"George Bush doesn't care about Black people" 20 years later

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 27 August 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

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Summary

On September 2, 2005, on a telethon to raise money for victims of Hurrican Katrina, Kanye West went off script and said, "George Bush doesn't care about Black people." 20 years later, would those words have the same impact today?

In this episode, Brittany, NPR music correspondent Rodney Carmichael, and Code Switch's Leah Donella revisit that moment and dissect why those words rippled through the nation. They investigate how race and politics intersected decades ago and how those words still cast a shadow over American politics now...from what celebrities are willing to say to power and why or why not.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
0:05.4	RWJF is a national philanthropy, working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right.
0:12.1	Learn more at RWJF.org.
0:17.9	Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident.
0:34.9	On September 2nd, 2005, on a telethon to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina,
0:40.8	Kanye West said, quote, George Bush doesn't care about black people.
0:45.7	I happen to be at my mom's house, and she had the telethon on full blast, of course, and I was watching for Kanye.
0:53.9	This is Rodney Carmichael. He's a correspondent for N of course. And I was watching for Kanye. This is Rodney Carmichael.
0:55.5	He's a correspondent for NPR music.
0:58.0	And, you know, as soon as he starts talking about not liking how the media is portraying black people in New Orleans.
1:06.8	I hate the way they portray us in the media.
1:10.8	If you see a black family, it says they're looting.
1:14.2	See a white family.
1:15.1	It says they're looking for food.
1:17.4	You knew he was off script.
1:20.6	And I think when he finally said that line...
1:24.6	George Bush doesn't care about black people.
1:27.0	I was like cheering and screaming and like jumping for joy because finally somebody said something
1:36.2	that was not, you know, politically correct to say.
1:40.2	I think, you know, black folks in general was so frustrated at that point in time all over the country, just watching the coverage.
1:49.0	And it was like a release valve, you know, when he said that.
1:56.3	For some folks like Rodney, it was a release valve.
	...

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