Your Black World: Sister, Can You Spare Some Class: Black Women in the Media

Sister, Can You Spare Some Class: Black Women in the Media
By: Tolu Olorunda
Staff Writer - YourBlackWorld.com

Who can argue with prophetic leader and political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal’s assessment that “Black women are the most disfavored of all the nation’s women?” Only a fool would. Black Women, historically, have had to endure the horror of living in a world that screams hatred from its four corners. Like piercing swords drilling a hole into one’s soul, many Black Women are subjected daily to inhumane attacks from the left, right, front, and back angles of society. White Men, whose historical role as the original Slave master still persists, hold steadfast control of the wheels of society and therefore decide in which direction wealth, prestige and honor are steered.

With a 2004 Government report documenting $30,134 as the median income for Black households, one is certain which course the national financial vehicle has traveled. Black men, once devoted protectors of Black Women, now function as “Slave-master surrogates,” in interaction with their sisters. Black Women also have a hard time with confronting the reality that “White feminists,” who recruited them in the 70s for the epic “Gender War,” never abhorred any desire to join hands in the fight for liberation from the shackles of White Male Supremacy. In addition to coming to grips with the rampant racism exhibited in many White feminist organizations, financially-disempowered Black Women also face the firey scorn of well-to-do Black Women who hypocritically blame them for the criminal conditions in whinh they exist. With such precedent, I ask again, who can argue with prophetic leader and political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal’s assessment that “Black women are the most disfavored of all the nation’s women?”

The controversies of Tawana Brawley and Anita Hill are explicit examples of the White Supremacist media’s hatred of Black Women. To hide this malevolence, one or two Black news anchors are employed (disproportionately meteorologists), but underneath, the evidence is as overt as Fox News’ bias. In the world of Mass Media, the role of Black Women has traditionally been dual-natured: “The stereotypical, angry black bitch” or “the regurgitating, self-hating, conservative mouth piece” – a la Amy Holmes & Tara Setmayer. Any other attribute is vetoed or outlawed. Fox News reporter, Cal Thomas, bore witness – though unknowingly – to this reality earlier this year. Thomas was quick to point out that Black Women of sophistication are a rare commodity on Television screens because of the White male supremacy culture that revels in the demonization and objectification of Black Women. Cal Thomas, a man of low intelligence, made a blunder, however, in confusing passion for anger:

“Look at the image of African American Women who are on television. Politically, you have Maxine Waters of California, liberal Democrat. She’s always angry every time she gets on television. Cynthia McKinney, the former Congresswoman from Georgia, was another angry black woman. And who are the black women you see on the local news at night in cities all over the country. They’re usually angry about something. They’ve had a son who has been shot in a drive-by shooting. They are angry at Bush. So you don’t really have a profile of non-angry black women.

With corporate America’s grip on Commercial Hip-Hop Culture tightening by the hour, the commodification of Black female bodies takes on a whole new context. It is no coincidence that Queen Latifah, who once embodied the symbolism of a Black goddess, is today, nothing but a sad spectacle to behold. The once-upon-a-time pro-Black militant-minded and feminist Queen Latifah has become a washed up Hollywood product, with an appetite for destruction. If Viacom and other big-name corporations within the Hip-Hop beltway were to exist unimpeded, Trina, Lil’ Kim and Remy Ma would represent the holy trinity of female artistry in Hip-Hop. But such inference would be problematic because, for every Trina, there once was a Nefertiti; for every Lil’ Kim, there once was a Moni Love; and for every Remy Ma, there once was a Lauryn Hill. Unfortunately, a self-respecting, knowledgeable and highly-educated female artist like Lauryn Hill is deemed radioactive in an industry built around the exploitation of diffident young Black Women.

Many younger Blacks are familiar with “Tip Drill,” and the horror of Hip-Hop music videos. In this particular video, the rapper Nelly is featured swiping a credit card down the gluteus maximus of a Video Vixen. As expected, this despicable act – deemed entertainment – was beyond the pale for certain Black female activists who perceived it as the last straw in their accommodation of misogyny in Hip-Hop. In 2004, Nelly was scheduled to visit the Black female College, Spelman, for a bone marrow drive. Unbeknownst to Nelly, a few Spelman students didn’t quite consider his music to be that “entertaining,” and had drafted a plan to see how much of a man he truly was. “The Spelman sisters,” as they’ve come to be known, challenged Nelly to a forum to address the issue of Black female Exploitation in Hip-Hop videos – particularly with regard to his video, “Tip Drill.” As one might imagine, Nelly swiftly turned down the offer, appearing to be more concerned with his image than the dire issue of bone-marrow transplants. The way the Spelman sisters figured, a bone-marrow drive is equally as essential as a healthy soul. The Spelman sisters sought to question the conscience and motive of a man who would openly denigrate the legacy of Black Women, but claim concern to the sector of their organism that guarantees blood circulation – hence, life.

