"On it was shown an African American woman who assured us, "Most Black people aren't poor..."
Dear friends,
To whom was CNN addressing, when they aired their recent series called "Black America"? Was the show done for African Americans? If not, then why did CNN not spend both their filming and interviewing time defining who "White America" is? After all, according to the last two federal censuses (1990 and 2000), numerically, twice the amount of people who call themselves "white" live below the poverty line than all of the "people of color" combined - regardless of their ages, genders, or national origins? Considering that simple fact, perhaps, the real question may be: What's so great about being "white"? Will CNN have a show with that title? Why must CNN, Fox News, and the rest of the mainstream media outlets continue to either hide or trivialize the significance of the historical presence of Black people in this country?
On a tape that was circulated on the Internet, I remember just last year hearing that incredibly wise model of moral rectitude, Rush Limbaugh, telling African Americans and anyone else who would listen that Barack Obama is not a Black man. Imagine that. African Americans are so dumb that we do not even know how to distinguish the difference between a member of our own group from an "outsider". Now comes CNN. "We poe Black folks" need CNN to hip us to the state in which we are. Wow! I saw a trailer of what was, at the time, the upcoming special report by Soledad O'Brien. On it was shown an African American woman who assured us, "Most Black people aren't poor!" Okay. Who told CNN that she can speak for African Americans? Was it Reverend Al Sharlaton?
Written a generation ago, in a brilliant work titled "How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America", author Dr. Manning Marable points out the deliberate process involved in making the lives of African American people so precarious that almost thirty years after being placed on the Supreme Court, and shortly before his passing, during a television interview, the late Thurgood Marshall emphatically offered, "I still can't hail a cab in Washington DC!"
Nevertheless, on the link below is an article that just came out in the Sunday edition of the LA Times (July 27, 2008), I believe that its contents deserve a CNN special, if that news outlet truly wants to inform and inspire its viewers. Or do they mean to do something else?
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-covenant27-2008jul27,0,1445256.story
Friday, August 19, 2011
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1 comments:
I just got back from the Unity Convention (journalists of color) in Chicago where I attended a seminar during which Soledad talked about some of her reasons for creating the series. She said it was outgrowth of a diversity meeting at CNN during which she challenged the powers that be at the network on issues relating to African Americans. Afterwards, she had a meeting with a top honcho which lead eventually to her doing the series. Mind you, I didn't take notes. I'm relying on my memory for this. However, I recall being impressed by her passion and commitment to black causes. Now, I haven't seen more than bits and pieces of the "Black in America" series. But I'm intrigued. I didn't think I would be but I was. I don't want to condemn the idea until I've actually sat down and seen what it was all about. Still, I appreciate your perspective, Djata.
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