Ok CNN, let’s see if you can do better
Ah two black men in little rock – one light and one dark. The light one makes it; the dark one falters and then is redeemed through the Church. Finally the two black americas. Let’s get it CNN.
The story is familiar – black boy told he shouldn’t go to college, he’d do better being a garabage man. He decides to join the army and goes to Vietnam. He comes back and robs a bank. He goes to jail, comes out and he gets hooked on crack. He stays addicted. He has no relationship with her daughter. He hits rock bottom and turns his life around. He changes his name to an African name, and he becomes a minister. A nice happy ending.
the crack story - Again nothing new. Disparity in the incarceration rates.
trying to obtain a job as an ex con. It wasn’t easy in the past and it sure isn’t easy now. Deeva Pager let’s you know – a black applicant = a white ex felon. Awesome. Unemployment for black men is 10%. Employers won’t hire black men b/c they’re lazy, threatening or the way they present themselves. Corey doesn’t appear to be any of those. CNN and Corey try to apply to marshalls (yeah i can tell where those blue carts are from). That didn’t work. Corey has a daughter and he can’t work anymore. So he suits up and goes to job fairs and interviews. Corey gets a part time job stocking shelves and then gets a full time job. Another CNN happy ending.
And now the light guy. Nice job in little rock – financially secure and proud of his success. Oh the black middle class. Here goes our two seconds. Strong and devoted father of three sons. he was raising them “too white”. Two of his sons are with white women (… sigh). When he moved to his neighborhood the cops came and asked him why he was there. .. typical. One of his sons get arrested at his house, the father is embarrassed. His family believes he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that he was defending himself. The son was defended in court by his brother, an assistant da.
We can’t talk about black people unless we talk about LA riots. DL Hugley was a blood?! Dang I didn’t know that. His cousin got shot, Hugley got out. Hugley tells his son to cower before the police. My boss told his sons the same thing. That might be the key to making it out of altercation alive.
1 in 3 black men will have a prison record in their lifetime. 60% of black high school dropout will end up in prison.
Nice, the number of black men graduating has quadrupled in the past 60 years. The light skin sons had issues, not black enough for the men and not white enough for the white. They tried to be black by “you know, getting my hair braided and listening to rap music.” please just stop. Black men sacrifice grades for popularity – I can see this with my little brothers. A black high school senior in NYC reads at the level of a white 9th grader.
education in prisons. If this is what it takes for black men to go to school…
absent fathers, let the anger and disappointment begin. One man, two children, two baby mamas. He’s not raising either child. One baby mama is having twins by another man. The man and woman are angry with each other. Both agree he could be a better father but if he hates her guts, why would he want to be around her? His daughter suffers because her parents can’t get along.
Enter my boss (for approx 3 seconds. whomp whomp). History did damage to our gender roles. Poverty doesn’t help either.
The second father is the exact opposite. He was raised by his father; he had a good example to follow. He was working, got laid off and entered the world of the working poor. He turned to his church. He gets married, had two children. Yet another happy ending.
black men in corporate america or acting white (i couldn’t tell). Black men hold 3% of managerial positions in corporate America. My man felt he brought something different to the table. Let’s be frank, they need him to bring that “jiggy fresh” shit to the table. ninja please. He has a JD and a MBA. Once again, he’s too white to be black and too black to be white. You just can’t win brotha.
My friend checked me – all the light skin brother are successful. My darker bros are fucking up. whomp whomp.
the portrayal of black men in the media. Ok CNN don’t let me down now. Paula Poindexter reports that more than 2/3 of the stories about black were about crime. Here comes Spike Lee. We are all tired of the negative images of black men. “Let’s show some balance.” Thank you.
rapper and ballers - The signs of black success. sex, violence and misogyny. Oh please don’t lump all rap and hip hop into one group. Hip hop school, that’s real cute. And here comes Michael Eric Dyson… corporate executives are to blame. Lupe Fiasco (i love you) thinks white AND black executives are to blame. hey they gotta make that $$.
Michael Eric Dyson and his brother – light and dark: success and failure. “Now isn’t that sad, that I had to come to prison to learn this?” – Evertt. Yeah it is sad. I don’t think it’s as simple as light and dark, but i agree skin color plays a part.
I watched this special with two black men, in short they were not impressed. The phrase “that’s bullshit” was thrown around a few times. *shurgs*
Another two hours, pure problems and no solutions. Way to go CNN. So what did ya’ll think?
If you missed it, they’re showing it again on Saturday.
peace,
e.
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I definitely wrote a little personal response to this BiA, but overall, I was pretty disappointed in general. Most Black ppl already felt going into it that they don’t need to watch it because they know what it’s like to be BiA.
