Comments on: A Review of CNN’s “Black in America”

By: chauncey devega

chauncey devega — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:12:12 +0000

A great post, and complements and kudos on the site and your academic work (@Dr. Wise and Dr. Feagin)–I use several of your books in my classes, and will certainly be adding Wises’ new book for an upcoming class on whiteness I am teaching.

One question: with these specials who is the intended audience? curious whites? black elites? the broad “mainstream” or the already converted?

For an alternate take on Black in America, see this imagined/critical take on the series I have put together called “White in America” at Wearerespectablenegroes.blogspot.com

stay strong in the struggle.

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By: Brooks

Brooks — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:35:23 +0000

In my opinion the show was not progressive or ultimately beneficial. The title itself serves to instantly isolate a group of humans who might consider themselves “black”. You will be surprised that there are many people who are simply doing what they expect is “human” and are post-race and choose not to subscribe to whatever it means to be black. Just because a human looks a certain way doesn’t mean that it’s going to move like or with a group of people that look similar. (This is more likely those that have minds to thinks.) CNN’s report only serves to have all of those non-subscribers of race be potentially thrown into the category of “black in america”. It is not fair and is not representative of a country that is built on the universal principle of individual freedom. Just because the majority is not post-race, the few who are should not be so victim of such arrogant attempts at journalism. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

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By: Courtney

Courtney — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:32:47 +0000

Love the review–very in depth. I agree that they should have examined the intersections of race and gender more and devoted more of “The Black Woman and Family” segment to the black woman. However, they did briefly mention the HIV infection rate of African American women and interviewed a young woman who got infected when she was in a monogamous relationship. She wrote a book about her experiences and reaches out to other young Black women on panels and at schools about how the epidemic relates to them.

They didn’t give this topic much time, but they did mention it.

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By: Nquest

Nquest — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:37:01 +0000

research shows well that for black students it is mostly something that happens to high achieving black students in predominantly white schools and rarely happens to most high achieving black students

That’s what Roland Fryer’s research showed and CNN had him featured prominently in the 1st episode but, apparently, failed to include him or his research into the 2nd night that dealt with a topic he did big time research on.

Re: your point about no students stopped from achieveing… I know I ask every person who claim they were told they were “acting white” if they gave into that negative peer pressure and not a single person has ever said that they have.

Re: you white racism comment… I found the 1st episode troubling when they trotted out the “Black folks have White slave masters in their family tree, let’s forgive White people because we’re all one big happy family” meme. People say they see the balance the program tried to strike but I missed the part where they juxtaposed the slave heritage story with a Reparations story.

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By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:07:47 +0000

An excellent and deep review, Adia. Thanks.

Whites, some conservatives of color, and a white-frame-oriented
African scholar, the late John Ogbu, invented the idea of “acting white” as an important research project to be focused on, yet there are many flaws to the argument. All high achieving students in all high schools get some hazing from other students, and it is no stronger in mostly minority schools! In addition , research shows well that for black students it is mostly something that happens to high achieving black students in predominantly white schools and rarely happens to most high achieving black students (who are in our racist society in mostly black schools). And , most important, almost no students are ever stopped from achieving by such hazing, black or not black…… Just more white covering up “reason” for what is really caused by white racism, the lack of educational equality.

And another HUGE missing piece of the CNN story is the lack of any significant emphasis on continuing white discrimination in housing, policing, jobs, private and public education, health, etc. So, CNN sees white racism as dead?

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By: Nquest

Nquest — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:29:18 +0000

I guess I really missed something in the 2nd episode. I was wondering why they had Roland Fryer on the 1st show and the topic of “acting white” never came up.

Now it’s clear that there was a deliberate attempt to keep Fryer’s ideas about the phenomenon from messing up the conventional, Barack Obama approved/espoused narrative of the “acting white” phenomenon as Black students pulling other Black students, serious students down…

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By: justice123

justice123 — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:02 +0000

To weaken a people you first weaken the family then their sense of self worth. Destroy their sense of pride by promoting negative images and destroy their hope, aspirations and self worth using the education system. Do you notice the absence or disappearing teachers of African descent in neighborhood schools, especially in NY? Without even these role models many black students have little belief in their success. We must demand success from our children and diverse, dedicated, experienced teachers. We need parent involvement in our schools. We need programs that encourage our children mentally, physically, and creatively.Wake up! Our children s’ minds are being enslaved!

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By: no1kstate

no1kstate — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:22:07 +0000

I’m sorry, the teacher’s DON’T embarrass and disrespect you like they do other black students. The only ones who treated me like the other black students either didn’t know me or didn’t know my mother, who had taught at the high school I attended.

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By: no1kstate

no1kstate — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:19:05 +0000

I agree. It takes more than academic success to be accused of “acting white.” Though I was regularly in honors and AP classes, I was only taunted for “acting white” once or twice. But only once that I really remember.

The one guy in my school who really caught heat for acting white seemed to shun the black student population and talk, walk, and behave “white.”

And in response to TJ, if that’s okay, let’s all be honest. Part of academic success does mean you have to accept, or at least pretend to accept, the white racial frame of reference. It also mean you may end up being your probably white teacher’s special Negro, thus adding to the notion of “acting white.” And the teachers who accept you as the “special Negro” certainly dress you down like they do the other black students. So, there is something to be said about having to “act white” to be academically successful, CNN’s failures notwithstanding. There is the notion that the material the students are learning is race-neutral, but that’s just not true.

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By: TJ

TJ — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:41:46 +0000

I trust your review, Adia, and will try and give the series another chance.

But I caught the show during the “acting white” segment and was disappointed perhaps too quickly. I dismissed the whole show based on that segment because its poor framing of “acting white” implies that the solution for black people is to act more white. It was as if:

1.) “acting white” is a significant barrier to “racial uplift”. Which makes sense if…

2.) “acting white” is a prevalent problem in the black community. Which one can accept if one assumes that…

3.) “whiteness” is and deserves to be the social identity of currency.

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