j2parks member for 28 weeks 2 days Send a message

As I ran to my Tivo to tune in on the Cnn Special Black in America I sat wide eyed and mouth watering to see what I was in store for...Well...While it wasn't anything I wasn't aware of I found my emotions to be mixed.

DEPRESSING- After they told me all the statistics of black women and men I decided that I was going to die of either diabetes, aids, or breast cancer since they promise that those are the black women killers. Then I found that black men will all pretty much end up in jail. Now of course I'm exaggerating but in that same instance I truely felt saddened then a bit of regression. It is 2008 and black man is running for president! Now that isn't to say that racism and equality is still skewed but we have come a good ways.

I watched the women and family and half of the black men (too depressing) The women and family one I enjoyed. Mainly because they really did show the flip side of black women. We are more likely to graduate college and our stats are on the rise in corporate america. But in that same instance they had us follow a women with 5 count them 5 children that she was raising herself. The first thing my mother yelled at the t.v. was 'Why won't she just close her damn legs!' and that was right on target. I don't feel bad for a women black or white who won't slow down in between panting to say "got a condom". I feel like that's your situation not mine.

Another issue that I thought was a good point was the black women who are educated and career driven are taking longer to have children while the highschool girls who aren't yet educated are having children. It's like the wrong women are having babies. Don't get me wrong because I'm not having any anytime soon no matter how educated I am but it seems that the women who can actually afford to raise a child and give them the right tools to succeed are choosing careers right now. (ME!)

One more side bar...out of all the statistics they vomitted out I didn't know one black man or woman that fitted them.
I don't know anyone in jail. Period.
I don't know anyone with aids. Period.
I don't know anyone who didn't graduate highschool. Period.
I don't know any 3 time felones. Period!

EXCITED- I did really like the positive side to our existence. To see a family reunion that is a pillar in the black community. To see graduates, too many to count, of beautiful black people making something of them selves. TO show the side of 'us' that isn't wearing baggy clothes, that instead of cursing people out is actually using their education to get ahead, women who choose not to settle, people who are aware of the stereotypes and strive to never fit into them, the fathers who take care of their children and refuse to do otherwise, the black men who want jobs and lazy isn't in their vocabulary.

I was raised by my two biological parents whom are still together. I was raised with a couple of siblings in a place where college wasn't an option for blacks or whites. All of my friends from highschool (in my circle that was 6) have graduated with their bachelors and half going on for their masters. All my friends in college ( a cirlce of 6) have graduated and are all full time salaried employees. Out of these groups only 4 didn't have both parents. None of them have children.

I am definitely aware that this is my side of the world and that most of these things do happen to black men and women. There are women who have more childrens with different men then not. There are bad fathers. There is mostly black men in jail. So I'm sure that the stats are true I mean it is CNN. I guess I just find it hard to grasp growing up in Tulsa, Ok. Now living in the inner city of Chicago I definitely believe that some of those are true. My theory is if there are 10 blacks lets say living in Tulsa and 10 in Chicago; maybe 8 of the Tulsans may be doing fine without any of those stats but of the 10 in an inner city 8 may have one of the five given problems. That will make the states 50% of blacks will have a sterotypical problem. (Hopefully that made sense)

I'm not in denial I'm just in concern

This is all my opinion and we all have them so weigh in on what you think. If you saw it or just from what I said!

Black in America...thumbs up or thumbs down!