She Speaks the Truth

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Though these four hours (2 hour segments shown on different nights) gave great insight into what it means to be an African American in this country, I still felt like there was more to be desired

Part1: The Black Woman and Family.

I’ve always said that there was a reoccurring cycle that needed to be ended and CNN has shone its light on the problem. I don’t know if it actually is the rap music, or the change in lifestyle (fast money and illegal activities are more popular than ever in the Black community) that has lead to this never ending cycle but I know that Black men need to get back in the game. What I mean by this comment is that children growing up in single parent households who are subjected to poverty and an unnecessary struggle and more likely than their Caucasian counterparts to relive that same cycle. Having an absentee father makes a young woman more susceptible to lies and promises that leave them pregnant and alone, now forced to raise a child with out a father.

Over all in this country we have seen the demise of the nuclear family in American Society overall, I think this is felt even more so in my community. Families in poverty have the odds against them. Parents have to work twice as hard to make ends meet, this means less time at home with the children. This leaves the kids alone left to make careless or uninformed decisions that can ruin their lives. And much like the CNN special, I can state the problems and obstacles that is destroying my culture, but I don’t offer a plausible solution.

Part 2: The Black Man

This half of the show was dedicated to showing the many sides of the black man. The one side the media tends to focus: the low life criminal who is not very educated and lives in the ghetto. He is detrimental to society and he is what is accepted by mass media. People who have never actually met a Black person only have the predominantly negative views of us as finger lickin’ -chicken eatin’ - loud talkin’- crime commitin’- menaces to society. Then they had a man raised in a similar environment who, for a lack of better words, “made it out the hood”. He was a married man with three children, two of which were “successful” and the other was typical. His eldest son was a district attorney in their hometown who was married to a white woman. His youngest was currently in college and dating a white woman. His middle child, was a barber and has been to prison.

The show completely shied away from the topic of interracial dating/marriage and the problems it causes for black people. The show offered no real advice for people suffering from these same problems. Though it gave great insight to those unaware to the struggle of being black in America.

For those who still don’t know the hardships here are a few:
Two words: racial profiling. You get refused service because your Black. You’re not considered for a job because you’re Black. Your not safe in certain areas, because your Black. If you mess up, it’s a reflection of your entire race. No matter what you do you’re stereotyped, you’re still a statistic. Whether you live in poverty or make six figures, you are a statistic. Minor advancements and positive things you do are often over shadowed by your race. It’s like being born with a birth defect. Your ascribed status prevents you from excelling, even when your qualified.

Now this isn’t always the case. but more often then we’d like it is. I hope this makes some one think. A small ripple in a puddle of water does change how puddle, even if that change is temporary. Think about it….

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