D.L. Hughley speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. | Source: Myung J. Chun / Getty
Dr. Umar’s strong views this campaign season are making noise as his allegations become more accusatory and targeted. He believes that Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign team is allegedly paying celebs to support her, claiming that they even “reached out to him for an interview, offering him $10K for the potential exchange.”
Dr. Umar’s latest targets in the matter include D.L. Hughley, Rickey Smiley and Steve Harvey. He challenged the comedians/radio hosts to a debate focusing on the question “Is the Democratic party the party of African people,” and stated that “Roland Martin can join in too.” Umar dubbed it “The Kings of Comedy vs. King Kong Consciousness”.
“Steve Harvey said that the Omega Psi Phi brothers run the radio…D.L. Hughley, will you debate me on your radio? Steve Harvey, will you debate me on your radio? Rickey Smiley, will you debate me on your radio? …I’ll debate all of you separately, or all three of you together. Since y’all run black radio, and I run black consciousness, it’s only right…I’m ready right now. I don’t need no prep time.”
D.L. made an official response to Dr. Umar’s comments via social media on Tuesday night. He accepted the challenge to debate, but listed his one condition…
…It will need to take place in the auditorium of Dr. Umar’s school for boys, Frederick Douglass Marcus Garvey Academy (FDMG). The Delaware institution has been dogged by several years of delays.
It was unclear if Hughley was trolling Johnson since FDMG has been the yearslong target of jokes and accusations without proof that the noted psychologist was soliciting donations to line his own pockets instead of to help build the educational institution.
In 2021 during an interview on The Breakfast Club morning radio show, Johnson gave a “bittersweet” update about the state of FDMG, claiming that it could be “up and running” soon if it received the necessary help in the areas of HVAC, plumbing and electric work. At the time, Johnson said FDMG “can be ready in three weeks” if it got the necessary work needed on a pro bono (read: free) basis.
Johnson suggested Black people needed to step up to help FDMG.
“I haven’t come across Black folks who are willing to donate their time … so we have to raise enough money to pay market rate for those repairs.”
He estimated he needed to raise about $300,000 in additional funding for work.
“If we had some Black folks who were willing to donate their time, the school would be up and running in three weeks,” repeated Johnson, who said this type of issue is unique to Black people and chalked it up to being “one of the psychological residuals of slavery.”
“If I were Mexican, the school would be done,” Johnson said. “It’s only because it’s us,” he added, referring collectively to Black people, “that we don’t take something like this (education) as serious.”
When pressed if this is really just a Black thing, Johnson didn’t shy away from that argument.
“It’s not that Black people don’t support other Black people. We are not used to being responsible for building our own institutions,” Johnson reasoned before offering an example: “If I was opening up a nightclub, basketball league, I would have the support.”
Johnson said he couldn’t reconcile that with the fact that Black consumers account for spending $2 trillion annually.
He cited “slavery” as the primary factor that he said stripped Black people of a “natural desire to want to control your environment and your destiny. Citing “ethnic nationals” who come to America, Johnson said, “the first thing they do is look for where are we going to build our first community.”
Black folks, on the other hand, don’t do that, he said.
“Our whole orientation towards life is different from other groups as a result of slavery,” Johnson added.
Johnson also specifically called about Black consumers when asked about his school during an Instagram Live session in 2020. Claiming Black people spend $19 million annually specifically Quaker Oats grits, Johnson asked his followers, “can I have your grit money for one year?” Give me your grit money for one year and I will build 10 schools across this country.”
He continued: “I don’t want your Louis bag money, I don’t want your Mercedes money, I don’t want your weave, perm, haircut, Air Jordan, Timberland money — give me your grits!” he implored before getting to the heart of his point: “We spent $19 million on grits and I don’t have enough money to renovate the Garvey building.”
Black Enterprise reported in 2014 that Johnson launched an initiative to fund an all-Black boys school. At the time, Johnson said he was gaming to raise $5 million to buy “St. Paul’s College, an HBCU in Lawrenceville, Virginia, and convert it into a boarding school for young African American boys.”
Five years later, Johnson announced in a video that he had finally raised the funds to buy property in Wilmington, Delaware, to house the FCMG Academy.
But in June of this year, Johnson told Rolling Out that the school was “near the finish line.”
A website for FDMG invites students to apply, lists online courses being offered and says tutoring is currently available. However, it was not immediately clear if the school had actually opened.
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