How Diverse is TV? Not very...

So HBO comes out with a new show that shows the whiter side of life in NY and some are a bit upset. Apparently, "Girls", should have been more accurately titled "White Girls", since that is who we see. True enough, it isn't any different than other shows that depict a homogeneous friends circle--but is that any different than many friends circles in the real world? Actually, Real World, often brought together a diverse group of young people so we could see how they would relate, interrelate, and explode. It wasn't about letting people live in harmony, it was about mixing cultures and booze so we can see what potion it would create. On that show, any physical altercations led to expulsion. Today's reality shows EXPECT altercation--that's what sells--and that is what seems to be considered the more diverse opportunities for blacks on TV.

When there have accomplishments of media equity, many dismissed, denounced or ignored it. For example, the Crosby Show represented a modern day black family--not the first one on TV but the most prominent and successful one. Look at the criticism it received in some circles (including being considered unrealistic of all things). Yet, it remained #1 for years and created a financial windfall for all involved--including NBC. What black family or individual has sustained a place on the major networks since then (excluding Oprah)--The Cleveland Show? The viewing audience hasn't demanded equity on TV, so they don't. Other networks have worked to appeal to black audiences--with relative success. The tribe has spoken and we have been rewarded with: The Game; RHOA; Basketball Wives; etc. That's what those in media power see us demanding. 

 

Now Oprah has a network, that few are watching. Magic Johnson is developing a network. What should appear on them to attract better representation of black life/culture? What will the multicultural society seek when flipping channels? What ...advertisers see as profit potential will determine what will rise to the schedule. When you know better--and DEMAND better--you should get better. Until we do that, we remain invisible and under-served. Diversity doesn't seem to be welcome on TV, these days, though. If you want to see better representation, let people know--and stop supporting junk.

Safe Streets--but safe from whom?

So, our "civil" society has denigrated to treating people in ways comparable to war-torn societies that WE ridicule - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133411/Not-nicest-welcomes-Couple-held-gunpoint-new-neighbours-threatened-shoot-thinking-burglars.html

dispelling the post-racial world...

Read this and understand why we need to discuss this "race thing" across the globe. it's bigger than many want to believe and its not a "post" issue but and global issue. we cannot ignore it away or forget about it--we must address it if we want to move upward. Check out a Brits perspective. http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/sYCNghc4XEOb5iLRAfqL-dQ/view.m?id=15&gid=commentisfree/2012/apr/08/rooting-out-racism-us-uk-black&cat=commentisfree

Beware of wolves in political clothing

The manipulators are at it again. I predict the wedgies of 2012 (issues to deceive and divide the electorate) will include three things: obamacare, gun rights and same-sex marriage. Win or lose in the supreme court, those against a more equitable health care policy will continue to mobilize their supporters. Those who are living because of a better-yet, still imperfect system-need to speak out and often.

Trayvon Martin's murder is part of a bigger issues--almost anyone can get a gun in this wild, wild west. Why? It's our right? We see more gun deaths here than in most civil nations. And the powerful NRA is happy to keep it that way. If guns, instead of hoodies, are demonized through this travesty of justice in Florida, believe it when I say that the NRA will fire with all barrels blazing.

Jonathan Capehart's piece, which shed light on the way groups are working hard to continue to deceive black folks on the marriage issue simply heinous. This was used to help George jr, have the chance to re-occupy 1600 Pennsylvania ave. for a second term. Don't think that the new-era Karl Rovers won't play the gay card again, if they think it can earn them another win. And they will sell their own children to win again.

Without a better informed electorate, this fight will grow to a nasty, misinformed, hate-filled pitch. People need to look through the smoke and see themselves and their futures in the mirrors. Start thinking now or risk sinking later.

Cities United, People Unite

reposted from - http://thecommunityinvestment.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/cities-united-people-unite/

Posted on March 19, 2012by seeyoujay
by Edward M. Jones, board chair of the Black Philanthropic Alliance, and founding member of the Black Benefactors.
I recently sat with leaders (young and old) mobilizing to demand change for our collective betterment. A week ago, the National League of Cities hosted workshops with the theme, Cities United: Building Communities to Reduce Violent Deaths among Black Men and Boys. Philly Mayor Nutter and NOLA Mayor Landrieu have joined forces to address this with the hope that the bloodshed will abate. They are even encouraging us to think differently about what is really going on. Dr. Gary Slutkin, Executive Director of Ceasefire brought a key message that this is not a public safety issue, but a public health issue.

