Powell's Politics: Original 'Real World' Star Makes Congressional Bid

By Jawn Murray, BlackVoices.com

Most know Kevin Powell as a member of the groundbreaking MTV reality show, 'The Real World.'

It has been 16 years since Powell's introduction via reality television. Instead of appearing on various reunion specials and 'Real World/Road Rules Challenge' competitions, Powell opted to take a different route.

He became a journalist, an activist, a hip-hop aficionado, an author, a lecturer and a pundit. Now, the 42-year-old New Jersey native is taking all of those things to the next level and pursuing his desire to run for political office.

While some would think that the transition from reality television to politics is quite a leap, Powell feels as though it's a smooth transition.

"I have been a political activist and community organizer since I was an 18-year-old college student at Rutgers University , some 24 years ago. My life has always been back and forth between being a public servant and an artist, a writer, ever since. People know the pop culture stuff because I have done a lot of television, not just for MTV, and because I was a founding staff member for 'Vibe,' and did a number of their cover stories. But I have always been about leadership and community work my entire life," he explained.

Powell's community work is quite impressive too!

"My work has covered everything from voter education and registration, to working on political campaigns of everyone from Jesse Jackson in the 1980s to Barack Obama, today. It also includes fighting for affordable housing, doing extensive Hurricane Katrina relief work and dealing with the myriad of challenges confronting Black males in these early days of the 21^st century," he offered.

Sounds almost like a campaign speech.

But Powell is entrenched in his current campaign and his passion for politics resonates when he speaks. This is his second run for Congress and he hopes he can unseat longtime Representative Ed Towns of New York 's 10^th district.

"There is a great year to run for office. It is like the perfect storm because of all the interest generated by both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. More women than ever before, and more younger Americans than ever before are voting, volunteering for campaigns, and running for office. And I am running against a 25-year incumbent Congressman here in Brooklyn , who has been largely invisible and disengaged from the people here. So in this climate of change he is being exposed for how mediocre he has been, how he has been winning election every two years because folks, up until this year, simply were not voting. I have not seen this kind of excitement with young around politics since Jesse Jackson in the 1980s," he said.

The author of books like 'Someday We'll All Be Free' and 'Keepin' It Real: Post-MTV Reflections On Race, Sex, and Politics' said that his stint on 'The Real World' and his work at 'Vibe' have been an asset to his campaign run.

"So many people have said to me that they followed me from 'The Real World' to 'Vibe' to my community work to all the TV appearances and now they are proud of the fact I am running for Congress," he admitted.

And Powell's celebrity status hasn't hurt his fundraising endeavors, with a who's who list of personalities writing checks for the cause.

"We have gotten donations from folks like Gloria Steinem, Susan L. Taylor, Hill Harper, Chris Rock and his wife Malaak Compton-Rock," he shared, before adding: "I am proud to say my long-time friend Dave Chappelle is hosting a big fundraiser for us in New York City on Wednesday, July 9th. God has blessed me to be the rare political candidate who really has legit community organizing credentials and a pop culture and entertainment background, and we are using everything I've learned from both sides to win this election."

Why have this people decided to put their money behind Powell? For him, the answer is simple.

"Education and the economy and ending the war in and getting universal healthcare for all Americans, are some of the key issues Congressman Powell will be fighting for. First and foremost, as a product of the ghetto, a product of public schools, a product of government help to go to college, I know how critical an education was to my life. I do a lot of work with young people, with youth, in New York City , and around the country, and that is the number one thing that has got many of us stuck. Limited education, limited skills, means limited life opportunities, and more than likely a life of being stuck in poverty, in misery, and many of the vicious cycles that keep us down, like early pregnancies, drug and alcohol abuse, and trips back and forth to prison," he clarified.

To find out more about Powell's platform and get additional information on his Dave Chappelle-hosted fundraiser, you can visit him online at www.kevinpowellforcongress.org.

Additionally, DJ Drama hosted a mix-tape CD called 'Powell For The People' that was produced and mixed by DJ Reborn that available for free download on MySpace. Visit www.MySpace.com/KP4C to get it now.

Word For Word - May 23, 2008

"They've already agreed to give Beyonce a cameo appearance. But (we're) hoping that (she) could be written in for a recurring role, or possibly even a permanent one," -- says a source in Beyonce' Knowles camp, talking to MediaTakeOut.com, on her upcoming appearance on the tv hit "Desperate Housewives."

"I've always had a weird thing about it (having kids) because my parents divorced when I was three and I didn't really have many examples of what was the norm."-- Mariah Carey on having kids.

"It's just kind of poking fun at the fact that this queen image has prevailed for so long. It's having fun with it and saying I was out of the picture for a while but she's back." -- Donna Summer on her new LP entitled, "Crayons."

"I don't know how good I'll be at it, but it's something that I want to try." -- Rihanna,the "Umbrella" hitmaker is reportedly set to star in upcoming film Mama Black Widow - the story of a black family's migration from the South in the 1930s.

''There was one perfect person, and they called him Jesus Christ,'' Chapman said. ''You have to ... realize that everyone is human, and you can err.'' --Dog "The Bounty Hunter."

"It's a vicious rumour. And it's run amok." --Rod McCrew tells XXLmag.com about the condition of Nate Dogg who has been recovering at home since he was hospitalized in December.

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