They can call attention to important social causes, and they can invest in their communities. They might even hold public office themselves.
Jerry โIcemanโ Butler, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame crooner, founding member of the soul group the Impressions and long-serving member of the Cook County, Ill., Board of Commissioners,ย died on Feb. 20ย at the age of 85. His death, along withย the passing a week laterย of Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, political activist and onetime public schoolteacher Roberta Flack, led me to think about how important celebrities can be in the political process, not just for entertainers who use their names to get elected but also for those who use them to call attention to important social causes and who make investments in their local communities.
Flack, who was 88 at the time of her death, was a huge supporter of civil rights and gay rights and close friends with Angela Davis and Jesse Jackson. The Iceman, who charted with such hits as โOnly the Strong Surviveโ andย his duet with Betty Everett of โLet It Be Me,โ served for 32 years on the governing board of the nationโs second most populous county, which encompasses Chicago. As a commissioner, โhe worked tirelessly to expand healthcare access, improve infrastructure, and advocate for policies that strengthened our communities,โ county Board President Toni Preckwinkleย wrote, singling out Butlerโs leadership of the boardโs Health and Hospitals Committee.
In my one meeting with Butler, in 1988, I was able along with my then-Atlanta City Council colleague (and future mayor) Bill Campbell to chat with him in his dressing room. We presented him with a proclamation during the intermission ofย his performance at Atlantaโs Royal Peacock, the landmark Black music venue. Back on stage, the politician-singer invoked the nostalgia of the historic nightspot. โThe walls are talking to me,โ he said. โThe shadows are whispering in my ears.โ
Not all local and state governments are going to have celebrities on their elected bodies. But if governments are adroit, they can still benefit from their native-born and expat celebrities who are willing to invest in important local projects or use their renown to bring awareness to vital issues. A few examples from around my hometown of Atlanta illustrate the kind of impact that should resonate with local officials.
After his playing days, for example, Georgia Tech All-American and Tennessee Titans linebackerย Derrick Morganย started a faith-based impact development firm calledย the KNGDM Groupย to do socially responsible investing in underserved neighborhoods. The Nashville-based company builds affordable housing and mixed-use projects, includingย an arts-centric developmentย underway in College Park just south of Atlanta.
Another example is multi-Grammy-winning rapperย Michael Santiago Render, better known as Killer Mike. The Atlanta native is making social investments all over the city, particularly in underserved Black communities. He owns a number of businesses, including the SWAG barbershops (an acronym for Shave, Wash and Groom), an online bank that caters to Black and Latino customers and โanyone else who wants to support Black-owned businesses,โ and several restaurants. Among other things, Render promotes the importance of Black ownership, economic empowerment and developing Black generational wealth. Many will remember the attention he received for backing up then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms when she told angry crowds of youth to go home to avoid being hurt by violence after they took to the streets to protest the murder of George Floyd.
Another rapper and actor,ย Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., who goes by the name T.I., is also deeply involved in Atlantaโs cultural, economic and political life. In 2019, he purchased a shuttered shopping center that once was home to Kmart and Giant Food stores near where he was born on the cityโs westside. He subsequently sold the site to a Missouri-based developer, and in partnership with the city they builtย 143 units of affordable apartments.
Other local celebrities, from former โTop Chefโ contestant Kevin Gillespie to โReal Housewives of Atlantaโ star Kandi Burruss, own restaurants, real estate and other ventures in metro Atlanta. They leveraged their celebrity status to finance, open and promote their businesses, and they maintain crucial relationships with public officials.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerceย reportsย that more celebrities are getting the entrepreneurial bug in ways reflecting their social consciousness, ranging from actor Jennifer Garnerโsย Once Upon a Farm, a kids’ organic snack and meal brand, to comedian Kevin Hartโsย Hartbeat Ventures, a venture capital fund, to recording artist Pharrell Williamsโ nonprofit investment fund,ย Black Ambition.
Local governments have much to gain by working with such civic-minded celebrities, who can bring attention โ and money โ to the kinds of issues that every community faces. And if they’re lucky, communities might even be able to attract some of them to perform the kind of public service that Jerry Butler rendered for so long. In these times, we all would be better off if we heeded the advice of one of his most memorable songs, โOnly the Strong Surviveโ: โYou’ve got to be strong, you’d better hold on.โ