Diddy Tried to Warn Us 🚹

Before the headlines and lawsuits, Diddy tried to build political power for Black America. Most forgot. Here's why that moment still matters.

Author

Dale Harris
July 01, 2025

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Top of the Morning, BFA Fam! Apple CarPlay Ultra lets your iPhone run your car’s dashboard, AC, and more, basically turning your ride into a giant iPhone. Sounds convenient, right? But some automakers are backing out, fearing Apple has too much control and access to your data. Would you rather drive a car powered by Apple or by the carmaker who built it?

MAIN STORY

đŸ”„ The Political Party Diddy Tried to Build

A moody, dramatic portrait of Diddy standing at a podium under stormy skies, with an American flag behind him and silhouettes of a crowd in the foreground. The image features high contrast lighting and a 16:9 ratio, styled like a political campaign scene.

⚡ THE SPARK

A verdict in Diddy’s sex trafficking trial is expected any hour now. The charges are serious, heinous even, and if the accusations prove true, accountability must follow. But while the world waits for that outcome, this moment invites something else too: a hard look at power, legacy, and what happens when Black influence tries to move from entertainment into politics.

Back in 2020, long before courtrooms and headlines overtook his name, Diddy launched Our Black Party a bold, if short-lived, attempt to build Black political power outside the white-led, two-party system. It didn’t last. But it was a rare move from a billionaire who didn't just want to dance at the party, he wanted to build one.

🧠 THE LAYER BELOW

  • Bold Vision, Flawed Messenger: Diddy’s Our Black Party aimed to unify Black voters, but his 2025 legal battles cast a shadow over his credibility

  • From Vote or Die to Ownership: Departing from his 2004 “Vote or Die” campaign, Diddy pushed for Black political independence, treating votes as a business transaction.

  • Local Power, Not Just Presidents: He emphasized local elections, judges, and school boards as key to systemic change, urging Black voters to educate themselves daily.

  • A Response to Exclusion: Frustrated by Democrats and Republicans ignoring Black issues, Diddy’s party sought to make Black voices undeniable in political narratives.

  • Kamala Harris as a Start: He praised Biden’s VP pick but demanded accountability, seeing Harris as a bridge to dialogue, not a solution.

  • Fear of a Race War: Diddy warned of a “race war” if Trump won in 2020, framing his party as a defense against division and systemic racism.

  • Unfulfilled Promise: Despite its launch, Our Black Party faded post-2020, raising questions about sustaining celebrity-driven political movements.

🎯 THE REAL QUESTION

How can Black communities build lasting political power when even well-intentioned leaders fall short?

🔼 WHAT’S NEXT

This isn’t about defending Diddy; it’s about not letting a moment of clarity get lost in a moment of chaos. Our Black Party may have fizzled, but the need it pointed to is still on fire: Black people deserve a political home that doesn’t just ask for votes, it delivers results. That takes unity, investment, and the courage to dream bigger than elections.

You don’t have to agree with Diddy to learn from the attempt. Because until we start building systems instead of reacting to them, we’ll always be playing catch-up.

The revolution can’t live in tweets, it has to live in policy.

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If you had Diddy’s money, what would you do for the culture?

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THE FLIP SIDE

nd They Might Change Shopping Forever. Walmart has opened its first U.S. “dark store” in Dallas—a customer-free hub designed purely for online orders. Optimized for speed and packed with automation, these ghost stores allow rapid pick-and-pack fulfillment and pair seamlessly with Walmart’s expanding drone delivery network. As online shopping surges and Amazon ups its game, Walmart is betting big o

📩 Walmart’s First “Dark Stores” Are Here—And They Might Change Shopping Forever. Walmart has opened its first U.S. “dark store” in Dallas—a customer-free hub designed purely for online orders. Optimized for speed and packed with automation, these ghost stores allow rapid pick-and-pack fulfillment and pair seamlessly with Walmart’s expanding drone delivery network. As online shopping surges and Amazon ups its game, Walmart is betting big on smaller, faster, tech-driven nodes that could reshape local retail and redefine how millions of Americans get what they need. (Eladelantado)

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Told in unflinching, moment-by-moment detail, HURRICANE KATRINA: RACE AGAINST TIME transports viewers into the chaos that engulfed New Orleans as one of the deadliest catastrophes in U.S. history unfolded—capturing the fear, heroism and resilience of those who fought to survive the storm and its aftermath. With the clear-eyed perspective of two decades of hindsight, this gripping historical record corrects persistent false narratives and exposes how a natural disaster became a national tragedy. Grounded in gut-wrenching eyewitness testimony from survivors, first responders and officials, and brought to life with immersive archival footage, the series is an unparalleled, emotionally raw examination of the storm’s personal, political and societal fallout. From the Oscar¼- and Emmy¼-winning producers at Lightbox and acclaimed filmmaker Ryan Coogler and his production company, Proximity Media, and directed by Oscar-nominated Traci A. Curry, this landmark documentary series arrives in time to mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time

Get ready for a compelling new five-part series from National Geographic and Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media that dives into the heart of Hurricane Katrina's story. Directed by Traci A. Curry, this docuseries, premiering on July 27, takes you on a journey through the devastation and resilience that marked the 2005 tragedy. Through heartfelt survivor interviews and rare archival footage, it sheds light on how systemic failures transformed a natural disaster into a national crisis. As we approach the 20th anniversary of Katrina, this series offers a gripping and honest look at its lasting impact.

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