A PhD in Poverty

There are numerous names, too many to reel off here, that have become staples of the history of black America's ongoing struggle against segregation, oppression and discrimination, and in the process have become iconic symbols of this struggle. Indeed, it is true that many of these voices have found echoes in the modern day social commentators of the rap scene, from Tupac to Chuck D to Common and many more. One figure from America's past that doesn't seem to get much recognition, however, is that of Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr, the ex-con Washington DC radio and TV personality and social activist.

All this is likely to soon change with the recent release of "Talk To Me", a film based largely on Greene's life and starring Don Cheadle as the man himself. Now, if you forget Cheadle's abysmal cockney accent in the Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen movies, you have to admit he is a fine actor, and by all accounts does brilliantly in this movie which brings to life the social excitement and turbulence, and exploding black consciousness, of late 60s America, all with a suitably amazing musical backdrop. Greene's appeal was in his "tell it like it is" straight up style of discussion, whether on influential DC station WOL 1450 AM in his "Rapping with Petey Greene" show, or his later television appearances.

His approach to issues of the day was very much rooted in the streets, at a time when the concept of keeping it real wasn't even invented, let alone used as a reputation-building calling card. In many ways his story shows a time in American history when it was possible to use your voice and be completely uncensored, a right which is still defended but only partially achieved, even with the opportunities offered by the internet. Greene's jive-talking and championing of social issues took this ex-convict and drug-addict all the way into the walls of the Whitehouse, bizarrely invited by Jimmy Carter to meet Yugoslavian dictator General Tito. If that is not worthy of some type of remembrance, I don't know what is.