OP-ED: Did CNN Really Show Black America?
CNN recently showed its highly touted Black in America documentary. The documentary attempted to show several aspects of African American life. They covered various subjects including the education crisis in African American communities, health care, religion, single parenthood, interracial relationships and mixed race children.
The first subject they talked about was the education crisis. In my opinion this subject deserved at least a two-hour documentary by itself. They addressed the high school drop out crisis and struggles of urban education. But rather than take an insightful look into the subject they covered news button issues such as paying for grades. They didn’t talk about general funding for schools, African American teachers, social promotion, and the effect of No Child Left Behind.
They showed efforts of a well meaning principal to get a student back to school but gave no incite into why the student dropped out in the first place. The only possible solution they showed was paying 4th graders for good grades. This is only a temporary solution and only solves meaningless statistics like 4th grade test scores. If they were to pay teacher’s more or use the money to support teachers, they wouldn’t need to pay students to motivate them, the teacher’s could do it them selves.
CNN did show insight into teen pregnancy. While a lot of teenagers have sex, girls who feel they have a future in college or a career are less likely to have a baby at a young age. The grim prospects of college or a career for many young women in the black community. makes them less likely to wait until they’re older to have a baby. Many feel that all they can be is mothers so why should they wait past high school.
CNN also covered the issue of single parenthood. They brought up the statistic that 3 out of every 4 black children were born out of wedlock. Much is made about the lack of black fathers in the black community. Barack Obama recently caused controversy by speaking on the issue on father’s day. However statistics do not show insight into the reality of black fatherhood in our community.
When Obama made the comments about fatherhood, I got into an argument with my friend on whether he was talking down to black people (this was before the Jesse Jackson comments). I said he was being real and my friend brought up that all his friends were active in their children’s lives. I had to think, all my black friends who are all over the economic, social and educational strata of black America were actively involved in their children’s lives as well. With divorce and women’s rights, Americans (not only blacks) have been getting married less and getting divorced more since the sixties. By using outdated wedlock statistics, to show the reality of black father hood, they are confusing marriage with parenting. Many times when people get married or stay married for the children’s sake, it results in turbulent marriages, which often have a more negative affect on children then single parenthood.
Another topic, CNN covered in depth was the struggles for relationships black women had. Statistics show that 43% of black women will never be married, double the amount for white women. CNN also showed the struggles successful black women have in finding relationships. They showed the disparity of black men in college and in the professional workplace. To highlight this CNN profiled, Chris Turner, a single black screenwriter who wrote the screenplay, Something New, staring, Sanaa Lathan in which a successful single black woman falls in love with a working class white guy. CNN did not go into why this woman would rather date outside of her race than her social class as shown in another movie starring Sanaa Lathan, Daddy’s Little Girls. CNN did highlight a growing trend of professional black women willing to date outside their race. Given that professional black men have been doing this for years, what does it bode for the black community when all of our professionals are dating and marrying outside of their race?
CNN also covered in of mixed race in America. They began by highlighting the most popular man in America, Barack Obama. This was another subject I wish they would’ve given a whole two hours to. CNN brought up interesting statistics on being of mixed race, such as the fact that 75% of all biracial (black and white) people consider themselves black. The case study they used for being bi-racial was a UCLA professor who looked white. He gave some incite into the teasing and insecurity black children had to through but not go into what being bi-racial meant as an adult. It would’ve been nice to have some other bi-racials from other social, economic and cultural backgrounds to find out more about biracial identity.
Overall, the documentary relied too much on statistics and stereotypes. The subjects they covered were very important but they did not give them enough time to go over the possible solutions to the problems. Rather than discussing why black men where not able to climb the corporate ladder as quickly as black women they touched on more trivial issue like successful black women dating outside their race. However the documentary did do a good job of provoking discussion on the issues they covered. I’m looking forward to see what they have to say tonight.
Watch the 1st part of the Documentary