"Black in America 2" on CNN
Thursday night concluded the two night event of Black in America 2. Based off of last summer's disappointing and often damning series Black in America, many viewers were skeptical that CNN would be able to properly represent the rich tapestry of African-American life.
But the series, hosted by Soledad O'Brien, was indeed a success.
We saw the uplifting story of Malaak Compton-Rock's program Journey for Change , which saw 30 at-risk youth become empowered on a trip from Brooklyn to South Africa.
We witnessed the undying dedication of Principal Steve Perry of Connecticut's Capital Preparatory Magnet School. Viewers saw Perry wake before dawn each morning to drive his students to school, and still maintain enough energy to root for his Capital Prep kids during a Friday night football game.
And for the first time since The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, we saw wealthy, well connected African-Americans on television. Blacks who've come from a long generation of doctors and graduate degree professionals. Some appeared not just wealthy but downright "bougie," participating in the exclusive Tuxedo Ball.
Thursday's program featured black couples overcoming marriage hardships, black women fighting and attempting to cure triple negative breast cancer, a program aimed at the reintegration of ex-offenders from the criminal justice system back into the Oakland, California community ("Project Choice"), a health clinic dedicated to black men's health ("Project Brotherhood"), Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children Zone, and an examination of the incredible success of media mogul Tyler Perry.
What CNN successfully did with Black in America 2, and failed to accomplish with last summer's documentary Black in America, was to turn a negative situation into an empowering inspiration. While there are certainly many ills that afflict the black community, Black in America 2 depicted people who were headstrong and adamant about overcoming their obstacles.
It can be said that this series helped humanize African-Americans a bit more to the mainstream audience. At a time when blackness is seemingly under fire--from the lingering questions of Barack Obama's citizenship to professor Gates' arrest for disorderly conduct to the 60-plus minority children kicked out of a pool at The Valley Swim Club, programs like CNN's Black in America are not just timely, they're significant.
The Black in America series isn't perfect. It's not going to dramatically change race relations and is even less impactful than the symbolism of the sitcom The Cosby Show. But Black in America 2 attempted to showcase diversity within the African-American community that blacks have long been aware of but other races have been ignorant to. While certain segments of America always seem taken aback whenever a Cliff Huxtable or Barack Obama-type comes onto the scene, African-Americans are less impressed. It's not that black folks don't revel in the pride of seeing Bill Cosby break the color barrier or Barack Obama shatter the glass ceiling--they absolutely do. But for some African-Americans, Cliff and Clair Huxtable are similar to their real life parents; Barack Obama has qualities that might resemble one's own uncle or older cousin. America at large can be slow to appreciate the positive black gems buried beneath the negative trash that's littered throughout the mainstream media.
CNN's Black in America 2 is a positive reminder for people of color that one's community isn't as bleak as some may want to suggest. It's a series that helps to showcase to the rest of the country what African-Americans have long known--black is beautiful. Black is diversified.
Michael Langston Moore is also a writer for the African-American Entertainment Examiner
Comments
Well said, Michael and I totally agree.
~Rhonda Kuykendall-Jabari
LA Higher Consciousness Examiner
Good review. I'm a little "Gates-Crowely-Obama'd out" by the media now. Stop the "chatter", because like the series showed -now is the time to get out and help someone. Stop waiting until something happens to "you".
I too was not inspired by Soledad’s part II series on black Americans. Rather than a long segment on racism and white supremacy rhetoric (believe me, I heard it), I think a simple common sense approach would suffice. Unfortunately, common sense doesn’t bring high ratings. Problems and pathology do, hence Malaak’s poverty meets poverty program that I think is both condescending and counterproductive. To inspire a group of white kids, no one sends them to impoverished Eastern European countries. To inspire greatness, one must think “greatness”. I also think this “self-esteem” thing is highly overrated. Kids don’t need “self-esteem” training they need skills. When kids broaden their world “and” build their skills, the self-esteem comes naturally because they see for themselves how great they are. Trying to convince someone that they are great by juxtapositioning them to relatively non-priviledged third-world peoples in the...
hopes that it may motivate them to get some skills is both backwards and stupid. That’s why the boys keep reverting to basketball because it is a skill that makes them feel good about themselves. Instead of knocking their skill, build upon it and help them learn more, preferably ones that are hard to get in public school so they will feel unique and special and have knowledge transferable to everyday life. I don’t have any problem with going to South Africa. But it would have been even better if the kids got some skills out of the deal. The fact that this never was considered kind of makes me wonder if Malaak was just using the kids.