The morally decrepit performance of artists like Nelly has granted ample leverage to White-controlled media channels such as Vh1 to promote shows that defile the integrity of Black Women. Vh1, a subsidiary of Viacom, has done more damage to the self-worth and decency of Black Women than any other channel in recent history. Vh1 has skillfully structured its programming in such a way that an untrained eye watching it might be misled into believing that Black Women are naturally promiscuous and adulterous. Some might even fall victim to the lie that the availability of young Black Women on Vh1 reality shows is ample proof of culpability or willingness, but such inference would suggest that if those same Black Women were paid the exact share of incentives to appear on a morally upright and spiritually nurturing show, they would decline instantaneously. By this measure, it’s presumably evident that White male executives of big media are easily satisfied with a Black female constituency whose preoccupation with self-deprecation runs afoul of the legacies of Fannie Lou Hamer, Harriet Tubman, Barbara Jordan, Rosa Parks, and Callie House.

It is no surprise that the same media which revels in the destruction of Black female identity seeks to fulfill the same with today’s most important Black female: Michelle Obama. More disturbing is the reality that Michelle, like prominent Black public figures before her, lacks the confidence – there’s certainly the willingness – to, quite simply, be herself and refuse the Obama camp’s incessant attempts at recreating her into a “submissive, all-American first lady.” One thing is for certain, however: Black folks of consciousness have their work cut out for them. For Change is not an empty rhetorical stunt, but rather a fortified, systematic dismantling of a historical structure – especially one which has oppressed, repressed, depressed and suppressed the hopes of a mighty race.

Reposted From Black Commentator

"First Black President" Confronts Reality: Baton Now Passed To Black Folks

By: Tolu Olorunda

Staff Writer - YourBlackWorld.com

“I tell you this much, it’s up to every one of you/

Learn from the past or the future will punish you/

Power flows to those who remember/”

- Hip-Hop artist and philosopher, Canibus, in his 2002 album, Mic Club: The Curriculum.

Perhaps at this very moment, Grand-Author, Toni Morrison, is recanting her 1998 words, suggesting that Bill Clinton was the embodiment of the “first black president,” because he displayed “almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald’s-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas.” For what good is it to be an esteemed culture critic, and have the memories of an ill-conceived statement lurking behind your every mention and declaration. But upon a moments’ reflection, Ms. Morrison is merely a mirror-image of the heartfelt conviction of millions of Black folks who, having being mesmerized by the allure of a president who went the extra mile in rendering unfulfillable promises, had become emotionally overdosed and dwarfed by political immaturity. One thing is for certain however: 99% of the Black population which believed Bill “Bubba” Clinton to be the first black president holds no such sentiment anymore. With Barack Obama’s emergence as the new Messiah, most of those Black voters have little need for the “counterfeit” Black president, when the possibility of a “real” Black president is more tangible than ever before.

Bill Clinton has, of recent, had to confront a reality most familiar to Black folks: A feeling of usage and exploitation. In Bill’s mind, it was virtually unimaginable to be relegated to the sidelines – all in the name of the materialization of a long-sought dream: The fulfillment of a bonafide Black president. Much of this ongoing struggle to acknowledge reality is playing out in dramatic fashion on the national political field. In recent appearances on both, The View, and Late Show with David Letterman, Bill Clinton has appeared to be, at the very least, uneasy about accommodating the prospect of Barack Obama attaining victory in November – by way of Obama’s skill, charisma, character and intellect. Clinton has cited numerous fanciful and coincidental rationales why Barack Obama will win; which included tribalism, political exasperation and sheer luck. No doubt President Clinton is still reeling from the painful, public rebuff he received from the Black Community – a community he considered to be a second home (albeit he never earned such credit). Chris Rock, the grand comedian, noticed this hardly hidden expression. In an immediate appearance following Clinton’s feature on David Letterman, Rock noted, “Is it me, or he didn’t want to say the name Barack Obama?” Whether Bill Clinton is capable of conceding the Baton to Barack Obama or not, one thing is for certain: The Black Community has moved on. But what does “moving on” delineate? Is the Black Community more politically knowledgeable and literate as a result of this encounter with the Clintons, or are we back to the same old childish games of embracing the lesser of two evil, which, to paraphrase Ralph Nader, would only yield us “evil” and “less.”

