CNN’s Black in America – Eisa Nefertari Ulen

Soledad O’Brien’s two-part documentary gave voiced expression to diverse African American experiences. “Black in America” was fair, balanced, and factually accurate. The biggest flaw was that the prodigious reportage and full spectrum of opinion presented did not present fresh ideas, new ways of thinking about Black life, or a surprisingly novel expression of the condition of Blackness. Overall, it was a good program in the way it articulated stories and experiences we’ve all heard before.

The short segments bookended by lengthy commercials prevented in-depth analysis and led to a sound-byte level of discourse. This was not a PBS Frontline documentary, for sure. It is unfortunate that in each two hour program, “The Black Woman and Family” and “The Black Man,” the only thing new that I viewed was the new McDonald’s commercial with the little boy and girl sharing apple slices at the airport. This criticism, I think, has more to do with Black invisibility in mainstream America than it does with O’Brien’s clearly exceptional journalistic talent.

The struggles of Black life, ironically, are more visible in American society than are our successes. The documentary itself explored the overabundance of Black suffering and death in television news and the way the truism that “if it bleeds, it leads” impacts mainstream perceptions of African American life. Most ethnic and racial groups in this country enjoy a stunning display of achievement in the mass media, while the conditions of, say, trailer park incest, struggles of Asian Americans with learning disabilities, and suburban teen rates of abortion and illegal drug use are less often examined. The opposite is true of Black folk. Everyone knows our everyday struggles; few are aware of our everyday achievements.

It seems that the preponderance of Black middle class families profiled in “Black in America” were closely aligned with white American life. While it was refreshing to see stable interracial marriages and snapshot images of Asian, Black, and white children at play together, the documentary might have benefited from a segment or two that explored the perhaps more common African American experience of achievement – achievement that enables access to white-dominated realms of influence yet remains connected to, indeed rooted in, a wider community of Black people.

Why not explore the McMansions of PG County, Maryland; the mid-century modern homes of Baldwin Hills, California; the DC Gold Coast homes; and the Black folk who live in them? In all that focus on New York City life, where was the examination of Bedford Stuyvesent in Brooklyn, which boasts both a high number of Black homeowners and a “do or die” reputation, and now is vulnerable to forced displacement of long-time residents because of gentrification? What a complex and fresh approach to the examination of Black life that might have been.

Why not explore the communities of Germantown and Mt Airy in Philadelphia, where Black doctors, lawyers, and businesspersons owned beautiful homes and created a kind of Black utopia through the mid-20th century. White families now live in many of those houses, yet some parts of Germantown have become slums. What do these dichotomies say about Black life in America?

Why not explore the Ashburton neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, which boasted the highest concentration of elected officials and Black business owners in the state in the 1980s. What an interesting space from which an examination of Black politics in America might have taken place. Show this tree-shaded neighborhood – along with the solid story about Baltimore the program did air, the one that focused on the horrifyingly high violent crime rates among Black men in Baltimore City and the story of one man who, through a Black surgeon’s in-hospital program, chose a home with his wife and children over a street corner with rival drug dealers and addicts.

Why not unveil the particular experiences of the Black Bourgeoisie along with the working poor? After all, it is one authentic Black experience about which few non-Black Americans know.

Documentaries attempt to give voice to the voiceless. While I was inspired, for example, by the struggling Black father who managed to secure two jobs to support his family after a series of rejections from potential employers, I would have also liked to hear the voice of the Black business owner who employs a racially diverse workforce.

It is interesting that “Black in America” aired when Obama delivered his stunning Berlin speech – a speech that simultaneously articulated a global vision of human experience, acknowledged the experiences of the dispossessed, and presented an empowered image of Black manhood.

Overall, I’d give “Black in America” a strong B+ for content. Because it can be unfair to demand a particular story be told when the structure of the program limits in-depth analysis, Soledad gets an A for asking great questions and developing strong narratives. It’s just that, at the end of each program, I simply wanted more.

Comment(s)

§ pittershawn said on : 07/25/08 @ 12:11

I knew about two months ago this show was coming. I visited the website then and was, sadly, not surprised at what I saw. It was evidently going to be more of the same old crap.

I opted not to watch it. So far, almost everyone who has spoken on it, has confirmed every single thing I thought and felt it would be.

From the sound of all the comments so far, it barely deserves a D+.

As for the points you’ve highlighted and what you felt would be good reporting, I agree. Why aren’t all those areas you mentioned discussed?

I try not to be jaded, but the same thing just keeps on happening. And my beautiful black people keep expecting a different result.

Comment(s)

§ Rosalind McLymont said on : 07/25/08 @ 13:22

I didn’t expect much, but, because I like Soledad O’Brien, I tuned in nonetheless to the first part. I fled after less than five minutes and chose not to watch the second part.

Based on the very little I saw, I concluded that there would be none of the uplifting or celebratory truths about my people and our community in this CNN depiction of Black America. So far, my conclusion has been validated by hardier souls than I who watched either all of one or both parts of the presentation.

As Josef Ben Jochannan always said: Until the lion learns to speak, we will always hear that the hunter never failed to conquer the lion.

Comment(s)

§ elise said on : 07/25/08 @ 14:02

i watched both episodes of black in america and thought to myself, “how are they going to truly show what it means to be ‘black in america’ in only two nights? i didn’t know what to expect but i didn’t expect much. i agree with you eisa and all of the commentors – there was nothing new in this batch, but i do give o’brian points for asking the questions that those of us who did watch were saying to ourselves or others as we watched. i think there was an effort but i’m not sure what the overall goal of the show was supposed to be.

i have to say i’ve been more disappointed in bet’s hip hop vs. america series. maybe because they are a “black station” i hold them to a higher standard when it comes to telling our stories . . . alright, they aren’t a black owned station and haven’t been for awhile now, but as a channel that bills itself as “black entertainment television” i still look to them to give the black public a more diversified, authentic black experience than any other network.

i tried to watch a few airings of hip hop vs. america and with the exception of the episode that had to do with hip hop and women, i could not stand to watch more than 5-10 minutes of it. from the one or two panelists that talked too much and tried to outshine everyone else on the panel, to the moderators asking simplified, ridiculous questions (with the exception of mc lyte on the show about women) with very little follow up to what panelists were saying, to the choppy editing of the show . . . it really fell flat and failed to bring about any new ideas or real action.

and because you mentioned it eisa, the last thing any little black boy ever needs to be offering an african girl or any kid for that matter is a chemically jacked up apple slice with dipping sauce from mc donalds!!! sorry, but that commericail really bothered me way more than the show.