I continue to applaud the efforts of the NBC staff to exercise the courage to do this story.  I think at the end of the day, we all - in spite of race - seek to be understood within proper context and given the benefit of the doubt.  Too often African Americans don't get this, therefore our sensitivity can get the best of us - justifiably so.

As my grandmother use to say, it takes courage to be courageous.  Let the conversation continue and feel free to visit for a comprehensive perspective at http://whyblackwomenareangry.blogspot.com.

Peace,

A Content Black Woman

Here we go again!  Media pushes the RACE card.  When are we going to be AMERICANS?  Not African Americans, White Americans, etc!!  Tell me WHY we all don't get the same treatment.  I am a White American woman.  I have an African American physician.  She treats me NO DIFFERENT than the Lady of Color that she sees after me!  WHY do you as media personnel have to spin the RACE card??  If the treatment isn't the same - WHY aren't you asking WHY?????????
YOU are fueling the fires of RACISM.  PLEASE put it out!!!  It's about Christmas time, can't we all have a few days of PEACE ON EARTH?  I truly believe as ONE NATION UNDER GOD, we can live as ONE!  But fueling this and telling things that are half truths is WRONG!  I am a HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL of 20+ years.  I treat each of my Patients with the same respect as the next!
SHAME on you NBC for continuing to make the gap between us larger rather than smaller!  You could be the BRIDGE!!
Beth, Fredericksburg, VA

I am not black.  I have my mother's very fair skin; I wish I had the Italian olive skin my sisters inherited from our dad.  

As soon as I see a person, I see his or her color.  It is a part of who his or she is, just like a southern accent would jump out at me, or how my northern accent is obvious when I travel south of the Mason/Dixon line.  I don't let that color form the basis of my interactions with a person.  The color of one's skin (along with an accented voice) can give you an idea of how people talk.  However, if I were to describe anyone by mentioning the skin color I would be scolded much more easily than if I referenced the accent.  

I love this series because it looks at how different races and its cultures impact its citizens, and it is done in a thought-provoking way and, I don't think it  is controversial at all.  Granted, that could be because I do not fit in this demographic of Americana, but I for one am glad to see it.  Race is still part of our daily national duologue, so its nice to see how the negativity and the positivity of being "black" impacts those who share that skin tone, and how that is handled individually.  Bravo to NBC for taking on this delicate subject.

Oh don't worry Ron.  We'll be talking about this series for months.  I do think you hit some things on the head.  Maybe y'all need to get out of New York and stop going to the same well over and over again for your research.  If you didn't know about the 70% out of wedlock rate then you aren't watching your own channel.  Chris matthews gave and entire hour of meet the press to Bill Cosby and he provided that stat.  That stat has been floating around for a while.

I think the most irritating aspect of the entire series is the way that it was hyped.  The title of the series is "African American Women: Where They Stand" well according to your series, our lives are quite gloomy and nothing could be further from the truth.
The fact that we are getting educations is a good thing.

While we might not all be jumping the broom, we have vibrant friendships and connections with the people in our lives.  We laugh together, travel together, do brunch together.

I'm quite frankly having the time of my life and so are many of my friends, but you would not know it to look at your series.

I hope that the amount of feedback is an indication that when NBC covers Black folks, we will tune in to watch.  As I have stated all week, I get my news from the internet, I don't watch TV news, but for an entire week, you've had me from 5:30 to 6:00.

So in that way i guess you are a success. Yeah things are rough out there, but they are also joyus and hopeful.  A new generation of Black women are finding their power.  blogs have been buzzing about this, but did you know that two of the mst popular black blogs out there are being run by two twenty-something African American women  (YBF AND CONCRETE LOOP).  I am talking about MILLIONS of web hits a month. They have more readers than People magazine.  Now THAT would have been a nice story to cover instead of placing entrepreneurship among African American women in terms of what Black men were or were not doing.

Seriously, do some forums or study groups, OUTSIDE OF MANHATTAN before you try this again please. I mean you are calling Irv Gotti and Melyssa Ford "leading African Americans"- Are y'all on some stuff?
At least now you know that folks will be watching.

But yeah, y'all over promised and under delivered. Your penance should be an entire evening of Dateline dedicated to the issue.

I hope Rehema has recovered from our response to Monday.  I kinda feel bad about how harsh we were, but we probably had unrealistic expectations.  Apparently  in depth means something else in TV land that it does in the real world and you sold this as focusing on Black women yet, you couldn't stop talking about Black men.

