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Yesterday, I rushed through the snow to
do an interview with NPR's 'Talk of the Nation' to discuss President Barack Obama's agenda for 2011 and the issues that matter most to black people. At the top of my brain was the old adage, "It's the economy stupid." So, fitting with my role as a Finance Professor, I led the interview off with financial topics, because it is my opinion that the country can benefit from more audible voices that work to portray the depth of black economic suffering.
I also noticed that someone I don't always agree with, Tavis Smiley, said something similar.
In a recent interview with NewsOne.com, Smiley went deep on the fact that black economic problems have been rarely addressed by our elected officials and that our community may need to find ways to amplify its voice. Georgetown University Professor Michael Eric Dyson even went as far as
giving President Barack Obama a C- on how he deals with black issues. All of this has been interesting to watch, particularly in light of how President Obama's rise to power has created a peculiar divide within pre-existing African American "leadership." The infamous on-air
brawl between Rev. Al Sharpton and Tavis Smiley is a perfect case-in-point.
The words of Dyson and Smiley are not out of bounds when it comes to the irresponsible manner in which both the Obama Administration and Congress have dealt with matters that affect black Americans.
According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not only is black unemployment nearly double that of white Americans, but the gap between black and white unemployment continues to grow. So, if white America has the right to scream and yell about 8.5 percent unemployment, then African Americans can yell nearly twice as loud with a jobless rate of 15.8 percent.
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The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Year
2010 had its share of exciting entertainment news. From the GOOD (Chris Brown's moving tribute to Michael Jackson), the BAD (T.I.'s return to jail after making a career comeback) and the UGLY (Keith Washington recording a private phone call with an ailing Aretha Franklin), there was no shortage of events to talk about. Here's a look back at The Top 30 Entertainment Stories of 2010.
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BlackVoices.com
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Year
2010 had its share of exciting entertainment news. From the GOOD (Chris Brown's moving tribute to Michael Jackson), the BAD (T.I.'s return to jail after making a career comeback) and the UGLY (Keith Washington recording a private phone call with an ailing Aretha Franklin), there was no shortage of events to talk about. Here's a look back at The Top 30 Entertainment Stories of 2010.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
'Precious' Times
Mo'Nique was deemed the front runner for best supporting actress at this year's Academy Awards, and on March 7, she took home her first Oscar for a moving performance as the violent mother Mary Jones in 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire.' The comedienne addressed her refusal to promote the film in the early rounds of Oscar campaigning and during her acceptance speech, saying, "I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics." Though the Queen of Comedy was a shoo-in to take home the award, screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher was not. Fletcher became the first African American to win an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for his work on the film.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Kanye'd At The Oscars
No one could have guessed that it was possible to be Kanye'd at the Academy Awards. But that's exactly what happened to Roger Ross Williams, an African American filmmaker who won best short documentary for 'Music By Prudence,' the story of a Zimbabwean singer who suffers from a debilitating condition called arthrogryposis. One of the film's producers, Elinor Burkett, bum-rushed the stage while Ross Williams was accepting his Oscar, because she felt that her "role in this has been denigrated again and again and it wasn't going to happen this time." All of America felt sorry for Williams, including Larry King, who gave the Easton, Penn., native a do-over on his popular CNN talk show the day after the Oscars.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Big Girls Don't Cry
Howard Stern and his side kick Robin Quivers had a few choice words for Academy Award nominee Gabourey Sidibe. The duo took to their popular satellite radio program to taunt the actress for being too black and too overweight to succeed in comedy, and the audio clips from the broadcast made their way to YouTube and around the Web. Jamie Foxx jumped on the bandwagon, likening Sidibe to "The Notorious Precious," suggesting that the star resembled rapper Notorious B.I.G. The 27-year-old New York native ended up having the last laugh with a role in the Showtime series 'The Big C' and singing on for other major gigs.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Bitch Is B(l)ack
Don't call it a comeback! Grammy Award winner Vanessa Williams has continued to evolve her career on Broadway, television and in Hollywood, but the beginning of 2010 was a rough one for the former Miss America. Her role as Wilhemina Slater on the ABC dramedy 'Ugly Betty' ended in April, but she bounced back just one month later and booked another high-profile television gig. The 47-year-old Emmy Award nominee became just the second black woman, after Alfre Woodard, to join the cast of 'Desperate Housewives' as Renee Perry. Earlier this year, Williams also earned a Drama League nomination for her performance in Broadway's 'Sonheim on Sonheim.'
