Van Lathan revealed that Pharrell Willaims said his comments about hating politics were “taken out of context.”
On the latest episode of his podcast Higher Learning with Rachel Lindsay, Lathan said he spoke with Williams about the backlash his comments received.
“I had an interesting conversation on the way in… I talked to Pharrell Williams earlier today,” Lathan said. “Number one, he feels like the context of where he was and what he was talking about is not being considered.”
Lathan said that Williams was speaking about the Black Ambition initiative that he leads. The program invests in Black and brown entrepreneurs.
“Over $85 million to invest in two DEI programs… and make sure that the people behind these programs get exactly what they need,” he said. “What he meant to say and was trying to say, Pharrell told me, is that politics… he was specifically talking about right versus left politics. Not the overall example of what it means to be politically knowledgeable or engaged…
He’s talking about right versus left politics, and how right versus left politics typically leave people behind,” Lathan went on. “It’s divisive because it doesn’t get at the heart of an issue. It is a fight for political power.”
Williams said he wants no part of “a fight for political power.” Also, he wants to “empower people to go out and live their dreams and execute the things that they are talented in.”
“That is one part of it. The other part of it in terms of him talking about being the best. What he was saying is that the only thing you are going to fall back on. If in fact DEI is dismantled, is how great you are and that greatness is going to be the thing you are going to have to invest into in terms of yourself,” Lathan said… Which is why he has the organization that he has, which is why he’s put the $85 million into people. He wants to give everybody the opportunity to be the best.”
Williams made the comments at the fifth annual Black Ambition Demo Day earlier this month.
“As we look at what’s going on in the current political climate,” Williams said. I’m just saying, and I don’t wanna turn anybody off — but I hate politics, like I despise them.”
“Now that diversity is off the table, now that equity is off the table, now inclusion is off the table. That makes me ask myself, so how do we survive?”, he asked.
If diversity, equity, and inclusion never come back in style, cool,” Pharrell went on. “But in the meantime, I’m going to focus on being the best because I can bank on that.”