More Propaganda?: "Black Women & Family" June 24th on CNN

Black In America- A CNN Investigation-Airing July 23rd &24th

So I got another one of many promotional emails that flood the inbox for a CNN series called Black in America. I was going to delete it until I saw that Carmen D over at All About Race has posted about it and saw that there will be a special segment about Black women. Soledad O'Brian is behind this. Now you can imagine my trepidation about a mainstream media organization attempting to cover anything related to Black women after last Fall's debacle by NBC called "African American Women Where They Stand" which we here at WAOD have labeled... "Black Women It Suck to Be You." Now I have always liked Soledad so hopefully this series will not be more of the same HOWEVER... Folks tell me if you can spot any storm clouds on the horizon based on the "experts" that are scheduled to appear:

Black in America: Black Women & Family, Thursday, July 24, 9 p.m. (two hours)
In this installment of Black in America, O’Brien, examines the unique and varied experiences of black women and families in America. O’Brien looks at the reasons behind the disturbing statistics on single parenthood, disparities between black and white students in the classroom, and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS on black women. The Black Women & Family yields insights into black achievements and struggles and perspectives on King’s hopes for progress. The documentary is told through the experiences of the Houston-based Rand family with expert commentary from economist and Bennett College president Julianne Malveaux, Essence magazine editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray, Dallas-based preacher and life coach Bishop T.D. Jakes, TV/radio personality Michael Baisden, entrepreneur and activist Russell Simmons, actor Vanessa Williams, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher Dr. Camara Jones and others.

I am holding out hope for this one just like I did for "African American Women Where They Stand." Since it is two hours, I think this one qualifies as "in depth." I don't know what that was NBC put on last year.

I think my frustration is that I know that there are some amazing stories out there to be told about Black women. Unfortunately, we tend to focus on reanalyzing the same old stereotypes. "Because many of us were to silly as to pursue higher education, home ownership, or other crazy survival tactics and such, we're all going to die old alone and be eaten alive by nine cats! Run for your lives SISTERS!!"

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Comments

[knockoutchick]

Why ..oh why choose a clown like Russell Simmons to comment on issues about Black women and families. He is an old school negro weighed down by colorism issues. These old fools cause a lot of pain for black girls and women. Our obsession with celebrity forces these folks upon us to insure ratings.

There are insightful learned men that have well researched thoughtful opinions about black America like Bob Herbert of the New York Times. He is a journalist with an impressive background. yet we get Russell Simmons and Michael Baisden.

If you have these two...why not Bishop Don Juan and Snoop Dogg? After all this is "info-tainment", isn't it?

[Anxious Black Woman]

LOL over your "Because many of us were to silly as to pursue higher education, home ownership, or other crazy survival tactics and such, we're all going to die old alone and be eaten alive by nine cats! Run for your lives SISTERS!!"

Unfortunately, I have encountered black female students who are foregoing graduate studies because they "don't want to end up alone."

Sad, isn't it?

[Carmen D.]

Gina, thanks for the shout out. I too am suspect that the usual suspects have been called - again!!!

Anxious Black Woman, you just broke my heart.

[Naima]

Russell Simmons, doesn't he want to be Asian anyway?
They really need to stop this mess, you cannot classify a entire group of people in 2 hours, I know they are going to do the same ol same ol, black women HIV b/c of DL men, black men are in jail and societys is too hard for them so they can't take care of the kids-blah blah blah. I'll pass and my personal boycott of 24 hour cable news will continue.

[Anonymiss]

Interesting panel to say the least. *Rolls eyes* Alvin Poussaint wasn't available or something?

[LittleEva]

In reality everybody dies alone. Even if you get married and have children that is NO guarentee that you'll stay married forever or that your kids will never forget you. Most of the people I know who are married are always complaining about their husbands or complaining about their husbands ex wives and/or kids.

The best thing to do is live your life, get your education because education is freedom and stop watching all of the stupid stuff about black women that the corporate controlled media produces.

[Felicity]

The best thing to do is live your life, get your education because education is freedom and stop watching all of the stupid stuff about black women that the corporate controlled media produces.

I agree with you little Eva. Jesus Christ gave up his life, so that we live our life to the fullest. If you want to get married, you will, if you don't you won't. Getting married is easy, staying married that's the biggie. Education opens you to worlds, people, travel, new experiences. We are living in the greatest time of our lives and black women should not listen to the demonic media corporations, get on with your lives, live full and happy.

[JJ]

"Because many of us were to silly as to pursue higher education, home ownership, or other crazy survival tactics and such, we're all going to die old alone and be eaten alive by nine cats! Run for your lives SISTERS!!"

Here's my problem with this statement. The reality is a lot of Black women aren't getting married. The reality is a certain class of Black aren't having kids.

And assuming (and I think it's fair to assume) they want to marry/have kids, how should they deal with the situation.

That can't be so easily dismissed. If u don't want to live/be alone you shouldn't have to be...and there are too many Black women who are.

It's easy to be flippant about it or dismiss it off hand but it is a real problem with no easy solutions.

[Divalocity]

I have to agree that they should have had a broader representation of individuals. No offense to Michael Baisden but I do believe that this man is a little too immature to discuss anything.

CNN has tried before during the Jena 6 incident and the show left me totally disappointed because they were trying to be politically correct and you can't tell the truth when you are trying to be politically correct.

During the Essence Music Festival, Dr's Poussaint and Bill Cosby will be panelist at the event which will air this documentary and do a live tapping.

[RhondaCoca]

No Alvin Pouissant! No thank you not me. I have met the man at school. The conversation was about the relationship between black men and black women and he seem to blame all of the issues on black women. I was so shocked by some of what he said.

Someone said this, "No offense to Michael Baisden but I do believe that this man is a little too immature to discuss anything."

Umm..yea. He is going to be counterproductive. I listen to his show on Kiss FM out here in NY. When it comes to really complicated issues in regrads to race, he fails. When it comes to relationships, he is so-so. I wont watch out of fear of what he may say.

No comment on Russell Simmons, who got rich off of the defamation of black women. Not to mention, does he even appreciate black women. Get out of here!

This is just going to be some depressing talk about statistics.

we are not statistic but they will look at it as such.

They will make us depressed just like all the Sister2Sister and Honey Magazines that I stopped reading a coupld years back.

My poor 20 year old sister was on Youtube lookign at an old Oprah special about how 70% of black women are single. She was getting worried and depressed. She began finding more videos and began surfing the web. Now she is paranoid. This I told her is the point of this media created hype. while one cannot ignore the certain issues, discussions like these about certain issues are counterproductive.

Now where are the real womanists and woman writers like Bell Hooks and others, why not Melissa Harris Lacewell or Joan Morgan. I've met Michaela angela Davis and we all had a great conversation about Black women in America that everyone should hear. There are brothers like Hill Harper who just wrote a book for his black sisters.

Whatever, I really expect nothing from the mainstream corporate owned white media. They couldn't even understand the idea of intersectionality in relation to black women during the primary. Their panels were weak. When it comes to our issues, lives, culture and experience, they have akways failed miserably.

[Original Black Buddha]

For the Black Buddhist perspective on CNN's series on Black America check out my blog:
http://originalblackbuddha.blogspot.com/2008/07/special-reports-black-in-america.html