CNN Documentary - Black In America Blog

Tell us what you think about this monumental documentary and Bankole Thompson's exclusive interview. Just click the 'Add Comment' box below!

Michigan Chronicle, Sr. Editor and noted author, Bankole Thompson takes an in-depth look at CNN's Black in America series for readers, a first for one of America's most influential Black newspapers headquartered in Detroit, the nation's largest Black city.

Check out Thompson's cutting edge analysis on issues raised in the documentary that was recently shown in Detroit and his exclusive interview with Soledad O'Brien, CNN Anchor, Special Correspondent & Producer of the landmark documentary in a 2-part series. Get copies of the July 9th & 16th editions of the Michigan Chronicle to read what Thompson and readers are saying about CNN's romance with Black America and the issues facing us since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tell us what you think about this monumental documentary and Bankole Thompson's exclusive interview. Just click the 'Add Comment' box below!

Comments

Comment #1 (Posted by an unknown user)

terrible
Comment #2 (Posted by LINDA CALDWELL)

I SHOWED THIS TO MY 24 YEAR OLD NEPHEW, BECAUSE IT WAS SO INTERESTINGLY TRUE, AS ALWAYS WHEN YOU'RE THAT AGE YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE WORLD BY THE TAIL AND REPLIED, THIS WILL NOT BE ME, I PRAY SO HARD THAT IT WILL NOT BE HIM, THAT HE WILL NOT HAVE TO FINE OUT HOW HARD LIFE IS BEHIND BARS, BECAUSE HE LIKE MANY OTHER YOUNG BLACK MALES DON'T LISTEN TO THEIR ELDERS, GOOD SHOW REAL GOOD.
Comment #3 (Posted by linda caldwell)

YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WHO WERE NOT BORN IN THE TIME PERIOD OF DR. KINGS DEATH AND ONLY HEARD AND STUDIED IT AT SCHOOL FORGET THE DREAM, THE DREAM HAS TO BE TAUGHT AND TALKED ABOUT OFTEN BY THEIR ELDERS, IN THIS CRAZY WORLD OF TODAY EVERYONE IS SO BUSY MAKING IT FOR THEMSELVES THEY FORGET, OR THEY JUST HAVE POOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AND DONT WANT TO BRING MATTER OF OUR LEADERS UP. COULD IT BE BECAUSE THEY TOO, HAVE FORGOTTEN THE DREAM, AND THEY TOO ARE NOT WALKING THE WALK OR TALKING THE TALK THEMSELVES?
Comment #4 (Posted by Wilbert Moore Jr.)

This is a monumental event but only time will tell how much damage Bush has done in emptying out the treasury and setting the only stable nation in chaotic disarray. To me he has set the stage for the anti-christ and no one can stave off his mess of our nation.
Comment #5 (Posted by Marleen Merriweather)

CNN's Black in America was NOT an accurate depiction of the African American race and, in fact, merely perpetuated the same negative stereotypes that are generally assumed about our race, i.e., being Black relegates you to a life riddled with misery. The series focused only on the hurts and disappointments felt by our race, and said nothing of our resilience and optimism. While, yes, it is important to highlight the inequities still present within our society and felt within our race, it is equally important to showcase our joys and accomplishments. By claiming to provide an inside view of our race, CNN was obligated to present a balanced perspective. While I appreciate its attempt to perhaps shed light for those unaware of our struggle, I, nevertheless, left the series feeling dejected. However, remembering that one is not measured by his challenge but by his response, I know that we as African Americans have much to be proud. Despite a history of unparalleled obstacles, we continue to thrive. Therefore, contrary to the series perspective, I know that being Black is quite good.
Comment #6 (Posted by David Dzidzikashvili)

Very interesting issues raised in the documentary, definately a must see for progressives, libertarians or conservatives.
Comment #7 (Posted by David Dzidzikashvili)

It raises interesting points but this is a fiction - just like any documentary and everyone should keep in mind that any minority group in USA - African-Americans, immigrant-Americans, Asians, Hispanics and natives had to go through a miserable life, unfair hardship and discrimination in US to achieve basic freedoms, liberties and be given the same equal opportunities as whites. This is a fact from history and no one can say this is not true.

But if any author/fil producer wants to document another viewpoint -> go ahead, lets see, lets gather the facts & lets discuss.