I also found Steve Perry a bit unfortunate. I watched the program thinking, rather than do everything himself, can’t he hire a bus driver, a coach, secretary or something? If nothing else, it will be opening up an avenue for someone else to have a job. Sometimes people miss the point with servicing the community. It’s not about doing it all yours
yourself; it’s about contributing to a community that functions, where people serve one-another. That is what Obama understood as a community organizer and why he ran a great campaign and is a great president. Also, not just the fact that he lived in an impoverished country like Indonesia, he learned to speak the language (a skill) among other things. These things helped make him the great leader Malaak aspires to create in these kids. Either Malaak, Perry, CNN and O’Brien don’t get this distinction or they chose to ignore it.
So Moore's accolades aside, think I'll pass on CNN from now on
alreadybeesaid.blogspot.com
Already been said, where can I read what you said about the "first" documentary Mrs. O'Brien did. You sound like a hater from Fox. I'll donate money so that you can do a program on "Black in America 3", let's see what you can do. If you can't say nothing constructive, take it back to FOX.
Sad Commentary says:
Already been said, where can I read what you said about the "first" documentary Mrs. O'Brien did. You sound like a hater from Fox. I'll donate money so that you can do a program on "Black in America 3", let's see what you can do. If you can't say nothing constructive, take it back to FOX.
Sad Commentary, please do donate money. I would love to do a documentary! BTW, "constructive" criticism is exactly what I give and I only watch fOX when I want to raise my blood pressure. But thanks for reading...
alreadybeensaid.blogspot.com
I hear you, alreadybeensaid. I don't think that CNN's job was to give these kids skills for their future, though. It was to broaden their horizons and help connect them to a part of the world that they would have otherwise never seen. These kids had never left their own neighborhood, let alone the country.
And I think self-esteem is vitally important because if you can believe you can do anything, you will approach life with a renewed passion. You will be excited to acquire skills in college so that you can get a job and establish a career. Self-esteem takes "hope" from a mere pipe dream and turns it into a reachable reality.
I don't just think that the boys are playing basketball because it makes them feel good about themselves. I think they do it because they've never genuinely believed that other career avenues were both realistic and profitable. Despite one's skill level, making the NBA isn't a realistic dream. Getting your MBA is, however.
M
I don't think that it is our job to teach kids what is a realistic dream or not. I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but again -- Barack Hussein Obama. I do think it is our obligation to provide kids with as many tools for success as possible, if for no other reason than they will be the ones who take care of us in our old age. Basketball is a tool and it does make them feel good about themselves, both because they are good at it and probably for the reasons you stated. So the task is not to make them feel bad about loving basketball, but show and teach them other things to love. Again, self-esteem training over skills training will lose out most every time because self-esteem is an enternal thing that cannot be bestowed upon people. If I need a lawyer or mechanic or computer programmer or electrician or engineer or better still a basketball coach, I don't care what score he/she got on on his self-esteem training exam....
But self-esteem training appears to be more entertaining to watch on these types of shows than actual skills training. Perhaps because the rhetoric about kids having low self-esteem is persuasive. I did not see one kid on that program who looked like they had low self-esteem. What I saw was a lot of well-meaning but condescending adults trying to make them seem to be. The rest has already been said.
One more thing Michael Langston, what about being surrounded by destitution (by our standards) inspires you to believe you can do anything? By logic, wouldn't it do just the opposite?
I don't recall anyone suggesting that kids cannot like basketball. I just don't believe that they should solely put their focus and hard work into shooting three pointers. You can have basketball in your life without it becoming your one and only dream.
