As Ludacris has been a controversial choice to headline Spring Fling this Saturday, some students might be surprised to find that the rapper may well have more in common with Tufts' ideals of "active citizenship" than it would seem at first glance.
In addition to his more commonly known hip-hop persona, Ludacris, or Christopher Bridges, is a record executive, entrepreneur and philanthropist who has his own foundation dedicated to helping youth and families. The Ludacris Foundation, established in 2001, aims to "inspire youth to live their dreams, uplift families and foster economic development in the community." A number of other programs are based out of the Ludacris Foundation, including the LudaCares Initiative and LudaCrismas, which are both holiday outreach programs for underprivileged youth and families in housing communities.
While his initiatives do reach out to benefit children in the inner cities, many celebrities are criticized for getting involved in philanthropy work just for the public relations benefits. Skeptics often roll their eyes when celebrities seem to try cleaning up their images by posing for photos while doing community service work.
After her brief stint in jail back in 2007, hotel heiress Paris Hilton claimed to be reborn as a philanthropist. "I just went down to Majorca and donated a lot to a hospital, and I'm going to Africa and Rwanda," she was quoted as saying on the red carpet. Hilton's situation is not unique, as many other celebrities do their own charity work and boast foundations in their honor.
Some wonder if the philanthropic work of Ludacris is just another publicity stunt mirroring those that other celebrities have been accused of. "I would like to think positively of him and hope he's doing it for the right reason ... In reality, [what] he's doing [is] beneficial for the community," senior Claire Hollocou said. "But I think almost anyone who does anything good for the community also has their own benefits in mind."
"It's hard to distinguish who's doing it for good ... It's up to your own personal judgment whether people are doing it just to help people or if it's their agent telling them to do it," sophomore John Armando said. "Ludacris seems like he would be one of those people who grew up in a tough neighborhood and feels like he should give back to other teens."
According to the foundation's Web site, the hip-hop star was part of the inspiration for the development of The Ludacris Foundation, and it is unclear what role Ludacris actually played in starting the organization. The Ludacris Foundation did not respond to e-mails from the Daily for comment.
Nonetheless, the foundation has helped many urban communities by donating hundreds of thousands of dollars and volunteer hours in various projects and events since its inception. The Ludacris Foundation was also named as one of the top 20 "Leading Philanthropy Foundations" by Black Enterprise magazine.
In addition to LudaCares, the foundation's initiatives include ones oriented toward healthy lifestyles, leadership and goals, as well as the "Stand Up 101" initiative, which assists youth with disabilities. Ludacris works within the five different programs run through his foundation in addition to outside volunteering.
Last month, he traveled to New Haven, Conn. to speak to high-risk youth about focusing on their futures.
City Alderman Greg Morehead of New Haven Ward 22 contacted Ludacris last year and asked him to speak with students whom he described as "out of control." Morehead knew Ludacris from his band, DangerZone, which plays backup for the hip-hop star as well as other artists.
"[Ludacris] wanted to come last year, but couldn't commit," Morehead told the Daily. "Then, he called me a week before he could come and asked me to put together a youth forum so he could speak."
Morehead's ward in New Haven has been known for problems with violence and retaliation crimes, and Ludacris gave a speech to 40 teens that centered on conquering obstacles and combining street smarts with self-education.
He drew on his own experiences from growing up in an urban environment and emphasized that despite hardship, each student is in control of his or her own future.
"I think it had a positive effect; the youth said to me afterwards that hearing what he went through and [the obstacles] he overcame ... they wanted to change the way they were living," Morehead said. "They needed to hear it from someone they look up to."
And while it could have been a smart publicity stunt, Ludacris specifically said that he did not want any press at the speech. While some local press did attend, Morehead explained that they came to cover a positive story about the community.
"People only hear negative things going on in my ward, but [the press was] just so that people can see positive things coming out of the ward, that kids want to do good," he said. "[Ludacris] didn't want things to be about him."