I don't think anyone should be offended or insulted by this documentary, just like Michael Moore's Farenheit 911 - it's interesting to see what the author has to say, the viewpoint and then discuss in a civilized form -> that's when the truth comes out from.

Of course subjects like race, identity, ethnic background is a very sensitive issue and we have to keep in mind not to offend anyone's dignity and pride. African-American culture has many prominent figures and we have the first black president and stereotyping everyone is just a stupid mistake or ignorant viewpoint some writers/producers make.

Change Has Come in 08!
Comment #8 (Posted by William)

What about Native Americans, Jewish Americans, Latino Americans, or ever white americans. Why do white people have to be ashamed of their history. Yes we had slavery as did every other civilization. Yes we didn't have equal rights for about 120 years after slavery, but it is nothing compared to what REAL Africans do to each other today. Black people need to just get over it. Most people my age ,20's, have never known real oppression. Soledad O'Brien, you should be ashamed of youself. Because all this "Documentary" amounts to is trying to stir up hate. Black against white. And it's things like this being forced down their throats, that make young white people racist.
Comment #9 (Posted by Melissa)

Why are you feeding into the beliefs of blacks that whites somehow have it easier? Why don't you go investigate whites or American Indians or other ethnic groups in America,,,there are white single mothers without healthcare, on foodstamps, etc. Visit Appalachia, the coal mines....yes whites live in slum like ghetto conditions....stop the "woe is me", go to school instead of the streets....that's how this po white gal outta the mountains did it...nobody gave me shit.
Comment #10 (Posted by JF)

Although I do appreciate some of the focus in the "Black in America" series on A.I.D.S., I find it very ironic that this focus is coming from the same media sources from the early 90's. The same media sources that strived so desperately to claim the "AIDS doesn't discriminate" and that "we're all the same and equally at risk".... That was an advertising friendly and idealistic thought that literally killed people. It affected and affects Black and Gay people much much more than all other populations, and in their efforts to be PC, the media was too afraid to warn people that they were more at risk than others. I wonder how many people might be alive if they had? One, two?.... a thousand, ten thousand? One is enough...

But at least the media was able to sell their ad space.

The sickest crime, is that we only care about what the media tells us is important.... Uganda? For awhile... Darfur? Only as long as they tell the stories... Puplic sentiment dries up as soon as the media decides it doesn't draw eyeballs and sell their shit... Money for lives. Money for your suffering...
Comment #11 (Posted by IlluminousUthra)

the black man owes his very existence to the black woman of the United States of America. if it were not for my mother I would be dead or in prison this very moment. i tried to find a black woman to marry when I was dating. unfortunately i failed...for the most part in a whole. i never met a black woman i saw "eye to eye" with "universally". at one time i felt very depressed about this fact and started to think at one point that it "must be me". so I decided to "step outside the box" and by doing so. i met and married a very nice and very loving japanese woman from japan. though my mother preferred that i marry a black woman. one day i regrettably came to the realization that i have always been "turned off" by the "character" of "today's" black women period. 1946 was a good year...my mother was given birth by an "extremely strong" black woman. also that year a song was written by Jay Livingston that i live by..."To Each His Own". while i'm being truthful....as far as i'm concerned. blacks in america theoretically are not black in the first place. we all have native and white blood in our veins. the sooner this nation grows out of it's "out dated stereo types". the quicker the "human race" can develop into what GOD intended! i'm not a college educated brotha and "no i didnt check for typo's". i watched the show tonight.. "i'm married to an excellent wife and own a successful business" all accomplished without going to college. i could care less about my spelling or grammer. i think i conveyed clearly what was on my mind - PEACE TO MY FOLKS!
Comment #12 (Posted by Daniel)

I just thought it was interesting that the Professor from Columbia fails to mention that Welfare is not allocated to married couples. Therefore, reinforcing black men not to marry black women; to have a baby mama and not a wife because Uncle Sam will not send that family (usually the mother) a check in the mail each month. I'm not saying that social learning (not having a father in their life) doesn't play a significant role in continuing this cycle or poverty or popular culture... but everything usually comes down to money (one way or the other) and to reward people for not starting the family (marriage) is definitely a significant role, that was seemingly left out of the discussion in this documentary. Maybe because CNN leans heavily to the left, and that constituents of the left rely heavily on welfare... it seems like the same people that want to help the black people are keeping them down by keeping them on the monetary life support (Welfare).
Comment #13 (Posted by an)