I hope tonight's piece isn't another slander of Black women voters, attempting to set them up as villains in the event Obama does not win.

This series has been great for traffic though:
http://whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com

I think the segment on African-American women and relationships was a good overall. However, it did not touch on a critical point regarding one of the reasons why the "70%" statistic exists. Due to institutionalized racism in this country, black men are virtually pulled into the criminal justice system. Black men make up the majority of those imprisoned. So why aren't black women marrying? Their men are in jail.

The time is ripe for segments on this topic.  I hope NBC News plans to cover black men and men and women of other minorities (like Latino) as well.  (In my opinion there's nothing wrong with putting ladies first).

In my opinion, the race situation in this country is getting worse.  Just this week I read of a cross-burning situation in Northern Westchester County (NY) and of a trial in Riverhead on Long Island (NY) involving the fatal shooting of a young white man who went to the home of a black high school classmate with two carloads of his friends, shouting racial insults (he was killed when a gun went off in a scuffle).  Hangman's nooses abound.

Showing black people in a positive light is definitely a step in the right direction.

www.bettyegriffin.com
www.chew-the-fat-with-Bettye-blogspot.com

I most say it's been great to know that many Black woman feel the same way and have the same problems. NBC has made awareness of subjects that are usually only talked among girl friends groups.  What's interesting is how God made different flowers with many colors and He did the same with humans. My best friend is white and I always tell her we can't get caught in the rain because her hair will go straight and I'll get an Afro.

Thanks Ron,
for your comments and the attempt at trying to explain what has been going on behind the scenes. Many of us live and work in our circles of life and don't really get a chance to see past what exists in front of us. It is not good or bad it is just the facts and the reasons that so many people chime in with their perspectives. Many will be similar and others completely different.

The main problem with the in depth report is that as usual it started with popular news hooks. Stories that have been already presented in some way lack of men in college, single mothers, heart disease, hip hop culture and interracial dating and the question about what would black women do having to choose between a women or a black man for President. Although some stories hinted at some of the challenges in our community like clinical trials vs experimentation or that single mothers don't really mean teen moms but includes women who have been divorced like other women or Professional women after divorce deciding to adopt children. These were only hints but hopefully since this is only the beginning we will see more in depth coverage on these issues.

Our lives are not as bad as some of these stories would lead many to believe we would love to see more depiction of the great successes in our culture as well as the challenges. There is still so much presented about why is bad being black in America.

The sound-bytes, less than 5 minutes a segment did not even come close to all the pre-program hype about discussing African-American Women issues.  Serious issues require indepth and comprehensive reporting.  We were all short-changed on this one.  

I agree with Gina from What About Our Daughters: while the intention was good more research needed to be done outside the walls of Manhattan. In addition, there was no balance between the positives and negatives of living as a woman with brown skin and curly hair a.k.a the African-American women. There is so much that society does not know about our community which includes those from the Caribbean and Africa, not just America. However, in order to know society and its individuals simply have to open their eyes and ask questions. On a personal level, this series has made me realize that I have a lot of work to do in my community in terms of helping others and arming them, especially the children with tools they need to survive in a positive and productive way in this world. It's time that as African-Americans we define our own system of what it is to live and emerge from behind the shadow of slavery. So, while NBC may not have gotten it quite right the first time, it has opened one of the floodgates of change that is to come. There is some truth in the saying that if you teach women to farm the world will not go hungry.  

To Beth T:
Unfortunately everyone isn't as blinded to skin color as you (ans thank you for treating all your patients with the same respect and care). As a result it is necessary to show the story of people who are "different" so everyone can see just how similar we all are. African Americans worry about the same things, the price of gas, will we find mates, educating our children as other groups. However, you would be surprised how many white people think the majority of black people are poor, illterate and/or criminal.

it would have been prudent for NBC to focus on the high oow birthrate among hispanics and illegals in this country which has passed the 70% oow in the african american community.the impact that its having on our healthcare system and taxpayers can no longer be ignored. why not talk about the overweight/obesity epidemic among mexican americans. stop focusing on black women so much. we know SOME of us have issues and so does other races of women.

After being an "invisible" woman for much of the day in the world and especially the workplace(opinionwise at least)it was certainly different to tune in and see some of the issues affecting my community being addressed. No, it wasn't a one-size-fits-all solution, but it was great to see my community's issues on the table. Please keep the dialog going, you may even get there eventually.

