Video of Protest Outside BET disHonors

You wouldn't know it by the coverage int he paper version of the Washington Post, but it wasn't all kicks and giggles at the taping of the BET Honors this weekend. WHile Cornell West, Maxine Waters, Alicia Keyes, Tyra Banks and Bill Parsons were acting as human shields for Debbie "Evil Leeville" Lee, Pastor Coates and hundreds of folks were gathered outside to make their displeasure. Y'all know I believe trying to communicate to BET is futile as you cannot appeal to the corporate conscience of an organization that doesn't have one. However, his words at the end of this video clip are powerful.


You can leave a comment about the protest and Black Exploitation Television by going to the Washington Post blog. Also do take a moment to send a note to the reporter who wrote the story that appeared in the print version of the paper to let her know you are hip to her pro BET bias. You would have though two people were protesting outside the show to hear her tell it. Her celebrity obsession is clear from the article. The reporter's name is Neely Tucker you can email her by using this form. Tell Neely Gina sent ya'!

You can also look at photos from the disHonors show. Watch as the Black Elite Establishment coo and aaah over each other. I so know what the Ze' common French people must have felt right before the revolution.

Comments

[Kyra D. Gaunt, Ph.D.]

Thanks for posting this sisters. I was browsing around looking for something on black bloggers and rediscovered your blog. Visited it before. I wrote a book you may know: THE GAMES BLACK GIRLS PLAY: LEARNING THE ROPES FROM DOUBLE-DUTCH TO HIP-HOP (NYU PRess, 2006). It just won the most outstanding book in the field of ethnomusicology.

Also I write a blog at http://swtos.blogspot.com/ you and others might find interesting.

Thanks for the heads up on the July conference as well.

[iman]

Your right, he sums it all up very well in his last statement. I have the right to be just as offended as everyone else.

I have great respect for pastor coates. I saw him preach for the first time this past sunday as he was visiting my church and gave a wonderful sermon on putting faith to action. I respect the fact that he and his co-protestors are so committed to this cause and aren't afraid to back down.

[The Angry Independent]

Thanks for the video...

I heard nothing about the protest from mainstream TV media.

[HappyBrownGirl]

Just a note: Neely Tucker is male.

[urnumbersix]

Here's an article from the "insider" Washington DC news Roll Call:

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_78/ath/21559-1.html

BET Awards Ceremony Honoring Waters Draws Protesters
January 15, 2008
By Jillian Bandes,
Roll Call Staff

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Entertainment Television on Saturday night welcomed Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) to the red carpet at its inaugural BET Honors awards ceremony at the Warner Theatre, amid protests about its programming. Waters used part of her acceptance speech to address the protesters from the Enough Is Enough Campaign, who claimed that BET spreads a negative image of black culture.
BET Honors covers “everything from business to politics to media,” said Debra Lee, chairwoman and CEO, and is designed as a supplement to the traditional BET Awards, which focus exclusively on entertainment. Lee said Waters received the award because of her 30-year history in state and national government.

“She’s made it her mission to tackle the toughest social issues and promote justice and peace worldwide,” Lee said.

But Enough Is Enough claimed that BET Honors was a red herring to distract the public from the network’s offensive musical content. About 100 protesters marched in front of the Warner Theatre, holding dozens of signs with messages such as “I am not a thug” and “I am not a gangster.” Chants of “BET does not reflect me, so BET, do better, be better,” and “lift us up, don’t tear us down” could be heard from blocks away.

Enough Is Enough charged BET with using respected African-Americans such as Waters to commercialize and market “negative messages and derogatory images of black men and women.”

“African-Americans don’t want this kind of content,” said the Rev. Delman Lamont Coates, leader of the campaign. “We want the world to know that young black men are doctors, teachers, lawyers — they’re not drinking 40s and having babies all over the place.”

“BET Networks serves the broad spectrum of interests and voices in the Black community, and we encourage our audiences to share their concerns and opinions about any of our networks,” BET said in a statement. “But the narrow viewpoint of a single individual or organization should not and will not dictate what content is appropriate to air on our networks.”

Waters addressed the protesters directly after receiving the award from actress Kerry Washington.

“I know that there are those who do not always support BET’s programming,” Waters said in her speech. “I will also always fight for First Amendment rights.”

But the Congresswoman said BET provides content that is a valuable medium for reaching out to young people, and that the network allows young black men and women unique opportunities in writing, acting, directing and producing.

“I say to BET: Keep providing the platform,” Waters said.

The show’s program said that the Congresswoman is a “force of nature — and the face of what’s good and right in government.”

“She has used her considerable clout to shape public policy that tackles poverty, strengthens economic development in communities of color, and supports women and children,” the program said.

The Enough Is Enough Campaign emphasized that it was not attacking the award recipients.

“We believe it is unfortunate that BET is using the good names of these respected African-Americans to mask BET’s negative corporate practices,” the campaign stated in a pamphlet.

Waters was recognized in part for her work on the Minority AIDS Initiative in 1998, the Out of Iraq Congressional Caucus in 2005, and her re-election in 2006 with 80 percent of the votes in her district. Both her speech and her introduction mentioned her position against the Iraq War.

Along with Waters, BET honored Tyra Banks for media accomplishments, ACT-1 founder and CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd for entrepreneurship, Alicia Keys for entertainment, Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons for his corporate citizen accomplishments, and Dr. Cornel West for his scholarly work.

Cedric the Entertainer emceed the event, hosting top-tier performers including soul artist Gladys Knight and R&B singer John Legend. Stevie Wonder did two takes of “As,” because of technical difficulties.

Copyright 2008 © Roll Call Inc. All rights reserved.

[SheCodes]

Wow. Tyra Banks, I can understand. But Cornell West?? Maxine Waters?? Are these people that desperate that they need to hobnob in front of cameras? SMH.

It's time to create a new set of black celebrities. The old ones have gone stale.

[JerseyBred]

I'm not religious but I know that video calls for an "Amen!"