He served as a supporter for certain progressive African-American performers such as Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte, whereas numerous Americans regarded the deceased Hugo Chavez as an autocratic ruler and adversary of the United States.
The former Venezuelan president, who died on Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer, received affirmation from many Hollywood celebrities during his 14-year reign as President. Among them were Oliver Stone, Naomi Campbell, and Sean Penn.
Glover, who released a statement today, gained credibility for his left-wing political agenda, as well as criticism from George W. Bush and support from disadvantaged communities.
Glover told theGrio that we all embraced Hugo Chavez as a champion of social democracy and spiritual and material well-being. I join millions of freedom-loving people around the world, including fellow U.S. Citizens, Caribbeans, Latin Americans, and millions of Venezuelans, in paying tribute to my friend Hugo Chavez and expressing my sadness. I have hope for a rewarding future of social and democratic development, inspired by the Bolivarian Revolution.
Among this group, the Venezuelan leader shares the ideology that has been endorsed for a long time, similar to certain other progressives in the African-American community. Social activists such as Glover and Belafonte established a connection with the controversial leader, despite the potential impact it may have on their own standing.
At UCLA, Professor Mark Sawyer, who specializes in African-American Studies and Political Science, as well as serves as the Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, states to theGrio that Glover or Belafonte have not experienced any loss. I have no basis to think that they have suffered any setbacks, considering Chavez is widely supported in the African-American community. In reality, I believe they have gained recognition within the African-American community for their association with a legacy that includes influential figures from the entertainment industry such as Paul Robeson and Josefine Baker. These individuals fearlessly spoke truth to power and embraced viewpoints that were sometimes unpopular in the United States. This aligns with the longstanding tradition of independent populist and anti-imperial leaders in the developing world who have been embraced by African-Americans.
Among this group of people, who have held these political beliefs for a long time, Chavez’s outspoken endorsement of the underprivileged, his criticism of U.S. Domination, and his acceptance of his African-American heritage, instead of merely indicating discontent with Bush, led Sawyer to find out that Chavez was actually more favored by African-American residents of Los Angeles than George Bush in 2007, as revealed by a survey conducted by Sawyer.
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“A considerable number of people deeply appreciate my sense of commitment to Chavez’s ideals,” he adds, “don’t they agree 100 percent, even if they do.”
We want to be in contact with those who are promoting changes in this country, and we want to benefit from those changes.
In 2012, in order to endorse Chavez’s re-election, the performer subsequently participated in the opening ceremony of a school dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr., In order to be present at the establishment of a fresh television network, and among Glover’s various undertakings in the Hispanic nation.
Belafonte’s endorsement of Chavez seems to revolve around former President Bush, as they both share a strong dislike for him. During a meeting with Chávez in 2006, Harry Belafonte led a group of activists, including Glover and Cornel West, where he referred to Bush as “the most significant extremist globally” and expressed to the Venezuelan leader, “Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of the American people … Back your revolution.”
“They’re disregarding the American aspiration!” That President Obama could acquire knowledge from “a developing country ruler and incarcerate all these individuals, the vocalist expressed on Al Sharpton’s program Politics Nation in 2012.
Belafonte was not able to provide a comment.
The relationship between Chavez and entertainers may be questionable due to the fact that the U.S. Industry counter to established was Cine del Villa fact, and they’ve received monetary support for personal projects.
Nikolas Kozloff, a political analyst and the author of Hugo Chavez: Oil, Politics and the Challenge to the U.S., Highlights that Villa del Cine, Chavez’s personal film studio, was created to counteract the influence of Hollywood. “However, it is important to note that we are referring to left-leaning actors like Sean Penn and Danny Glover, who hold a sympathetic stance towards Venezuela politically,” he adds. “It may come as a surprise that Hollywood celebrities would establish connections with Chavez.” Hugo Chavez made significant efforts to uplift marginalized communities in Venezuela and sought to overturn deep-rooted discrimination. While previous Venezuelan presidents tended to adopt a more elitist approach influenced by the values and behaviors of the white upper class, Chavez openly and proudly acknowledged his own mixed racial heritage, which was somewhat unsettling.
The United States provided aid in the form of energy to hundreds of thousands of oil, and additionally sought to assist poor communities of color in the U.S. By granting relief to the predominantly African-American victims of Hurricane Katrina. On one hand, he sought to strengthen cultural pride and reduce poverty through his socialist agenda, promoting an anti-imperialist and anti-American stance across Latin America. The specifics of Chavez’s legacy vary depending on who tells the story.