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Comment #14 (Posted by Erika)

I feel that this so called black in amerikkka is a joke the host is being played by the owners of CNN!! why look at Blacks in amerikka y not look at white in america they were the ones hanging us 40yrs ago how have they changed? Take a real look into Black in america
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReShmRYggIY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF1PcDvdVl4&feature=related
Comment #15 (Posted by Erika)

This is a joke. If the bases for doing black in america 40yrs after the death cause he was black then cnn should be looking at whites and how have they changed cause they were they ones doing the killings...stop letting cnn play you siter look at these videos a movie t am working on due out this fall nation wide.
Comment #16 (Posted by macemore)

I appreciate this effort by Soledad. However, as with series #1, I am left extremely disappointed. I wish this series would go deeper into the trenches to explain the historical FACTS and behaviors that have influenced our current plight. When we mention the dropout rates and the fact that black students are several grades behind whites- explain the deeper "whys". The crack head mom and the alcoholic father are definitely a problem. But also show the ocean-sized gap in the quality of schools in white neighborhoods and black neighborhoods. Exposure to different things and the overwhelming amount of "second" and "third" chances that white kids get when they mess up as opposed to the "guilty before you even start" reality that black kids live in play a bigger role in what we see today. Otherwise, we can talk to the white crack head mom and white alcoholic dad and get the same story that was just told on CNN. Let's talk about the effects on a person's psyche when the only story they learn in school is someone else's story. Maybe part of the problem is that black students are disconnected because, no matter what class (even math and sciences) you attend, the images and influences are not going to be a reflection of us. Maybe it’s because we have to learn about the “Diary of Anne Frank” as opposed to Henrietta Jacobs (Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl), who survived years living in a cramped slave shack attic, watching her children grow up through a hole in the floor all to escape the slave master’s aggressive sexual advances. Maybe there is a disconnect because, as we are told that we are prone to violence and destruction, we are not told about what happened to people like Nat Turner. He was a brave and intelligent slave revolter who was hung, skinned, dismembered and dispersed to white onlookers for souvenirs. Someone made a purse. Another made an ashtray. Some made jewelry. We are not told about Sara Baartman, a young South African woman brought to London in 1810. She was put on display nude to show off her ample bottom and ample breasts. After five years in London she died of disease and loneliness. For 150 years her brain, vagina and body were on display until 1974. Her body was returned to South Africa in 2002 for a proper burial. For hundreds of years black women have been influenced to feel inferior about big lips, big behinds and big breasts. Now it’s okay because white women can finally get a surgeon to build them. Not being aware of these things allows someone else, much less qualified, to assume a moral authority over us. These stories of what we have endured and what we have accomplished are empowering. This is what our kids should be learning. Yet, in this show issues like that went ignored. So, are black kids behind because we have sorry parents or because we're slow learners or because we have smaller brains or because we're better suited for sports or should the system take a huge responsibilty for it’s institutionalized neglect? When it was reported that seeing a healthy marriage in black families was not common, there was a failure to mention where that idea came from and the social and historical factors that play a role. How can you mention problems in black relationships without talking about the history of white people forcing black men to, not only watch their women be raped and treated like a piece of meat, but to also father babies by many different women for profit and labor. When we don't talk about that, we may as well just say that we have all these problems because of us just being us. How can we talk about black prisoners without talking about the GROSS imbalance of equal and fair justice for minorities? How can we not address a system that is DESIGNED to be a revolving door? How can we ignore the shocking facts and statistics of the most racist tool in America- the justice system? HOW? How can you do a show about being black in America and not go to the countless little towns called Jena where racism goes almost completely unchecked. To tell the story of being black in America you need to visit some local bars where people have had a few to drink and are willing to tell you why their company has 100 employees and only 3 are black. Go to those places in America where, in 2009, black people can’t even visit or live. If I did not know my own history and the social injustices that plague us, I would walk away from this show feeling like it was more of a self- help series for a group of people who have problems BECAUSE they are black and that it has little to do with century long patterns of racism that are still practiced today. Yes, we have our own responsibilities and short- comings and places where we dropped the ball. But this series seemed like it said that being black in America has nothing to do with white America. It does. Or else it should have been called "PEOPLE Who Beat the Odds and Other Bootstrap Stories". History has been erased from these stories and the blood dripping from the fingers pointing at us is suspiciously being ignored. I think this series was a great idea. I'm just not sure Soledad is the one for the job. I really like her and truly believe her intentions and motivations are with great sincerity, but it seems like she doesn't want to get her hands dirty. Let's try this again with some real, raw, gutteral truth. Let's say those things that we talk about when we get home and shed our controlled and dishonest political correctness. Ask white women and black women how they REALLY feel about each other. Ask black people how they REALLY feel about Columbus and other white “heroes” that have been shoved down our throats. Talk to African- Americans about the bitter resentment many of us have because we have to simultaneously live dual lives because who we are as individuals and a race doesn’t “fit” into our work environment. If we've changed so much, why don't we see just as many white people as blacks show up for protests against blatant police brutality , discrimnation and racism. Wanna know some real truth? Talk to minorities who work in white homes as nannies and house keepers. Let’s tear this sore wide-open and deal with the real issues of being black in America. Many of us want to heal. Many of us want to live as ONE cohesive human race the way I believe it was intended. But I assure you, we will not begin to truly heal if the requirement is for black people to forget and ignore the injustices and disparities that continue till this day. It won’t happen if we have to continue to strip ourselves of “us” to have this dialogue. All who are truly interested in healing America’s racial past and present MUST KNOW that there will be sweat and tears and anger and confusion. There will be inner conflicts and outer conflicts. Relationships will be severed and relationships will be born. There will be HONEST reconciliation. There is no easy way to do this especially if African- Americans demand to not be reduced to insignificance. I demand to be recognized and acknowledged for who I am and the phenomenal history I was born from with all of its heroines and supermen. Why should they be invisible? They carried me here. We are too intelligent to accept the surface and superficial way in which we have become accustomed to dealing with the race issue. Meet me in the alley where myth ends and truth begins and don’t forget your hankies and your voice because I won't be biting my tongue. These are the ramblings of one who sees incredible hope and potential for what we could really get accomplished if we eliminated the divisions that have separated us for too long. I come as I came- in peace. macemore
Comment #17 (Posted by Jackie Betty)

