Late Friday, Wyclef Jean said that he accepted a Haitian electoral commission's decision that he is ineligible to run for that country's highest position. What a difference a weekend makes. On Sunday, EW.com reported the Haiti-born hip-hop star's change of heart:
"After careful consideration and much soul-searching, I have made the decision to contest Haiti's board of election's pronouncement stating that I am ineligible to run for the presidency of the country," Jean's statement said. "I will be seeking a solution through legal channels, and I urge my countrymen to be patient through this process. … I cannot surrender now, simply because an obstacle has been set before me; now is the time I must stand up and show Haiti — and the world — that my vision of a nation renewed and redeveloped is a vision for which I am willing to fight."
Meanwhile, a more strongly worded update on Wyclef's Twitter page said, "Tomorrow our lawyers are appealing the decision of the CEP. We have met all the requirements set by the laws. And the law must be respected."
Just noticing that the word I appears seven times in that first statement. The word we? Not once.
Sheryl Huggins Salomon is senior editor-at-large of The Root and a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based editorial consultant. Follow her on Twitter.