The compelling argument (powerfully shared by trained epidemiologist Slutkin), is that if violent deaths amongst black men/boys were a virus, there would be mass engagement to isolate and address the issue (we’d be in hazmat suits). The truth is death (and injury) of African American men and boys has risen to epidemic proportions in too many communities in the land of the “free”. Greater than half the murders, in some communities, are black men and boys. Sadly, the sense of urgency doesn’t seem to exist because of the color of the skin of the victim and (oftentimes) perpetrator. The cure has been to quickly incarcerate and not get to the root causes of this embodiment of self-hatred. Some have argued that it’s because of poverty—yet poverty has been in the black community for centuries—without the mass killing.

Why is it that a nation with liberty and justice for all doesn’t seem to hold true the spirit of equality and equal justice? What is particularly ironic is how the outrage might manifest. Tensions are rising, bloggers blogging, twitterers twittering and trending, because of the cold-blooded killing of the candy and iced tea-armed Florida teen, Trayvon Martin. People from near and far are demanding an arrest of the shooter and a swift atonement for this inexplicable loss of life, brought by a community leader who was, allegedly, on patrol to PROTECT Trayvon and his neighbors—not bring them harm. I only hope that there is justice brought about in this death. And soon.
If you Google “Trayvon Killed” you will find an endless list of articles about Trayvon
Martin. But, where is the attention about the death of the other Trayvon’s out there? I can assure you that there is another Trayvon, Michael, Tony, and countless other young men who met an untimely fate on the streets of a city near you—and possibly at the hands of someone who shared the same skin color. Oftentimes, when a young man is a victim of “black on black” crime it seems to minimize the outrage; but Trayvon Martin’s alleged killer was of another race, which has everyone up in arms. There is a life lost and lives around that will be changed forever. That’s what happens when someone/anyone is murdered. Again, I ask, who will ignite the passion to say that ALL murder is wrong? How do we get to the root causes so we can stem the tide of violent and unnecessary deaths amongst all of our citizens?

The sobering statistics from 2009, where black male deaths account for the majority of murders in cities such as Birmingham (70%), Buffalo (66%), Chattanooga, (75%); Cincinnati (71%); Dayton (74%); New Haven (81%), warrant concern. The death of Trayvon is just another example of the mortality that so many young black males meet daily. Hearing the 911 call makes it even more chilling. What made Trayvon so ominous that 911 would have to be called in the first place?
I’m also reminded of the horrible 2009 death of Chicago teen, Derrion Albert . Gone too soon and with no rationale, Albert’s beating generated considerable shock and outrage in the news—because it was caught on tape, like the beating of Rodney King 21 years ago. And the killers weren’t wearing a hood or pointed hat. Think of the many beatings and killings of black men that aren’t caught on tape—daily.

Too many are quick to dismiss the victims (the perpetrator and the dead) because they “got what was coming to them because of their actions” or “lifestyle”. Often, people chalk up the fate of victim and perp because of how they were brought up or their zip code. Many think that some crimes are simply supposed to happen in “that neighborhood.” I’d argue (and headlines confirm) that crime happens everywhere. Yet, the atrocity comes when it’s in the community where “that doesn’t happen”. Nonetheless, until we treat this epidemic with a concerted sense of urgency and committed resources, we won’t find the cure—and we all suffer because of it.

I’m reminded of how many people dismissed the “mystery disease” that began to kill white, gay men at an alarming rate in the mid-eighties. Too many people didn’t care about the lives lost or the issue, because they didn’t fit that “demographic”. Now HIV/AIDS, while better understood and treated, knows no demographic or geographic boundaries. Imagine where we might be today if people were more fixated on finding the cure, helping the victims and understanding the suffering, instead of criticizing and preaching hate.