In my view, exposure is key here. Whether you're exposed to a law firm, a TV production internship, or a trip to Africa to see how others live and to connect with your roots, knowing that there is more out there than a basketball hoop only benefits kids.
And I think once you know that that's out there, it can make you all the more focused. I think kids need to know that there's an attainable world out there. And if they put in the same hard work in other career paths as they do in practicing their foul shot, they can meet and exceed their own expectations.
Regarding your destitution comment--were you referring to some of America's inner cities or the South Africa trip?
Ok. I think that I'll make this my last post because it doesn't appear that you are actually reading mine.
"I don't recall anyone suggesting that kids cannot like basketball. I just don't believe that they should solely put their focus and hard work into shooting three pointers."
I said that I don't think we should be making kids feel bad about loving basketball, like there is something wring with them if they do. Both insisting that they are wasting their time playing it and insisting that it won't take them anywhere (which is essentially what you are saying and what the CNN program implied) is a poor approach to inspiring kids. And says more about our insecutity bias toward black atheletes than it does about those kids self-esteem. People like to do what they are good at doing. So it is no surprise that the kids keep playing basketball. Also again, "attainable world" is code for lower your expectations. I thank god that Obama never lowered his expectations.
If exposure is the key here, then why not expose kids on a regular basis to things that they can learn and grow from, things that they may be good at if they work at it. My guess is the reason why is because a vacation to Africa handing out food and clothing to poor people is much easier than training skills. It's sort of like a gimick. It may be a good experience, but I do not value it more than the character building, dedication and --yes-- skills training of playing basketball. I also notice that you didn't answer my question: "what about being surrounded by destitution (by our standards) inspires you to believe you can do anything?" You don't have to answer that. Just think about the underlying meaning. Think about that awe inspiring moment in your life as a child. And recall if it was about poverty, destitution, AIDs and orphans. Lastly, black Americans (AKA slave-legacy African Americans) have no roots in South Africa.
Our ancestors did not come from that part of Africa. And even if they did visit the part of Africa where our ancestestors come from, we have more in common with the rest of America then we ever will with them. So unless they are planning to move there, focus is better served in visiting the parts of the United States (or just New York State goodness sake) that they never knew existed. America culture is so rich and diverse. But again, that's less exciting than a gimmick to send the poor black folk here to see the poor black folk there. You must admit.
Best to you...
Sorry, just saw this:
"Regarding your destitution comment--were you referring to some of America's inner cities or the South Africa trip?"
Specifically, I was refering to the decision to to visit impoverished South Africans. But it can be the inner cities as well. Personally, I find very little inspiration in attending dilapidated public schools when you already know that you live in the richest country on earth.
Bye now...
Playing basketball is fine, but there's a difference between balancing basketball with other career aspirations and thinking that basketball will indeed become your career.
That's not to say that one cannot become the next LeBron James, but you have to have a lot more than skill to be an NBA player. You have to have incredible God given talent. And if you think every kid on the court can eventually play in the NBA, I think you're fooling yourself. Hell, I love sports too but I know there's more to life than slam dunks and end zone grabs.
And attainable is not code for lowered expectations. If you want to push your kid to be an NBA star and neglect his studies, that's on you. Let me know how that turns out.
If you watched that CNN segment, it wasn't an indictment on a kid's love for basketball. What we saw (and have long known) was that some of these kids who play basketball and dream of the NBA have horrendous grades and poor reading comprehension.
As for your Africa comment--it's possible that a student will come away from that trip and want to become a social worker. Or get involved with a charity. Or strive to become a teacher. I don't see that trip as a negative--you never know what a child will choose to do. Nobody just "becomes" something--one has to be inspired in one way or another.
If that trip opened a child's eyes to problems within the world that they hope to one day change, good for them.