I am college educated, a working professional. Single, straight, no kids, christian, and I have my "own place".

I am a black man.

I dont know what makes me so different than men who are dead or in prison other than the choices I made. I grew up just as poor, divorced parents, alcoholic father working mom.

But somewhere along the line given the situations I see daily and on NBC, which has done a superb job, my life turned out different.

I dont thik I am special I just never wanted to fail. But if I got out, why didn't others?

I applaud your efforts. It is a start, and better than other network attempts, or show of lack of interest. Now, when can we expect the series' which focuses on black men, teens, and seniors? Our blog WeNeedToStop.com is frustrated with the state of black males and their sense of desensitization to crime and violence. More light needs to be shed on this problem. Thank you.

What kills me about the whole discussion of black women's new upward mobility is that it's never just that. It must always include things that black men aren't doing. Such as not taking care of their family. The last time I checked it took TWO people to create a child. Since the woman is the only one that will carry the child, the woman bears the most responsibility because it is HER BODY. Her first responsibility should be to insure that the man she's with plans on being in her life as long as the child is in her life. In my parents day that meant that the man and woman would MARRY BEFORE HAVING CHILDREN. There are more forms of contraceptives available now than at anytime in our history. Many do not require a man to administer it, as in the bc pill, the patch or the sticks in the arm, yet we keep having these unwed pregnancies. Grown women with Master's, Phd's, JD's are finding it impossible to use contraceptives or marry a man before she becomes pregnant. I'm not relieving men from their responsibilities as fathers, but I am noting the ridiculousness of the notion that black men are the main cause of out of wedlock pregnancies and one parent families. Also, being a young (35) newlywed to my MD wife, it's funny to see how the guys all the girls wanted were the he bad boys until the women get past 30 and now they want the good guy who they ignored for years. That man is now married with children and doing the things he was villified for in high school and college. Now that the woman has multiple children by some low life(low lives?) women want to blame the same men they wouldn't even date 10 years ago for not being there to pick up the pieces of their sad life. Give me a break.

A big thank you to you, NBC and all of the staff involved for making a week long series on different topics affecting Black women. It was a huge risk. I totally respect the initiative and applaud the dialogue and interest it created.

You mentioned “...the 70% single parent birth rate in the black community -- are pretty shocking. I knew there were a lot of kids born to single moms, but that many? I think a lot of other people are amazed by that, too".

This is SO amazing that data such as this is probably is not entirely true (I am a skeptic about data having been professionally involved with public health data and studies). I challenge everyone, you, Rehema, Mara and others involved to continue this great work with eyes wide open about "the data". The series has provoked lots of dialogue and action in a positive direction. Congratulations on a successful endeavor.

P.S. Thanks for the making the series available on the site! I could watch the clips when I had time to be totally focused.

A part of me feels sad for all those burdened single parent moms, but on the other hand, I really don't feel as if there is a place for a man in the home today.  Marriage is a very female-oriented institution and whenever Black men get involved with the legal system in this country, they end up getting the short end of the stick.  Some 67% of Black marriages end in divorce anyway, so if your a Black man, you'll probably end up getting the short end of the stick.  Black men are smart to not marry, stay single, and not overly committ themselves to this "American Dream" of a house in the suburbs, marriage and children.  As a 34 y.o. single Black man, I really doubt it's worth striving for anyway.

Wow, as much as I appeciated what the series presented I must say I was curious as what those comments were from those outside our race; for me I am engaged in my community and I'm not surprised by what was reported so again, what education was gained from those outside my race?  

Good point from Eric in Memphis. Too many times the obvious is missed in these discussions. The choices that we all make create these statistics. We need to determine to make better life decisions and then pass that on to the generations to come. Perception has to change, but unless the real problems are addressed the cycles will continue.

I made the decision to marry the woman that I did. The fact that she ended up committing adultery still doesn't change the fact that I chose her. I did not deserve that disloyalty, but I joined myself to someone who was more interested in a self-serving agenda than she was in committing herself to the building of an enduring family. Her character was overlooked (some obvious flaws surfaced that I ignored because of her attractiveness). This has not soured me on the Black woman, because I prefer women of color anyway (not just of African decent). To think that a Black woman has less to offer than someone of another rrace is absurd. Any notion that a Black woman, who has made a bad choice in selecting the father of her children, is somehow unredeemable is also utterly ridiculous. But nonetheless, the criteria for that selection has to put into question.