Sadly, the same high level of unconditional loyalty to corporate politicians – a la Obama – would only guarantee more and more disappointments – even if a Black face is accepted as fit for the highest place, come Nov. 4th. In the Clinton administration, many Blacks underwent economic ascendancy (up a ladder now shortening from the bite-wounds of George Bush’s termites), but issues of Black concerns accelerated to pandemic-like rates and statistics. A few of them include:

• The Mass Incarceration Of Black Men (Brought Courtesy of Sen. Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden, who authored the infamous, “Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994” a/k/a the “1994 Crime Bill,” which helped facilitate the establishment of 100,000 more cops on the streets, and the imprisonment of more Blacks than in any other administration).

• A “Welfare-Reform” legislation, which owed its supreme inspiration to Ronald Reagan and his vituperative usage of the acidic terminology, “Welfare Queen,” to characterize Black female welfare recipients. Not surprising, however, coming from a president whose solemn vow to “end welfare as we know it,” it seemed to be bubbling into fruition. In Death Blossoms, political prisoner and prophetic leader, Mumia Abu Jamal, described the “legislative obscenity” as a “chilling” plot, drafted to dash “the hopes of millions of the poor, all in order to protect his political ass.”

• The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). An “agreement” coming at the expense of 900,000 jobs – disproportionately, as one would expect, from within the Black Community.

The legendary civil rights activist and author, Kevin Alexander Gray, debunked Bill Clinton’s “symbolic” relationship with the Black Community as a cheap political stunt and a means to an end – whose last bus stop was in 2000. In a 2002 article titled, “Clinton and Black Americans Soul Brother?” Gray exposed the silliness of Black celebrities who – through the culpability of naïve Black masses – had hopped on the bandwagon to celebrate President Clinton as an honorary Black Man. “… What makes Clinton’s race act so successful is that black America never asked him to do much to begin with… For 12 years before Clinton, Ronald Reagan and George Bush insulted and ignored black people. Consequently, when Clinton wooed African Americans, most were just happy someone was finally paying attention… The notion of Clinton as a great friend of the black community or defender of civil rights is… crazy.”

In 2008, if progressives would candidly admit, Barack Obama’s unusual relationship with the Black Community is eerily reminiscent of that from which Bill Clinton benefited. In fact, as late as October 2007, Barack Obama still – according to polls – trailed Sen. Clinton by 13 points in the Black Community. Not until recently, was there the 90% percent phenomenal-like sustainment that helped deny Hillary Clinton the Democratic Presidential nomination. It was widely reported that Blacks had withheld support from Obama because they never perceived him as a realistic candidate. Let’s explore that for a minute. Black folks pride themselves with the false-assertion that the only reason they withdrew their endorsement from Hillary, was as payback for Bill and Hill’s racially inflamed and denigrating statements toward the Black Community and their slain leaders. Nevertheless, many Black voters would readily admit that if not for the overwhelming amount of White voters in Iowa who poured out their support for Obama, Hillary Clinton would have, more than likely, clinched the Democratic Presidential Nomination. This clear insinuation that the exemption of White Iowan’s validation of Sen. Obama’s candidacy would have done very little to damage the relationship between the Black Community and the Clintons – Bill and Hill’s acerbic remarks notwithstanding – is simply stunning!!!

With such a precedent, the future is at best bleak for a people who stubbornly refuse to develop the political maturity for which Malcolm X so strongly advocated. When choosing a running mate, Sen. Obama opted for a man whose portfolio on the Black Community – and financially disempowered folks of all color – reeks of unmitigated indifference and static apathy.

Black folks of conscience must, at this moment, WAKE UP, and resist the satanic beast of acquiescence. Now is not the time to revel in the inept pleasure of seeing “one of our own,” in the highest seat of the land. If we cannot lend credence to our conscience, and all we pursue is the felicity of an historical moment, we would have to explain to the next generation – and the one coming after them – why their livelihood was traded for the comfort of the historicalness of Obama’s presidency. As far as I can tell, it’s not just Black folks engaging in quid pro quo.

Reposted From Black Commentator