Over the past three years, with regular appearances on CBS News, CNN, and MSNBC, Jamal Simmons has become one of the media’s most recognizable political analysts. Simmons’ candid commentary has established him as a “fresh voice,” and he has been featured in the New York Times, International Herald Tribune, and Politico. Channeling the power of social media, Simmons has launched an innovative fundraising campaign for the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation: “$40 for 40 Kids.” With his help, 40 high school graduates in Detroit and surrounding Michigan will receive financial assistance to attend college. Simmons received a Parks Scholarship in 1988 and enrolled in Morehouse College; he graduated from the college and recently received their Presidential Award of Distinction. Simmons also earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University. As he prepares for the official launch of the “$40 for 40 Kids” campaign, Simmons squeezed time out of his busy schedule for an interview with AllHipHop.com, reflecting on the value of strong communication skills, his evolution as a political analyst and the importance of receiving his father’s “tough love”: AllHipHop.com: When you reflect on your personal life and the decisions you’ve made over the years, what can you attribute to your upbringing and parents’ influence? Jamal Simmons: I have been influenced in two primary ways. My parents and my grandparents loved me unconditionally. They told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be, and they expected me to do the best I could at whatever it was I chose; but they never told me what to be. And I think having the freedom to make those choices for myself was incredibly important, but I also had the discipline of expecting me to perform at whatever it was that I was doing. AllHipHop.com: Since you were never explicitly told what to do, is there a particular life event that catapulted you into political journalism? Jamal Simmons: My dad has always been involved in politics. My grandfather was also, but he was more of a union organizing guy, and my dad was involved in electoral politics in Detroit where I grew up. My dad worked for then Mayor Coleman Young back in the 1980s. So I grew up around it. I grew up handing out leaflets, going door-to-door on Saturdays for hot dog money! [laughing] As I got older, it was something I had then developed an interest in myself; and so I continued to volunteer on campaigns and do all those menial tasks that really mean so much in a campaign, like door knocking and phone calls. Before email, letter stuffing. AllHipHop.com: Having started out so young, when you look at your experiences, are there any lessons or pieces of advice that have guided you through the years? Jamal Simmons: Yes, I’ve had a couple. First of all, despite the fact that I really did come from a loving family; it wasn’t really very traditional. My parents were never married. They split up when I was less than two years old; but I lived with both of them at different periods. I lived with my mother until I was 13, and then I went to high school. I was getting a little rambunctious, so I went to live with my father. We went to see Boyz N the Hood, and we were laughing about how similar the story was. Where we grew up in Detroit, was a similar neighborhood to the neighborhood in that movie. It was a pretty tough neighborhood. You grow up in a tough neighborhood in the inner city and all the things happen that happen. You get robbed and you get in fights and friends die, and there’s drugs and all that stuff that goes on. But again, I came from parents who exerted a lot of discipline on their kids. And the second thing I’d say came from experience. I got in trouble when I was in college. I got cut off from my parents and had to sit out of school. I had a false arrest that ended up getting taken care of. All this happened at the same time, and I think there was a moment where I had to look at myself in the mirror and decide what I was going to do. And I credit my dad now – for having the will to cut me off – despite the fact we got into a huge argument and we stopped speaking to each other for months. I had to go out and get two jobs; go to work and save money; and eat potatoes and ramen noodles every night. One of my jobs was in a restaurant on the weekends. At the very least, I knew that I would get two good meals on the weekends. During this time, I really learned how to take care of myself.  If you don’t work, you don’t eat; and that’s an incredibly important lesson in life. AllHipHop.com:  Is there a particular obstacle that kept you grounded? Jamal Simmons:  Other than being hungry? [laughing] Well, you have certain problems that come along with being young. You have roommates that cause you trouble. We had problems paying the rent some months. It’s just all the stuff that happens when you don’t have any money. So I certainly went through a lot of that. I had another experience when I was a little bit older and I was in graduate school. I did a summer at Citibank. I thought at one point I may want to go be a banker. But after I got into trouble, I got myself into school with the help of my parents, and we decided we were going to split the cost. I had to pay for all my living expenses, and they paid for the tuition. I made the honor roll every semester after that. I really just kind of buckled down and got my act together. So, by the time I got to graduate school, I thought I […]