Last September, he was First Lady Michelle Obama’s guest at the White House. Today, he joins the NOW panel.
As we mark the second anniversary of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords – a shooting that left 6 other people dead, hip hop artist and entertainer Common will join the show today to talk about the rise of violence in society, the debate over gun control, and violence on the big screen. Common, like President Obama, hails from Chicago, a city grappling with increasing gun violence. The problems in Chicago have gotten renewed attention since the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. And Vice President Biden continues at work with his task force aimed at addressing the nation’s gun control policy.
Common has gotten his fair share of criticism on the issue of violence, but he’s committed to stemming the tide. Common says his music “is supposed to help you elevate, or go higher. We don’t want us to lose anything over this – just gains, to gain greatness.” He has a new movie out, LUV, which tackles violence with a special look at children growing up in that culture.
We’ll have a preview of the film and Common’s take on one of the biggest issues facing the country when we see you at noon ET on NOW.
PANEL
Michael Eric Dyson, Georgetown U./msnbc Political Analyst (@michaeledyson)
Ryan Grim, Washington Bureau Chief, The Huffington Post (@ryangrim)
Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Editor & Publisher, The Nation (@katrinanation)
Josh Green, Sr. National Correspondent, Bloomberg Businessweek (@joshuagreen)
REPORTER
Luke Russert, NBC News (@lukerussert)
GUEST
Common, Hip Hop Artist/Actor (@common)
Dax Tejera