As one of the older folks, I was blessed to hear from our future during Cities United. Young people from DC and across the country were invited to share their thoughts on these issues facing us—and they brought solutions that “US OLDER FOLK” have the resources to direct towards change. Many ignore deeply rooted challenges in our communities. Our young people see that there is a need for change, but they need us as much as we need them to fix it. We need a community defibrillator. We need to jumpstart our hearts to collectively beat so that we work, in tandem, to build a truly just society. Now, let’s get started, so that we are keeping other hearts in our community beating longer. One youth group expressed it very simply in their an exercise illustrating a Root Cause Tree, which they named “We need love (someone hug us).” [see photo above]

***Post-script: As I typed this a friend posted that they lost a friend to the virus. Rest in peace, Dwayne Alexander, and the others who died while I tried to put these words together. Earlier this month, a Virginia high school teacher told her black student that he’s not reading a Langston Hughes poem “black enough.” Black men and boys are under attack—there is much work to be done to end it.

Stop Drilling, Start Refining

One of the issues that will likely come up during the election season will be the Keystone XL Pipeline project. Already hearing grumblings that to defeat this is to kill jobs. proponents insist that this is the solution to lower gas prices in the U.S.

The White House-envyman, Newt, keeps bragging about how he can get our gas down to $2.50 a gallon--if he gets elected. does that mean that if he loses the nomination!

Perhaps, hey/they didn't hear that one of the bigger issues is the lack of refineries is creating bigger issues that the lack of new oil. Get the oil compnies to increase their headcounts by building the infrastructure ato produce oil and then you will have more gas. That would be a big help!

Lotus touts--don't blame me for your bad luck

You all receive those memos, emails, tweets, etc.,  that urge you to send the message to 1,000 people for good luck, or something like that. well, received this one and liked it. Not that I needed to share out of fear of bad luck--i just like them. enjoy:

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other. THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want. FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it. FIVE.. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.. SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married. SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight. EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much. NINE.... Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely. TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling. ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives. TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?' FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk. FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze. SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions. EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

The Day Black Music History Died

CNN’s breaking news email was a sad one today—February 1, 2012, 9:47am “Soul Train’s founder Don Cornelius found shot to death in Los Angeles, according to coroner.”  I immediately thought, “Who would kill Don Cornelius?!?!” I immediately thought about how violent this world is. I lament over why anyone would kill anyone, often—especially since crime is so prevalent in way too many communities. I wondered if the person who killed Mr. Cornelius knew that they killed a global icon. Did the culprit know how powerful this man was? Did they have any inkling about the lives this man touched and how important he was to black history and black music—translation ALL music? Surely, the perpetrator didn’t know the multitude of lives Cornelius touched when he made history with his legendary T.V. show. This was such a tragedy; particularly, since another life was senselessly taken from this earth.

Then I received the next report; the gunshot appeared to be self-inflicted.

The perpetrator, indeed, knew exactly who he killed. I still wonder what led to someone committing such a senseless act. I’m pretty sure Mr. Cornelius knew his impact to music and culture. He had to know. He had to have seen how people smile when they hear that song or see that cartoon train chugging. He must have witnessed, first hand, the joy that people express when reliving their “Soul Train” moment. I know he knew that people would become transfixed when they view an old clip from the “good” Soul Train shows (back when he and his super-afro hosted it).

How could life have been so bad that it wasn’t worth living?

Perhaps I could have told him about when I went to a friends’ New Year’s day party; where folks were glued to the TV--watching imported recordings of old Soul Train episodes. Funny enough, the shows were in English, but the text (excluding the names of the artists) was in Japanese! Maybe I should have called him (not that I had his number), to tell him about how my favorite scene in Spike Lee’s movie, Crooklyn, was when the kids got together to watch Soul Train.  It reminded me of my friends and me, back in the day.

Surely, Mr. Cornelius didn’t hear about the lovefest that took place on the National Mall last year, when Rhythm and Blues was featured and included a Soul Train dance party that was enjoyed by hundreds –a multi-racial melting pot of people celebrating peace, love and soullllllllllllllll. 

Perhaps you even underestimated how many people would be touched by your untimely death—every news and entertainment medium talked about you today. I can only imagine the celebration that will commemorate your life and give you love (in your physical absence) soon. This was more than music—it was a movement.

Maybe we will learn more about what troubled your spirit to check out so soon. Maybe we will never know. Had that brain tumor took you away several years ago, we would have felt cheated.  Losing you to some sort of personal despair is even more painful. And to lose such an important contributor to black history--on the first day of Black History month--is especially tragic.

On a side note, if you ever think that this world is so bad that you can’t take it anymore—please reach out to someone, before reaching for a weapon of self-destruction. Call someone. Call me. Know it will get better.