With that said, I thought some of these segments were done. The ones with Michael Eric Dyson were good, and so was the “black unemployment” one. It’s funny because, in earnest, I don’t believe CNN wants to hear the solutions. Much of them have a lot to do with looking in the mirror and being critical. Not negative, but critical. How do we reach past the choir? Because all the people I know that have watched this “made it.” Same with the Covenant. Just a thought …
I didn’t read this whole article but there were a few gramatical errors from the start.. not a good look since it’s focusing on educating. Come on proff read brothers and sisters, we have to work twice as hard to meet the bar and I hope all of us are trying to reach beyond..
much love still
There is a fine line between informing people about Black America, and letting the other side participate in a voyeurism that allows them to see the problematic aspects of Black culture without showing how the resiliency enables us to overcome it. This was the biggest problem with CNN’s entire program. The struggles far overshadowed the triumphs.
This program was not made for “us,” but for whites who otherwise would not have bothered to take a look at Black Americana. I watched the program with white people and saw how angry they were when the criminal justice statistics and the employment situations were discussed. There was a severe sense of indignation aroused that let them know that, yes, racism is still alive in this country and that, yes, Black men of all classes and educational levels still compete against a dealer with a hand full of aces in this country. They grew very confused about the segments about acting “White” or being Black enough for their community’s acceptance. They have a frame of reference for injustice, but not for the nuances of race that Blacks live everyday of their lives.
Jose: talk about it with people who you don’t think watched it. I think this program would be best used as an educational tool in the classroom. I plan on showing my students clips of it in this coming school year.
Well if I showed some of my students this, they’d almost certainly say, “Yeah, so?” Again, they already know most of this because a) they have cousins hustlin’ b) fathers in and out of jail or c) friends who have a hard time finding a job. As you said, this was made for whites who would otherwise not discuss these topics or fall in line with the “typical” Obama supporters.
And let me say this: I did talk about that program with others who may not have stereotypically watched it, and a couple of them also didn’t feel very informed as CNN may have been aiming for. I agree with you about the voyeurism, and thus it’s imperative that we make accessible and tangible solutions, and be agents for that change.
Funny, someone calling out someone else for proofreading when they misspelled “proofread.” HA!
p.s. – Liveblogging is hard work. Give Eva her props.
After viewing both segments of Black in America, I have come to realize that even though there have not been any solutions regarding how Black people can have a better quality of life away from the racism, CNN is doing its part by presenting us with the many issues that all Black people face every day. It is not the job of the media to solve the problems of Black people neither is it the responsibility of white people even though most of them had their hands dirty in slavery. If we wait for white people or the media to solve the problems of Black people, we will sit for another 500 years waiting for something to happen.
It is up to Black Men and Black Women to take control of their lives despite the racist system that was set up for us to fail, I do not deny the economic disparities and educational gap in our country because it is here and it is alive and well, but again, I stress that if we as Black Men and Women do not put our minds together, we will falter separately. These issues have always been here but our now just being exposed for how destructive they really are to the Black communities in America. I applaud CNN for bringing awareness to what it is like to be Black in America because believe it or not, there are many people who have no clue about what its like to live a day in most of our (Black people) shoes.
Peace
Self Determination is vital to our survival!
And let the church say amen, Jose, lol. Good catch, I guess the “proff” is in the pudding, hehe…
Ok, let me stop and get back to business…
I agree that the basis for this series is to be an educational tool for white people and as many have pointed out, if the full black story isn’t being told then the education given isn’t equal. But then again, we all know that education isn’t equal in this country anyway.
Also, I agree that black people do not want to hear things that we already know. We are the ones living these lives so we don’t need to be told that the lives are being lived, we need to be told how to improve them where need be and sustain them where need be.
Dina – I feel what you are saying about black people needing to take a level of responsibility and come together to change their sitaution. Just one problem: institutionalized racism!
Black people are not at the forefront of the institutions that we need to have access to in order to be able to make positive change. Yes we have a black middle class and even a black upper class, but its all a matter of sustainability: yes blacks can rise in America, but can we stay there? Not if we are not allowed to own more, not allowed to have access to resources (jobs, education, housing, etc). This is where the larger society comes in. Blacks can not change black status in America alone because we simply don’t have the resources and how can you change black lives if you never change racist structures of power???
Barbara wrote in the comment above:
“if the full black story isn’t being told then the education given isn’t equal”
Is it possible to tell the full black story? Is there one story?
I’d be a bit shocked to hear that one tv show (ok, 2) could encompass ‘the’ story of a culture(s).
To give some context to my comments, I did not see the program. I am not black. Generally when I do watch programs like this, about this or that experience, I feel unsettled knowing that I am being shown AN experience as if it were THE experience. And I watch/read/listen to media from that perspective. It unsettles me because I know that a lot of people don’t. They accept it as THE experience.
I’m psyched by stories. Teaching for me, as I recently blogged, has to do with teaching kids how to write and tell their stories. If there was only one, my life would be much easier! But I don’t believe that is the case…
Now I am definitely going to watch it, er, have someone tape it (showing my age…’tape’!) since my tv is not set for watching anything but video or dvd, on Saturday.
