William Rehnquist Meet Nick Cannon

It goes without saying that the majority of Americans who know who Chief Justice William Rehnquist is, probably don’t know who Nick Cannon is. But as Rehnquist considers retiring from the Supreme Court, it’s a good bet that many more folk will suddenly be introduced to Cannon

For the uninitiated Nick Cannon is a twenty-something rapper-actor, who first came to fame as a bit player on the Nickelodeon “tween” series All That. Most recently Cannon has had starring roles in John Hughes like “black face” fare such as Love Don’t Cost a Thing (2003) and Charles Stone III’s directorial debut Drumline (2002). Cannon has attracted attention lately for his new song and video “Can I Live?” in which he thanks his mother for not aborting him. Not surprisingly the song has been celebrated by pro-life/anti-abortion groups. For his part Cannon is non-committal about the song’s political sentiments—he ain’t trying to judge nobody—and I take him at his word on that.

But in an era when popular culture is increasingly little more than unadulterated ideology and network news can be better described as “ideo-tainment” one has to wonder what kind of impact “Can I Live?” is gonna have as the pressure increases to repeal Roe vs. Wade—particularly as Rehnquist’s retirement could push the court further to the Right. For folk who usually don’t watch Fox News and wouldn’t know William F. Buckley if he knocked on their door, Cannon’s video can become an incredible influence—much like the façades of down-low brothers and gay marriage became the wedge issues that Carl Rove exploited in the 2004 Presidential election.

For the record, my own politics are pro-choice—a product of my pro-feminist sensibilities, though I am deeply affected by arguments from my feminist sister home girl Joan Morgan and others about the parental rights of fathers, in the pro-choice debate. As the parent of two adoptive daughters, I am also touched by Cannon’s video—what if the birth mothers of my daughters had choose the path of abortion?

These are not easy issues, hence that passion that erupts on all sides, but my hope is that Cannon’s lovesong to his mom, doesn’t become an unwitting accomplice to those who don’t really have the best interests of women and black folk in mind.