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
$500 Booty
Somebody should've called Tyrone and told him to bring some clothes for Erykah Badu. The 39-year-old Grammy Award winner made headlines for her controversial video 'Window Seat' this year. The guerilla-style clip for the lead single, from her latest album 'New Amerykah Part 2 (Return of the Ankh),' was shot by Creative Control duo Coodie and Chike and followed the mother of three as she walked through her hometown of Dallas shedding her clothes. Though Badu, whose real name is Erica Abi Wright, was faced with disorderly conduct charges and up to one year in jail following the video's Internet debut, she got off with a $500 fine and probation.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
A Long & Beautiful Life Lived
Beloved entertainer Lena Horne died at age 92 in May of reported heart failure at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Brooklyn native is best known for being the first black performer signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio. The 'Stormy Weather' star had been a recluse since appearing in a 1997 Gap Jeans commercial. A Broadway musical version of 'Stormy Weather' and an Oprah Winfrey-produced biopic about the Grammy Award-winning chanteuse are in the works.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Climbing 'Fences'
The 64th annual Tony Awards proved a big night for two talented actors and one acclaimed choreographer. Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, who starred as husband and wife in a revival of August Wilson's play 'Fences,' took home best actor and best actress awards at the New York City celebration of Broadway's best. Washington became the first black man to snag best actor since James Earl Jones won in 1987 for the same role in the original 'Fences.' 2010 became the first time in Tony history that black performers won top honors during the same theater season. Also taking home a Tony for best choreography in 'Fela!' was the musical's director, Bill T. Jones.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
No Need No Hateration
'The Boondocks' creator Aaron McGruder isn't afraid of making fun of pop culture in his satirical television show adapted from the comic strip of the same name. McGruder parodied Tyler Perry in a June 20 episode of the Cartoon Network series, titled 'Pause.' The Chicago native created a character named Winston Jerome, a religious playwright-director-actor who also cross-dresses as a grandmother character named Ma Dukes. Rumors surfaced that Perry was upset about the episode since the Cartoon Network is owned by Turner Broadcasting, the parent company of TBS, which is home to his top-rated sitcoms. "There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that I'm suing 'The Boondocks.' Those are all lies. I'm not suing anybody over that." Perry said, showing he's a good sport after all.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Sins of the Daughter
After she learned that becoming a big-name Hollywood celebrity wasn't as easy as she thought, Laurence Fishburne's daughter, Montana, decided to take matters in her own hands. The 18-year-old decided that she'd become an adult entertainment star and teamed with Vivid Entertainment to release her self-titled debut DVD. Her Tony Award-winning father did not approve, saying he wouldn't talk to her until she got her life together. But Montana stuck by her decision, claiming she was following in Kim Kardashian's footsteps. She even told BlackVoices.com that her pappy would eventually approve of her new career path. In an exclusive interview, she noted, "This is something I wanted to do; it's a goal that I had. I think he'll be proud that I accomplished one of my goals."
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Making matters even more challenging for the black community is that we are not only more likely to lose our jobs, we have less wealth to protect us in the event of an economic downturn. The 401(k) plans, home equity, savings, stocks and bonds that families use to get through tough economic times are not typically present in African American households. Most of this is due to the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, times during which black families were not allowed to accumulate wealth and/or pass it onto their children.
Smiley will have a special on C-span this Thursday from 6 - 9 pm EST called 'America's Next Chapter.' The special will feature a panel of experts discussing relevant political issues within the community and what can be done to best represent the interests of people of color. I expect that the panel will have a similar makeup as the 'State of the Black Union' panels, with individuals like Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson and a few others. It should be interesting.
Continuing with the theme of the past two years, Smiley reflected in a recent News One interview upon the faith that African Americans have in the Obama Administration to help improve their lives: "Unemployment is at sixteen percent. How much faith can you have when you are catching the most hell?"
said Smiley.
Smiley also argued that President Obama has good reason to focus more on the African American community than he has done thus far: "Our President may be accused of being tribal, but to the victors go the spoils," Smiley told NewsOne.com. "Over 90 percent of Blacks voted for him. We are his most loyal base and the White House and Congress have turned their backs to our community in our most pressing time. There has to be a way to sync those two things; those who vote for you deserve to be rewarded."
Tavis Smiley's message appears to be more readily received by the African American community than it was two years ago, but he still faces some challeneges to its total acceptance. Now that black America has seen that President Obama is not as perfect as they originally believed him to be, there are more within our ranks willing to ask if there is a better way to achieve our political ends. The challenge for Smiley, however, is that some still perceive his caustic remarks toward the president to be disrespectful of a cherished political figure and rooted in either jealousy or concern over the fact that Smiley has almost nothing to gain by supporting President Obama. When one considers the cozy relationship that Smiley has with Hillary Clinton, it's hard to imagine that his resentment toward Obama wasn't a reflection of his personal desire to see Hillary Clinton in the White House. Smiley has also worked extensively with the State Department since Hillary became Secretary of State, traveling overseas with Clinton to record a televised special.
Another challenge that Smiley must consider and face is that there are some who feel that his public gatherings are simply "rap sessions," where the objective is to produce the best and most excitable soundbite. When viewers are seeking concrete solutions to improving their lives and empowering themselves, they need something more than a remark that will make them laugh, cheer or jump out of their seat. Much of this might be rooted in the black church tradition, where standing up and shouting becomes more enjoyable than sitting back and analyzing. Smiley's forums must be more than an educated version of Def Comedy Jam.
With that said, the world is better off with Smiley's forums than it is without them. The points he makes about the state of the black economy are valid, and
my own comments toward President Obama have been somewhat consistent with Smiley's. All the while, simply spewing excessive vitriol toward the president in a way that seeks neither empathy nor compromise comes off to the public as good old-fashioned grandstanding with the aim of destroying his administration. Black America can support President Obama by holding him accountable, and it must be done in a way that is firm, compassionate, intelligent and informed. The Obama family needs our help, not our hate, but we must also make sure that Barack holds up his end of the bargain. Hopefully Smiley's special on C-span this Thursday will help black America reach this goal.
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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.