Tupac 12 On Black Icons List
| Tupac 12 On Black Icons List |
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| Written by Westside ID246 |
| Sunday, 24 October 2004 20:47 |
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They are people whose achievements transcended mere fame. In an age characterised by synthetic celebrity, they are recalled as figures of substance and longevity. The newspaper The New Nation reports, the individuals most worthy of iconic status are Jesus, the Rev Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. As such they have been allotted the top three places in a 100-strong list of the greatest icons ever. The fact that all three can be said to have fought injustice only to have their contributions curtailed by untimely death seems to have enhanced their appeal. There is also a distinctly political element to the ranking. In keeping with some academics'' opinion of Jesus'' likely physical appearance, the newspaper depicts him as black. The figures placed fourth and fifth, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali, are both still alive but also share the common trait of having rebelled and prevailed against overwhelming odds. An expert panel of the publication's editors, writers and contributors selected the list, published by the newspaper today as its finale to Black History Month. It is almost evenly split between living and dead icons. More than three quarters of them are men and more than a third of them are entertainers. The highest ranking British icon and woman on the list is the pioneering nurse Mary Seacole, followed by the politician Bernie Grant and the former Olympic champion Daley Thompson. There are 12 Britons in the list. None of the current black MPs makes the list, nor do such international figures as the UN secretary general Kofi Annan, and the US secretary of state Colin Powell and security adviser Condoleezza Rice The golfer Tiger Woods, the newscaster Sir Trevor McDonald and the comedian Lenny Henry are not there either. But it does contain many names that might appear on such a list compiled by a cross-section of Britain's various communities - Oprah Winfrey is placed seventh and Bob Marley eighth. Pele is 11th. But there are also inclusions which say much about sections of the black community and a particular world view. At number 12 is Tupac Shakur, the controversial rapper and actor whose advocacy of gangster rap is reviled by mainstream America although his thoughts on black life resonated with many in black communities on both sides of the Atlantic. He was shot dead in 1996. The next is Michael Jackson who, despite the child abuse allegations which have lowered his stock with mainstream audiences, retains much affection. At number 14 is the Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. He is banned by the Home Office from entering Britain on the grounds that his "anti-semitic and racially divisive views" would "inevitably inflame tensions between the Jewish and Muslim communities and therefore pose a threat to public order". But many black people agree with his comments about the need for more black empowerment and self-determination, and respect him. Justin Onyeka, New Nation's deputy editor, said: "I think if you look at the top 10 there are two or three who would make it into the top 10 of a mainstream poll. The others would not. "Although there are many things we share across the communities - particular the obsession with celebrity culture and sport - people of different races and cultures have things they are more passionate about that the mainstream would not be." He said the figures chosen "represent a mood or an era", adding: "They are the personal embodiment of a national or indeed international sentiment.They can also provoke a collective emotion or represent something bigger than just themselves." He said many of the paper's readers would think of Jesus as having been black. "In the Bible he is described as dark skinned. Throughout history we have been presented with him having blonde hair and blue eyes, but that idea is not commonly believed. "He never wrote a book, never recorded a hit song, never made a movie, never sought political office, nor did he ever have his own official website - yet he remains a major figure in the world's two leading religions." Music and politics from Prince to King 1 Jesus 2 Martin Luther King 3 Malcolm X 4 Nelson Mandela 5 Muhammad Ali 6 Mary Seacole 7 Oprah Winfrey 8 Bob Marley 9 Marcus Garvey 10 The black inventors, including Garrett Morgan, George Washington Carver and Elijah Mccoy 11 Pele 12 Tupac 13 Michael Jackson 14 Louis Farrakhan 15 Bernie Grant 16 Mike Tyson 17 Steve Biko 18 Shaka Zulu 19 Tommie Smith and John Carlos 20 Jimmy Cliff 21 Haile Selassie 22 Kwame Nkrumah 23 Fela Kuti 24 The Black Panthers 25 James Brown 26 Jimi Hendrix 27 Sojourner Truth 28 The Williams sisters (Venus and Serena) 29 Rosa Parks 30 Louis Armstrong 31 Maya Angelou 32 Michael Jordan 33 Nefertiti 34 Kunta Kinte 35 Michael Manley 36 Josephine Baker 37 Miles Davis 38 Angela Davis 39 Harriet Tubman 40 Daley Thompson 41 Jesse Owens 42 Stephen Lawrence 43 Chuck Berry 44 Shaft 45 Denzel Washington 46 Carl Lewis 47 Marvin Gaye 48 Sidney Poitier 49 Public Enemy 50 Aretha Franklin 51 Walter Sisulu 52 James Baldwin 53 Paul Robeson 54 John Barnes 55 Prince 56 Sammy Davis Junior 57 Richard Pryor 58 Jackson Five 59 Samuel L Jackson 60 OJ Simpson 61 Samuel Coleridge Taylor 62 Dennis Brown 63 Madame Walker 64 Soul II Soul 65 Jesse Jackson 66 James Meredith 67 Jackie Robinson 68 Don King 69 Naomi Campbell 70 Toussaint L''Ouverture 71 Paul Bogle 72 Viv Richards 73 Bruce Lee 74 Billie Holiday 75 Diana Ross 76 Spike Lee 77 Linton Kwesi Johnson 78 Oladuah Equiano 79 Derek Walcott 80 WE DuBois 81 Gary Sobers 82 Superfly 83 Biggie Smalls 84 John Coltrane 85 Sade 86 Reggae Boyz 87 Thierry Henry 88 Stevie Wonder 89 Little Richard 90 The Huxtables 91 Brenda Fassie 92 Rodney King 93 Flo Jo 94 Hector Petersen 95 Dr Mae Jemison 96 Halle Berry 97 Ian Wright 98 P Diddy 99 Grace Jones 100 Harlem Globetrotters |