Found you via jose.
tracy
Barbara, thats exactly my point, if we wait for institutionalized racism to change, we will be waiting another 500 years before that happens. What people need to understand is that if non-white people base their life success on attaining the power that racist institutions have, then our priorities are mixed up and we will become just as bad as the oppressors who have oppressed us. We need to take it one step at a time starting with the union of our black families. If we are divided, changing institutionalized racism will be a daunting task. As I said before, Black people regardless of the racism that exists, need to be the captains of their own ships.
How can black people change their lives if you don’t change racist structures?
We should take a look at the many movements within the 1960′s to guide us through making the necessary changes that need to be made. What is lacking within the change that needs to be done is sacrifice. In this day and age, many of us are all guilty of sitting by while our brothers and sisters are being mistreated. There is a sense of being content with how things are and that in its self is a problem. We are sleeping and need to wake each other up for change. Change can and will come when we are aware of the challenges against us. How can we fight an enemy if we don’t know what he OR SHE looks like?
It then becomes necessary to educate our selves about what we are going up against. Barbara, you have a valid question, but we as a people WE need to do our part. The questions have been asked but now we need to find a method to the solutions, or at least die trying.
PEACE
Antoinette, how are you going to critique someone on their grammar… and misspell the word “grammatical?”
Anyway, moving on – I was listening to the radio today and the (black) djs loved the CNN special… all three parts. One of the djs was really riled up – said that CNN should show the documentary in the elementary schools, the high schools, the colleges, etc. So I find the whole “do we show/do we not show” debate that’s going on in the comments pretty interesting… if anything, the djs comments gave me pause and made me reflect on why I disliked the program so much… versus why so many people outside of my immediate circle actually enjoyed the program… yeah, still thinking about that.
In any case… what’s the alternative to not showing “Black in America?” Doing our own documentaries? Getting our own degrees in History? Being activists ourselves?
antoinette i can see where you were coming from, but the approach was less than ideal. and the irony of your spelling errors was priceless. at any rate, i went ahead and made a lot of corrections (she was right, it needed a lot of help).
jose thanks for having my back.
can’t wait to read what your wrote about the show.
hal – yeah of course the show wasn’t FOR us but i feel like if they want to talk about what it means to “be black” they might as well show the spectrum. we’re not all poor, uneducated and unemployed.
dina – you’re absolutely right, we need to control our destiny. but how do we even begin? i’m starting with brunch and a bunch of like minded black folk.
gotta start talking about solutions.
barbara – (hi homie). while we can’t make complete change on our own, but bulk of the work is our responsibility. no?
tracey – welcome! yeah CNN was being crazy ambitious trying to show the story but i appreciate that you realize that in 4 hours you’re not going to get the full story.
leah – good looking out. different people got different things from the show. i know i’m making an assumption here, but i feel like highly educated people were, for the most part, unimpressed with the special. i, personally, haven’t heard from anyone that they enjoyed it.
This special was straight up boo boo. As a Black man that works in corporate america; I did not view it favorably. As a married man; I did not view it favorably. As a Father & a son… once again, I did not view it favorably. It only scratched the surface of a few issues in the Black community. There was NO depth what so ever in any of it. Tell me something that’s gonna give me some shock value. And if you gonna show one side, show the other side of the coin as well.
CNN spent all this time on the Democratic race with fancy large touch screen computers that could breakdown the ratio of who was voting for who in different counties in different states. If that’s the case they should have drilled down on some of these statistics that they mentioned in this special the same damn way. I’m like Eva.
I HAVEN’T HEARD FROM ANYONE THAT ENJOYED THIS SOFT SHIT!!
Dina – Again, I do feel you and I do fully agree that there is much work to be done within the black community and that yes WE do need to get up and get to work as a people. I don’t deny that, because as you pointed out, we need to be able to know who the enemy is in order to be able to put up a fight and I think its safe to say that WE are our own enemies.
So, as you and others have pointed out, its time for some solutions and mobilization. Where to start, where to start??
(excuse me if I make any spelling errors)..but needless to say i did not enjoy this specail at all…Im a young african american female..(no kids/no aids).. and attending a HBCU and I did not here any reference to my sub-culture at all.. How do you have a show about being “Black in America” and not include anything about historically black colleges…and to be honest none of the 80′s babys were respresented at all aside from the ignorance… what about the black men and black women in college… how do they feel.. yes we all have dealt with adversity and im tired of hearing about the older generation pointing fingers at the younger generation… These teenagers and pregnant women did not raise themselves….and im sorry but Joseph C Phillips reminded me of uncle ruckas from the boondocks…disassociating himself from his African-American heritage as best he can…..
I felt the program was made for white America to metter understand the plight of being Black in America. It would very interesting to show Black vs White in America. I would prefer a 2-hour (week long) mini-series which reflects where the 400 yr racial disparity gap began. Without this contrasting analysis, most people would say, “Well, so what? We knew this already!”
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.