Teach the younger generations of growing adults and children, male and female, to not set their standards based on what is popular or the superficial. Far too many times we settle for those things that in the end only cause us harm. We should aim for that which is best for all involved and not cut ourselves short. If not, in the end we only teach others to settle for far less and diminish any great vision for the future. Let's actually learn from our mistakes and so teach our children to aim even higher than we ever imagined. The future is only as bright as your ability to have a great vision for it. This life can be difficult and I have only walked in my own shoes, but better decision making can make a brighter tomorrow.

I guess one could sit all day and play blame the blame game until one tires from it. But I believe the root causes have been ignored and continue to be ignored. The root cause is our choices as indiviuals which are a refelecton of our Character, be we male or female.  We are are talking about over 30,000,000 people in this country when we speak of African Americans.  We were all created by God and we all have the same potential for good or evil without regard to our skin color. Black men are no worse than white men. I have noticed that a black man no matter how much he endeavors to rise above the negativity that besets him, still has to deal with the stereotypical view of his diminished potential.

 In the movie cited (someting new) that landscaper was considered a good prosepect with potential and it was only the issue of race that was the inital hang up.  Had that been a balck man it would have been portrayed as a dead end job with little upside to it.
If we are going to simplyfy the causes of problems among back women and men then why not look at the real culprit; our choices and our preceptions about our own race.

I am a black man and from my experience it has been my chocies (affected by my faith in Christ) that have caused me to choose a path of responibility. There is not magic pill, not even my faith, it comes down to making right choices and having a mindset to do so as a way of life. On the one hand when I was in high school I was not the popular one and I was back then called a nerd because I chose to study and be responsible.  It was the guys who were athletes or had the bad boy rep that the girls were drawn to. Sme of my good friends who were nice and courteous were teased also unless someone neede help with school work. So from an early age black men are socialized to respect performance and rebellious behavior over self-discipline and intellectual achievment.  Yet in all that it is still a choice.            

We can not have it both ways; where we elevate to superstar staus those who perform over those who strive to educate themselves. There are many black men who are assumed to be failures or having litlte or no potential simply because of the color of thier skin.  How many untold stories are there across this country of success and how many young boys are already being set up by a lack of balance wehre all they here is a tidal wave of negaitve statistics.

Eevn thoug we have been labled as failures in our society and seen as lacking very little potential, black men are not infferior.  If you want to marry outside your race it is your choice, but don't use as an excuse that nearlly all black men are failing or are locked up.

Any man can disrepect regardless of skin color, any woman can disrespect. There are far more caucasian men than black in this country and so it is more difficult to see thier unwise choices as they are more easily masked.  

I wonder if there will ever be a story on the good things black men do? I wonder if ever someone will sit down and say " you know, this can not be as dire as we think; maybe we need some balance?"  

Look at what we place value on in our society, not hard work and progress, but instant fame and fortune. All of these choices that are made will have a consequence and are indeed having a consequence on black americans and beyond.  Our culture breeds irresponsibility and lack of self-disipline.  We say there are too many unwed black mothers and yet through our actions and culture we encourage sex to beigin at a very young age and out of wedlock. We make it almost impossible to think about anything but sex.  There is a saying in the bible that the LOVE of money is the ROOT of all EVIL. If it were not for the love money and profits; how many things would we have changed by now that are detroying black americans.  How many choices would we have held back from making because we clearly saw them as? There is too much money being made from all the things that are root causes in the plight of African Americans.

Imagine how our society would change if we as a people and our country as a nation chose to honor God and not make money by sexualizing nearly every aspect of our daily living and putting a price tag on anythng that moves? Wow, what a concept!

AJ

     



 

                                     

Ron Allen, tonight you shone not only in you reporting of the election but of all the people on both the Dem. & Rep. talks tonight your attire was spectaular.  You looked like a million dollars.  Great taste.  It matched your fine mind and command of reporting.  Thanks for your efforts.

I read a lot of the subject matter and it was very learning,but no one spoke for me. I am a 70 year old black male my education is limited so I am going to blame my fellow man, got marry to young,had children that I could not afford again I found someone else to blame.
My point is this we tend to blame someone else for our short commings,education,financial or penel, we have to learn to take responsible for our actions inclusing birth control. I did well in my life but I would not want to go through it again with an education.

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