Detavio Samuels understands the important role Black-owned media plays in educating the community. As the CEO of REVOLT, Samuels and his team seeks to produce engaging content, events while also holding advertisers accountable in their support of Black-owned media.
During a recent interview with ADW, Samuels discussed the recent Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action, and how his organization will cover Hip-Hop 50.
The Supreme Court recently ended affirmative action and put a halt to President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program that would have helped millions. What role should the Black media play in educating the community on the next steps?
I think our responsibility number one is information and education, making sure that people are informed and educated on the topics. It’s really about mobilizing our community to take action. I never would have imagined a world where we would see things like affirmative action overturned and rolled back. And so I think there’s also a responsibility for Black media to help lead and mobilize the revolution. It is clear that on the other side, white supremacy is doing lots of things to continue to oppress us. I never would have imagined that again, they would be able to do it in 2023. And I think that as a media platform, we have the responsibility to be truth tellers, to also mobilize the community and get them to fight and take what is ours.
As CEO of REVOLT, what’s your path to make sure that Black media continues on with that fight?
We’ve always said that we are here to lead a global revolution. We understand that the fight against white supremacy is real. We understand that Black people have been oppressed for centuries all across the globe. And so without question, we see it as part of our responsibility to help mobilize the army that can come and fight for our community. Because it can’t continue like this. We can’t let it happen. It is our role to make sure that our people know what’s going on.
As someone who came up during the rise of hip-hop to see, how are you covering Hip-Hop during its 50th year celebration?
I’m super excited about this idea of hip-hop for so many different reasons. Hip-hop has been a soundtrack to my life. Hip-hop is a massive, low cultural phenomenon that is impacting everything from fashion to technology to sports. Our Chairman Sean Combs is a pioneer and trailblazer when it comes to hip-hop. For us, it’s important that our chairman is shown the love and the appreciation for his contribution to the culture. I’m still in love with how hip-hop has evolved. I think it’s an exciting time in hip-hop. It’s an exciting time this year as we celebrate.
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