Holocaust Center Reacts to Nicki Minaj ‘Only’ Video, But What They Said Might Surprise You

Long Island-based Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center doesn’t rip Nicki Minaj, rather, invites her to their location, to discuss their concerns and learn about the work the center does to advocate against intolerance and discrimination against everyone.

Yes. I used an ‘Upworthy’ style headline to get you to read a post about the latest controversy surrounding Queens rap queen, Nicki Minaj and her lyric video for “Only,” which many people feel was full of Nazi imagery.

There was no shortage of opinion about the perceived Nazism on display in the Jeff Osborne-directed video, both against the imagery as well as in favor of Minaj’s team’s right to artistically stylize her song in any way they deem fit.

While many entities who often speak out against such controversy, including the Anti-Defamation League, have spoken out with contempt against Nicki Minaj and those affiliated with the video, the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Long Island, located in Nassau County, not far from Minaj’s hometown of Jamaica, Queens, had a slightly different message.

The center, whose mission is to “teach the history of the Holocaust and its lessons through education and community outreach,” released a statement in the form of a video, taking a different tactic than others. Instead of merely condemning and scolding Nicki Minaj and her team, the HMTC reached out, inviting her to visit the center to take part in some of the programs the center presents all year round, in their efforts to raise awareness against all aspects of discrimination and intolerance, not just against Jews.

“It leads you to ask the question,” explained Roger C. Williams, pastor at the nearby First Baptist Church of Glen Cove and member of the Center’s Board, “What type of education is taking place about that imagery and the implications of using something like that when it it is so tied to a particular time in history?”

Others from the Center, including Holocaust survivor and “liberator” Herman “Hy” Horowitz, echoed the desire to try and understand what message Minaj was going for, while wishing to educate and explain why the imagery was so upsetting.

As someone who has attended the Center myself, I witnessed eye-opening enlightenment that can be gained. Such a visit would not be an admission of wrongdoing, but rather an opportunity to turn a possible negative into a positive. Even though Nicki Minaj has apologized, and stated that she did not mean the imagery to reflect Nazism, it might not hurt to gain a better understanding as to where some of the uproar originated.

I didn’t come up w/the concept, but I’m very sorry & take full responsibility if it has offended anyone. I’d never condone Nazism in my art.

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) November 11, 2014

Below is the video message from the folks at the HMTC inviting Nicki Minaj to visit.

Either in front of the cameras or quiet as kept, Nicki Minaj might leave with a greater appreciation for, and understanding about, why there was a bit of a backlash. She, and her team perhaps, would also have the opportunity to dispel or explain their intentions.

More importantly, this incident could open up more dialogue between the Jewish and African American communities, communities that many, including the HMTC and those who work with them, believe have much more in common with each other.

Hip hop owes it to those communities to try and facilitate such discussion, to foster understanding about different cultures.

Interestingly, Osborne has taken a different angle with response to the controversy, stating that Nazism was included on purpose.

“First, I’m not apologizing for my work, nor will I dodge the immediate question. The flags, armbands, and gas mask (and perhaps my use of symmetry?) are all representative of Nazism,” Osborne stated in a statement on MySpace. “But a majority of the recognizable models/symbols are American: MQ9 Reaper Drone, F22 Raptor, Sidewinder missile, security cameras, M60, SWAT uniform, General’s uniform, the Supreme court, and the Lincoln Memorial. What’s also American is the 1^st Amendment, which I’ve unexpectedly succeeded in showing how we willfully squeeze ourselves out of that right every day.”

He later added, “As far as an explanation, I think its actually important to remind younger generations of atrocities that occurred in the past as a way to prevent them from happening in the future. And the most effective way of connecting with people today is through social media and pop culture. So if my work is misinterpreted because it’s not a sappy tearjerker, sorry I’m not sorry. What else is trending?”

While his argument to protect his artistic license has merit, there may be more “effective ways of connecting with people today” about the atrocities of the past. Perhaps Mr. Osborne would also benefit from a visit to the HMTC?

In any event, it’s easy to simply condemn and scold this video, or say simply that “There is no excuse.” It is much more important that we take the opportunity to educate those who might not understand why it was a problem, as well as to help those offended to understand why some might not “get it,” and have real dialog about these matters, not just soundbites, Tweets and social media opining.

This could be a great opportunity and I applaud the HMTC for respectfully reaching out to a hip hop artist in this manner, when so many others simply take the easy way, and lash out without seeking to foster mutual understanding.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL AND TOLERANCE CENTER OF LONG ISLAND