CNN's Black in America...I loved it!

CNN's Black in America. This two part documentary aired on CNN on July 23 and 24Th. Many were anticipating what was going to be discussed. At first I wasn't going to watch it, but after being reminded by several emails and facebook messages about the program I decided to DVR it. I didn't know what to expect. I am black and I know what its like being black in America. I like journalist Soledad O'Brien so I expected good things from her, I was just worried about who they were going to get to talk about being black in America. Were they going to choose are typical "leaders" in the black community to discuss it? I was hoping not. Many of us young blacks don't even recognize people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as our leaders. We are looking at folks like Senator Barack Obama as the leader of black America. That's a different topic that I will leave for a different day. But back to the subject. I didn't catch the first part on July 23Th. I DVR'd it and was going to watch it over the weekend.

So It's July 24Th. I send out an inspirational quote to a group of young, intelligent, black accountants every morning. I was surprised when someone in the group wanted to know how we all felt about the first part of CNN's Black in America which focused on Women and family. That's when the flood of emails came in from people saying they didn't like it. They felt it was telling them being a black successful woman was bad because they wouldn't get married. They hated that they focused on the fact that many black women age 24-35 are being infected or is infected with HIV more than any other group of people. I sat back and read the many emails. I was surprised by all the negative responses. So I decided that day that I was going to watch part 2 of CNN's Black in America that night. I wasn't going to wait until the weekend. The second part was about being a black man in America. I was expecting the worst after receiving all the negative emails about the first part.

I got home that night and got me some dinner and sat down to watch part 2. I was glued to the TV. They looked at many different aspects of the black man. They looked at successful black men and black men who weren't as successful and ended up in jail. they looked at black fathers or the lack of black fathers in children's lives. They talked about being black in corporate America. I was enjoying part 2. They showed the struggles we as black men face everyday. From raising our children to trying to get a job. I was very happy with part 2. This made me think why were people so upset over the first part. So the next morning I emailed my group and told them I really enjoyed it and thought part 2 was great. Some emailed back and said that part 2 was better arranged than part 1.

Well I waited until the weekend to watch part 1. After watching it I just didn't understand the gripes people had about it. I thought it gave a very accurate portrayal of family and women in Black America. Showing how the black family got together for a family reunion, successful black women and the hardships of dating, and single black mothers. Again I felt part 1 was spot on. So I asked myself why are people really so upset over this. The black people that have been giving such negative feedback on it know the realities of being black in America. It isn't a pretty picture. So why did they expect CNN to try and paint it like it was.

Overall those upset over the CNN special need to get over it. Deep down inside you know that CNN's special did a good job of showing the many different lives of those that are black in America. They showed "success" stories and are "unsuccessful" stories. The truth of the matter is there is a lot more "unsuccessful" stories in black America than "successful" ones. I hate admitting it but its the truth. Most of us that are black grew up in a segregated community. Blacks on one side of town and whites on the other. We have family members that are deadbeat fathers and some that are single mothers. I guarantee most of us could find one person in our family that could relate to every single person that was portrayed on CNN's special. Being black in America is very hard. We continue to face many prejudice and injustice everyday. Many feel like we have come a long way, which we have, but the reality is we haven't come far enough. It should be the goal of all of us that are the "success" stories to find some way to get our black community on the right track. It won't change overnight, so make sure you recognize that it will take time. I think some of the best feeling I have is when my younger cousins tell me they want to go to college like I did and get a good job, drive a nice car, and be able to travel and do the many things that I do. It definitely brings a smile to my face.

For those who haven't seen CNN's special try and catch a rerun of it. It's definitely a must see for all races.

Until next time I am America's nightmare.