I do see your point about "poor black folk seeing other poor black folk." If you or anyone else believe that there's a better way to engage and teach these kids, I couldn't argue against that. That's your belief and that's fine. My belief is that "Journey for Change" is simply one program out of many that attempt to change the lives of inner city youth. This is how Malaak Compton-Rock chose to make a difference. Geoffrey Canada, Steve Perry, and others choose to impact young lives in a different way.
Here I am being sucked into this conversation again (my fault not yours). Why must everything be so black and white for you (no pun intended). Just because a parent, or in this case mentor, because neither of us are these kids parents as are the rest of the adults investing in these programs -- just because a person highlights the value in basketball does not mean they devalue studies. But if a kid is disinterested in studies it is best to talk to them in the language they speak, instead of deriding their interest because you are insecure about their future in basketball. The majority of future jobs have not been invented yet and our educational system isn't even preparing kids for the jobs of today (let alone the future). So take a kid with no interest in studies, don't teach him any say marketable skills, just send him on a field-trip to a place he in all likelihood will never live (or want to if the emphasis of the trip is on poverty), and meanwhile...
tell him that the one passion he does have is a waste of time because he doesn't have the talent. So in the end you have a kid with no interest in studies, no skills, a throbbing guilt about what little resources he does have because at least it's more than "those" people, and now if you have successfully instilled him with self-doubt a loss of passion for the one thing he showed interest in. And then wonder why your program isn't churning out tomorrow's leaders. Now I'm not saying that it has to turn out this way. But that is the picture Malaak's program is painting. This is not an argument about becoming the next LeBron James, but about a cynical, condescending attitude that says, "You will be only what I believe you can be." And that is totally antithetical the message of hope. Thank you for understanding my perspective on "poor black folk seeing other poor black folk. I too believe "Journey for Change" was Malaak's earnest attempt to change the lives of so-called...
inner city youth. I just think if her goal was to inspire kids to greatness, her approach was a bit gimmicky, ill-thoughtout self-aggrandizing. And CNN failed to see that.
Goodnight.
I do genuinely see your point.
I fail to understand, though, what claim you are making in terms of a child's interest in basketball? Are you saying he should be able to pursue his NBA dreams? Would you have been more content with Malaak sponsoring an basketball camp for these kids?
Again, I never said there's anything wrong with playing basketball or anything one loves to do. And I don't think Malaak is saying that a kid has to grow into the image that she envisions for him.
No one wants to take a kid's passion away from them, but I wonder how much of that passion is by default, due to not being exposed to other aspects of life.
Why can't one have a passion for both law and basketball? Why can't a kid make the Dean's list while also playing on the basketball team?
I think all Malaak was trying to do was to show these kid's that there's a world out there beyond your block.
I respect that that segment didn't connect with you, though.
"I fail to understand, though, what claim you are making in terms of a child's interest in basketball?"
The "claim" I'm making is that passion should be encouraged in kids not discouraged. Because of our sated, adult bias against black kids playing basketball, we'd rather they
have no passion at all than be consumed with passion for basketball.
"Are you saying he should be able to pursue his NBA dreams?"
I'm saying that we have no earthly control over a kid's passion. Just because we'd rather they be passionate about more things atypical of so-called inner city black youth such as playing classical music or Latin does not mean our imposed class bias has any effect on them. If the kid wants to pursue a dream, he will. How far and where that dream takes him is entirely up to him. It's not your job to convince him as a kid that he won't make it because you are afraid he'll learn that later on in life. If you want the kid to show interest in other things, by all...
means expose him, just don't look surprised if he brushes you off while you are deriding his love for basketball.
"Would you have been more content with Malaak sponsoring an basketball camp for these kids?"
No. I'm saying that if she is trying to turn basketball players into civic leaders, she should work on their figurative ground to communicate the message. (Sorry, I'm a language/culture specialist so I use language metaphors). Using basketball (or whatever passion the kid has) to connect to a broader lesson. In that way, the kid will see that they already have the tools to pursue other aspirations when they think of it in terms of the passions they already have. This is how to motivate kids, not preach to them. But this requires a good deal of forethought and dedication in itself. I don't think Malaak herself was aware of it.
