Kanye, Not Kaepernick, the True Social Justice Warrior [OPINION]

Rapper Kanye West will break bread with President Trump at the White House on Thursday to discuss key social issues facing many in the black community.

White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the two plan to discuss "manufacturing resurgence in America, prison reform, how to prevent gang violence, and what can be done to reduce violence in Chicago." West has said that he has differences with Trump on policies, but that he and 45 are friends. The two met at Trump Tower back in 2016.

Since he befriended Trump, many in his own community and industry have disassociated themselves from him.

I am not going to pretend to be a huge fan of Kanye West. I don't have a whole lot of Kanye material on my iPhone, and we for sure come from different planets. But I will say this about West, he has the guts that Colin Kaepernick and three-quarters of the Philadelphia Eagles will never have.

When it came time to find solutions to social injustice, Kanye West opened a dialogue with Trump. The others took a knee. During the campaign, Trump urged the black community to support him, saying that after 50 years of broken promises from the Democrats, "what do you have to lose?" When the rest chose resistance, Kanye West saw an opportunity.

I don't know if the Trump-West talks will lead to results, but I promise you that talking is much better than kneeling when kids are dying.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.