Rev. Dr. Elliot Robinson, 6th Episcopal District
Cult of Personality – a situation in which a public figure (such as a political leader) is deliberately presented to the people of a country as a great person who should be admired and loved. Merriam-Webster
Black America has force-fed a diet of uninformed, celebrity opinions on critical issues such as politics, finance, economics, and law, meanwhile ignoring the plethora of Black scholars, practitioners, and subject matter experts. Why should we care who Sexyy Red, Lil’ Wayne, Mike Tyson, or any other celebrity is endorsing as POTUS? Why should Janet Jackson questioning the “Blackness” of Kamala Harris move the voting needle? Why is Charlemagne the God making the rounds as the “voice of Black America?”
Sadly, one of the reasons the Cult of Personality has taken such a hold in Black America is the lack of consistent, intellectual dialogue on essential issues in Black-centric media spaces. I use the term “Black-centric” because, sadly, many of these spaces are no longer “Black-controlled.” The number of radio stations that are Black-owned and controlled has dwindled over the years. And even when these spaces are Black-owned, they have followed the programming trends of White-owned media.
The explosion of syndication has led to Black-centric radio having cookie-cutter dialogue regarding political issues and almost disappearing discussions regarding local politics and economic matters besides crime. Syndicated radio is less likely to consistently feature scholars, practitioners, and subject-matter experts. Instead, its platform is more likely to prop up its personalities as experts, feature the same few voices for every issue, or ignore serious dialogue altogether.
The ever-shifting newspaper advertising models led to the closure of many Black-owned newspapers. These newspapers were a mainstay in the Black community and were critical outlets for expert opinions, investigative reporting, and researched positions.
The reverence for informed and intelligent talking heads and the thirst for quality journalism have been systematically repressed and oppressed. Those accountable voices have been replaced with celebrity gossip-mongering, radio personalities over-indexing on being under-educated and folksy, and a steady diet of music that masquerades as “the culture” while celebrating Black misogyny, mediocrity, and misery.
This vacuum of respected, reliable, and thoughtful dialogue and debate has made Black communities overly susceptible to the cult of personality. This current election cycle provides absolute proof.
Our nation faces the most consequential election since 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected President. This assertion is not a hyperbolic statement. The Heritage Foundation is conducting a slow-burn coup d’état (Project 2025). Meanwhile, as this 900+ page roadmap towards a white, “Christian” nationalist country is playing out before our eyes, Black America continues to be bogged down by the “Cult of Personality.” We need look no further than the heightened popularity in Black communities of Donald Trump.
Despite Trump deciding there is no need to hide his Klan hood, his popularity in the Black community is at an all-time high. He is in full-blown racist mode in a late campaign attempt to drive white voters to the polls. His misinformation/ disinformation campaigns grounded in non-white xenophobia have shown he is willing to demonize any minority group in his pursuit of the White House. Yet, despite his proclamation that low-wage jobs are “Black jobs,” his consistent need to define the “blackness” of his opponents, and his racist lies about immigrants and minorities, most recently the Haitian community in Ohio, some Black people are still drawn to him and openly so.
The Trump brand is centered around his persona: successful business person, tough negotiator, bombastic leader, assertive, and says what he’s thinking. Trump’s poor record as a President, his racism & racist policies, and habitual dishonesty haven’t shrunk his popularity. A significant part of Trump’s strategy and success has been avoiding substantive policy discussions. Instead, he has stayed committed to growing the cult of personality and has centered his attacks around the personhood and Blackness of Vice President Kamala Harris. Hence, the baseless claims surrounding her ethnicity and the comments degrading her because she did not have children by childbirth. Trump has managed to center the theme of his attacks in a language that is palatable for some Blacks, a language steeped in the frivolity of the cult of personality. We see this in the type of objections Black people make to VP Harris’ candidacy, including her laugh, perceived lack of toughness, code-switching, rumors regarding past relationships, insinuations that she “slept her way to the top,” not voting for her just because she’s Black, etc. We see a regurgitation of Trump’s talking points from his acolytes. One of the most recent objections is Harris not answering questions. Yet, the objectors have not indicated which question(s) they would like her to answer, what answer(s) would be informative, or whether Trump has answered these questions, and if so, how. Instead, they are simply parroting the messaging of the cult leader.
Instead of rejecting these tactics, we not only lean into them, but we propagate them. They end up with a life of their own that becomes removed from the source, and eventually, the lie becomes the communal truth.
Sometimes, the cult of personality can force positive change in Black spaces (Martin Luther King, Jr., Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Malcolm X, etc.). As laid out above, it can also be destructive. Given what is at stake in this election, it is disheartening to see so many Black men and women enlisting in the “Trump Cult of Personality.”
To combat the effect of the cult of personality on Black America, this moment has to serve as a reckoning, a wholesale rejection of misinformed and uniformed celebrities and pundits who are used to control/ persuade the opinions of Black America against our interests. There must be a repudiation of singular voices propped up to speak on our behalf and a willingness to lift a myriad of voices that can speak to the depth and breadth of our collective intellect and experiences. There must be an embrace of collective respect amongst Black men, women, and children that rejects the segmenting, gossiping, and infighting that has suppressed Black unity and harmony. A harmony where Black men celebrate and protect Black women, Black women celebrate and protect Black men, and they both celebrate, nurture, and protect Black children.
A harmful cult of personality can thrive because people who see themselves as lacking can be drawn to a leader they perceive as stronger or better. Trump’s cult or personality has thrived because we’ve allowed our better selves to be silenced in the name of celebrity. It’s time for us to do better before the scourge that is the cult of personality picks our Black carcasses clean.
Reverend Dr. Elliott Robinson is an Adjunct Faculty at Emory’s Candler School of Theology and developed the homiletical system “Imagineer Preaching.” He is also the Founder of Creative Tension, Inc. – creativetension.org. He received his DMin and MDiv from Emory’s Candler School of Theology. He holds a JD from Howard Law and a BS from SUNY New Paltz.
Dr. Robinson’s social analysis is spot on. Very insightful work.
Wow, what an amazing, thoughtful, and synopsis, even indictment, in a good way of us Black People. Let the church say Amen!
You better bring it my brother! It’s sad that the people who NEED to hear this will likely NOT.
Excellent article, it underlines the major problems of misinformation and disinformation that have caused Black and Brown people to be persuaded by an individual without a moral compass. White extremists who feel hatred towards “other” are happy to follow a vulgar and depraved person.
If we are looking for leadership, in our current culture celebrity is primary. We have celebrity pastors, celebrity politicians, celebrity NFL owners, celebrity billionaires and so on. How do we cut through the noise. I read an article recently that stated the left has not countered right wing media sources which had an outsized role to play in cleaning up the President elect and pushing his propaganda. Unfortunately, as you state in your article African American media sources were also not helpful combatting the misinformation or even showing that it had a credible response to the attacks on our community, or V. P. Harris. Will the pulpit be able to speak truth to power, when no one appears to be listening. We have an opportunity; I am praying we seize it.
I totally agree. Thank you
Thank you …We need to rally together so that Martin Luther King day is not celebrated by this man. God is in Control.
Well said! Thank you, Dr. Elliott.