Former president Barack Obama wrote a letter for the late Nipsey Hussle that was read aloud at Hussle’s memorial service on Thursday. Obama asked hip hop journalist Karen Civil to do the honor of reading the letter at the service that took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Out of respect and mourning, Civil stepped up to the stage in an all white dressed and a prominent blue hankerchief in her pocket. The reading of the letter was a surprise and after Civil announced who was the writer of the letter she was about to read, the crowd erupted in applause.
Obama praised Nipsey for seeing the potential to make a positive impact in his neighborhood. An excerpt includes: “While most folks look at the Crensh neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential. He saw hope. He saw a community that, even though its flaws, taught him to always keep going. His voice to invest in that community rather than ignore it — to build a skills-training center and a co-working space in Crenshaw; to lift up the Eritrean-American community; to set an example for young people to follow — is a legacy worthy of celebration. I hope his memory inspires more work in Crenshaw and communities like it. Michelle and I send our sympathies to Lauren, Emani, Kross and the entire Asghedom family and to all those who loved Nipsey.”
Karen Civil posted a full copy of the letter on her Twitter which you can see below: