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Jermaine Dupri fears Atlanta’s black community will see a spike in COVID-19 deaths IF the city reopens for biz Friday, so he’s begging ATL … “Don’t fall for the okie doke.”
The “okie doke” is a clear reference to GA’s Gov., Brian Kemp, giving the state the green light to open barbershops, hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors, bowling alleys and several other businesses. But, Jermaine — an ATL and hip-hop icon — says it’s too early, and it’s the wrong image for his city’s black community.
JD came armed with stats for his nearly 10-minute plea to Atlanta — pointing out COVID-19 is killing African-Americans at a disproportionately high rate, and that Georgia ranks last in virus testing.
He did acknowledge the challenges of quarantine, and said he does understand why people want to get out, but added the stakes are just too high to give in now. As he put it, “Don’t die ’cause you bored!”
The NAACP is going even further than Jermaine, directly calling Gov. Kemp’s decision “reckless and unilateral.” The org. says Kemp is placing “at risk communities in direct danger” of contracting COVID-19, and it’s calling on citizens to push back … and stay home.
Jermaine is also calling on Atlanta’s black community to use the power of the “black dollar” by NOT spending at reopened businesses. His bottom line — “What I want you to understand is they expecting us to die. We don’t have to go that way.”