"Again, I never said there's anything wrong with playing basketball or anything one loves to do. And I don't think Malaak is saying that a kid has to grow into the image that she envisions for him."
I think maybe you should watch that program again. Malaak was dead set on creating the next Barack Obama. She even singled out the one quiet basketball prodigy for the autographed book. And when O'Brien asked about the boys' grades which hadn't improved an inch, she was genuinely disappointed and embarrassed. So CNN painted Malaak as a failure which I don't think is fair. And that's not just because I see nothing wrong with Malaak even though the program was a bit misguided, but because I see nothing wrong with the kids as well. Of course they all jumped at the chance for a free trip to Africa. More power to them. They should get to leave their neighborhood for once. But they may have failed to connect to Malaak's message because Malaak failed to connect with them.
"No one wants to take a kid's passion away from them, but I wonder how much of that passion is by default, due to not being exposed to other aspects of life. Why can't one have a passion for both law and basketball? Why can't a kid make the Dean's list while also playing on the basketball team?"
Because it's not your choice how a kid chooses to express himself. And you know good and well that our educational system is more about training obedience and conformity, not instilling passion. I have a passion for law. But that's because I understand what it is and how it works. Maybe one of the basketball kids will come to love law. And if he has a solid foundation in hard work and dedication brought about by basketball, he will be able to transfer it over to law. Because the good thing about being an American is that you don't have to have it all figured out at age 13. But if you take the one passion the kid does have and turn it into a source of disappointment...
and insecurity, don't be surprised if he fails to have confidence studying law.
"I think all Malaak was trying to do was to show these kid's that there's a world out there beyond your block."
I agree. But she chose not to use the world just around the block, but Africa as gimmick, which is fine.
"I respect that that segment didn't connect with you, though."
Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to clarify my thoughts. So unless you have any more questions, I should really get some work done.
"Already Been Said", you are redundant. Make your darn point and move on, Gosh Darn!!! Waisting typing space, dag!!!
Race,color,inner city, and anyone who is not white in America is not right acording to most people to the right side of our great nation. I am a black author of the book . "Our Own Worst Enemy, A True Portait of Black America. The truth needs to be told in order to give blacks a choice to change or continue to suffer. Everyone seems to be afraid of the contents of the truth in my book. Racism is a mindset that cannot stop blacks from being an asset to this country. Racism is only a small part of the problems inflicked upon our people' Jesse Jackson,, Al Sharpton and our NAACP does not change our black on black crime. Blacks kill over 95% of all black murdered victims. These wanna be black leaders does not change 50% of blacks from not graduating from high school. They don't care to control black babies from having black babies' Why can't they do something about our wayward and out of control black children. When is someone going to stand up and tell the whole truth? When is whites today going to stop taking all the blame for the self inflicked wounds of black americans? When are anybody are going to just tell blacks the truth and that truth being that we bring on most of our unaccountable problems.If not now then when are we going to be trueful to all people...........David G. Bowman
I like what Ms. O'Brien is attemping to convey to black americans and the rest of this nation. It's all good up to now. However it's not what was said in the beginning, and it is not about what is being said now. In all due respect to Ms.O'Brien concerns and efforts, I respect her for standing up for how we live in our country.What matters the most is the ending to all of this for black americans. What have blame for everything that happens to us. We have not learn nothing about becoming accountable for our own actions. The biggest problem for black america is between our two ears. It is imperative that we change our black way of thinking, lest we shall perish.We will forever be our own worst enemy until we go back to our African roots and by always keeping God first in all we go through in America for simply being a black people. We must again become a people who are hungry for freedom. We must dance the dance ofprogress to the beat of the old African drums of our forefathers. We must once again become a proud people. We must set out together in order to solive our own problems within our race. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and the NAACP can not help us to become the people God made us to be. I am the black author of, "Our Own Worst Emeny, A True Portait of Black America. My book is where you will find the ending to what Ms. O'Brien is trying to do on CNN. It is up to each person to want to know the truth and I pray that you seek the truth......David G. Bowman
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!