Dallas Mayor Pro Tem pumps up ‘Pull Up Your Pants’ campaign
by Gordon Jackson NNPA News Service
DALLAS – Having garnered national attention, Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway is taking to another dimension his fight against young African-American men saggin’ their pants. And he’s got Big Mama in his corner.
During a City Hall press conference timed to coincide with the holiday shopping season, Caraway re-revealed the “Pull ‘em Up!” campaign he launched last year, but with the extension of “Keep It a Secret,” also conveying a message to young urban girls.
Referring to the young men, Caraway said, “You’re not going to become President of the United States as Barack Obama, not if your pants are hanging down. And you’re not going to even get a chance to date those two little girls in the White House because Barack’s not going to let you, if your pants are hanging down.”
The secondary message geared toward young females encourages them to dress more modestly, not wearing such revealing attire that exposes a lot of skin.
Caraway recruited acclaimed actress and returning Dallas resident Irma P. Hall to help get the messages across. Hall’s picture will be included in new posters and billboards expressing the double-slogan. Media giant Clear Channel, who also has a large outdoor advertising division, has donated 22 billboards for the posters to be displayed throughout the city.
“I’m on board because I love you. ... I am the ‘Big Mama’ in my family,” said Hall, who is well known for her strong mother figure roles in movies such as “Soul Food,” “A Family Thing,” “Collateral,” “The Ladykillers” and “Meet the Browns.” She taught in DISD schools from 1962 to 1984.
Caraway re-launched the anti-sagging campaign right before the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, instilling a message to the parents of potential saggers to not buy oversized clothes for their children.
“If you know that your son’s waist size is a 28, you do not go buy them a 34,” Caraway said. “Buy the size that they wear.”
