had drifted into theory, they were actively involved in application. I saw firsthand the power of local politics and what community control of government could look like.

My work with Team Baraka gave birth to 24 HRS OF PEACE, an annual peace festival held in Newark every year since 2010. It started as a small gathering of about 200-300 people and now attracts 20,000 throughout the 24 hours. Ras is a three-term mayor with his sights set on being New Jersey’s next governor. Seeing how proper organization and goal-setting are necessary for progress, conspiracy theory has no room to exist. Politics is about relationships and leverage. Good government is about ethics, values, and morals. I’ve experienced firsthand how good governance benefits the people and how relationships and leverage make things happen.

Our current Vice President and presumptive Democratic candidate for the presidency, Kamala Harris, is a Howard alum, as is Mayor Ras Baraka. Vice President Kamala Harris has launched a White House-sponsored anti-gun violence campaign. I am the co-founder of 24 HRS OF PEACE, and our mission is to advance a national series of socio-political movements to reduce increasing incidents of youth gang and gun violence. We use the power of Hip Hop culture to organize local communities through art and entertainment while sharing important tools to help overcome obstacles.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been a leading voice for de-scheduling marijuana, thereby removing the criminality that so many in my community have been victims of. And all I do is spark mad izm! The Affordable Care Act should be expanded and equally accessible in every state. It’s 2024, and there is a person of color running for president. Is she perfect? No! No one is; however, I would be a fool to make the same mistake twice.

I’m voting for Kamala Harris for President of the United States.