The documentary was uplifting, encouraging, and challenging. I am not a born Black American. In fact, as a Jamaican who migrated recently to America, I always wandered why Black American lie and play dead. I was inspired by the 18 month camp experience for networking. Great job, Soledad.
Comment #18 (Posted by Richard C)

Racial profiling does exist. Here in the Bronx N.Y. I worry about my kids going out at night not because some criminal will accost them, but how often will the Police stop them for just walking down the street. Police stop and frisk Our Kids, provoke them, an when they ask why they are being stopped they are given a Ticket and taken to the police station for disorderly conduct. The problem exists. The White segment of society does not experience this so it's not something they would understand. As a result, they would think Blacks are just crying foul.
Comment #19 (Posted by Vince)

"Black in America" This is something that I wish I could be. Free collge, housing, food and for those that will work preference over any other orgin. So I would love to be black in America. I am like most white Americans. We are prejudice and just let things be.
Comment #20 (Posted by Vince)

Correction to my previous statement..

I am not Prejudice I left out the word (NOT)
Good bless America
Comment #21 (Posted by Kareem Donley)

While I am very grateful for CNN's documentary I am very disappointed that the segment about young black prisoners involved one that failed.

I did over 17 years in prison starting at the age of 17. However, after 3 years of freedom this month I have a career, a home and a beautiful family. My struggles were the same as this young mans, yet I manned up and did what it takes.

I think that this segment would have been more productive had they chosen someone as myself, or other, that has "made it." These young men need to see success, not failure, as one of the biggest statements in prison is, "why should I read and go to school it aint going to help me?"

It helped me. I would not have let my son watch that segment of I had of known that CNN would have shown that.
Comment #22 (Posted by Garrett)

As a Canadian I got a totally different look at America. Some very ordinary people doing amazing things. Making a local difference and blazing new trails.
Please vote for the all new ice cream called the “Obama Cone”
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Comment #23 (Posted by parker)

Its getting really fucking old. The media is putting this on to kiss the ass of a half black president. wine wine wine black people in the us have a much better life weather they are discriminated against or not go to south Africa black people are murdering whites on a regular basis. They believe raping babies will cure them of aids. 1 in 4 women will be raped before the age of 16 look at their actions. This is why people discriminate. what can they do for themselves? some can most wont and cant.

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