Time Again To Tell Our Own Story
Many posts to this site have commented on a barrage of negative publicity that high-profile African-Americans have received recently in the media.
We need not forget that the Black press was born out of our community's despair with relentlessly-negative media images from the so-called "mainstream." The more things change, the more they stay the same.
By no means does this suggest that we as a people need to turn a blind eye to incorrect behavior by famous and infamous people from our culture. However, we must not become dependent upon persons outside our culture in obtaining information that relates to our experience.
Some people define "news" as whatever has deviated from society's normal expectations. In that regard, it should be no surprise that we hear so much "bad news" regarding African-American celebrities. But it should work both ways. What is missing is any mention of extraordinarily positive things that deviate from society's negative expectations regarding our culture.
That is where we must become more vigilant. True "news" need not always be negative to be news. We have the greatest stake in publicizing the surprising positives that happen every day in our community. For example, HBCUs are graduating phenomenal scholars every year who are destined for legendary status. But it takes "us" to publicize the legend.
Way, way back in the late 1970s when I was an undergraduate student, I was inspired to learn about the successes of a budding performer from Howard U. named Debbie Allen. Her successes in the next few decades became legendary.
During that same era, I was also exposed to the collegiate accomplishments of a Grambling U. football player named Doug Williams. In the next few decades, he also made us proud.
Over the same time span, I also became aware of the professional excellence of HBCU grads in a wide variety of other challenging fields. Some have been well-publicized in the general media, and many have not. If you're not one of them, you probably know of at least one.
We have the power - and definitely the technology - to create our own legends, and to be our own newsmakers, irrespective of what people from other cultures think about us. Just weeks ago, *we* mobilized around the Jena 6 situation, vigilantly challenging major media outlets to bring this story to the limelight.
We can do no less in bringing to society's attention the surprising miracles that our community is producing everyday from sea to shining sea. It is definitely news, and the kind of news that we can use. This is something far more profound than "happy talk." This is our story.
It's time again to shout it from the mountain tops.
We need not forget that the Black press was born out of our community's despair with relentlessly-negative media images from the so-called "mainstream." The more things change, the more they stay the same.
By no means does this suggest that we as a people need to turn a blind eye to incorrect behavior by famous and infamous people from our culture. However, we must not become dependent upon persons outside our culture in obtaining information that relates to our experience.
Some people define "news" as whatever has deviated from society's normal expectations. In that regard, it should be no surprise that we hear so much "bad news" regarding African-American celebrities. But it should work both ways. What is missing is any mention of extraordinarily positive things that deviate from society's negative expectations regarding our culture.
That is where we must become more vigilant. True "news" need not always be negative to be news. We have the greatest stake in publicizing the surprising positives that happen every day in our community. For example, HBCUs are graduating phenomenal scholars every year who are destined for legendary status. But it takes "us" to publicize the legend.
Way, way back in the late 1970s when I was an undergraduate student, I was inspired to learn about the successes of a budding performer from Howard U. named Debbie Allen. Her successes in the next few decades became legendary.
During that same era, I was also exposed to the collegiate accomplishments of a Grambling U. football player named Doug Williams. In the next few decades, he also made us proud.
Over the same time span, I also became aware of the professional excellence of HBCU grads in a wide variety of other challenging fields. Some have been well-publicized in the general media, and many have not. If you're not one of them, you probably know of at least one.
We have the power - and definitely the technology - to create our own legends, and to be our own newsmakers, irrespective of what people from other cultures think about us. Just weeks ago, *we* mobilized around the Jena 6 situation, vigilantly challenging major media outlets to bring this story to the limelight.
We can do no less in bringing to society's attention the surprising miracles that our community is producing everyday from sea to shining sea. It is definitely news, and the kind of news that we can use. This is something far more profound than "happy talk." This is our story.
It's time again to shout it from the mountain tops.
I totally agree. When I go a few days without listening to the news I am so relaxed and clear headed...Makes you realize that the "news" is not reality but a focused effort to keep the public in turmoil and fear. Fear sells more products.