Tag Archives: African-American

The Black List Gave Me Goosebumps

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The rich and diverse fabric of African-American culture and accomplishment is on display and being celebrated in Washington, D.C.

Serena Williams, Toni Morrison, Puffy, Samuel Jackson, John Legend and Whoopi Goldberg are there.

There are fifty distinctive individuals…some weren’t as recognizable to me…others’ accomplishments shatter myopic and limited stereotypes.

These men and women were the ones who really filled me with pride, made me smile and compelled me to tell you that, if possible, you need to go and see The Black List.

Even if you’ve seen the HBO special, you will benefit and be moved by the museum experience.
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ life-sized portraits capture each individual’s humanity and soul.

Admission is free.

Yes, the Black List gave me goosebumps and my soul soared!

The National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian.
October 28, 2011 – April, 22, 2012

 

(Pictured from top to bottom are Steve Stoute, media mogul; Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; and Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts)

Mad Men, Advertising and the absence of African-Americans…at the top

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I am very selective with regard to the television that I watch on a regular basis.

The AMC Series Mad Men falls into the category of what I do watch.
It is intelligent television – well written and well acted.

The season four finale aired last Sunday, prompting an onslaught of media coverage including a candid New York Times interview with the show’s creator, Matthew Weiner.

One of the questions focused on the show’s lack of any major African-American (or other minority) characters.

Weiner explained, given the 1965 timeline and within the storyline:

“…this is going to change. By the way, it changes socially. It does not change in advertising. It still has not changed. And I will go to the mat on this thing.”

As a 25 year veteran of the ad industry, I agree with Weiner.

Strides have been made as evidenced by the presence of African-Americans in all facets of the business today.

However, I would not go as far as to suggest that racism does not exist in advertising.

It does.

While the journey is far from over, the fictional arc of where the industry was as portrayed in the show represents the steps taken forward.

To the original points I made, Mad Men is good and entertaining television.

Like the African-American ad executives that Weiner referenced in the interview, I believe that there should not be more African-American characters in the show.

Simply put, it just wouldn’t ring true.

I stand on the shoulders of pioneers like Tom Burrell, Caroline Jones, Frank Mango, Vince Cullers and Madam CJ Walker.

Their efforts may not make it to the Mad Men storyline, but their importance and trailblazing efforts changed the trajectory of the advertising industry.

click here _ for the full New York Times article.

Wake Up Everybody

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Have you noticed that Race in America is prevalent in our daily discourse?

Like back pain that is temporarily masked by therapy or medication, the topic of race is always just beneath the surface, lurking.

A sudden movement, twist or turn can act as a catalyst thrusting it forward.

While I am fully aware of the recent remarks by Laura Schlessinger, I chose to not ‘weigh in’ because I felt that I had nothing ‘new’ to add to the conversation.

Inappropriate behavior is simply that, inappropriate.

It is neither a ‘pass’ for the offender or a justification for the offended to wear the badge of victim.

I attended a client meeting at an ‘old world’ resort in the Virginia Mountains not too long ago. By old world, I mean it first opened its doors a decade before the American Revolution.

Another guest, an elderly White gentleman, made the assumption that I was at the front desk, not to check in, but to assist with his luggage.
His assumption was based on what? Certainly not the clothing that I wore because the standard uniform for employees was topped off with a split pea green vest with a small gold-like name tag.

I’ve always found green a difficult color to pull off.

When the news of a horrific crime is reported, I hold my breath and wait for the description of the suspect.

My mind automatically shifts into ‘auto drive’ and think, “thank God it wasn’t someone Black” or “I hope it wasn’t someone Black.”

These circumstantial examples, along with a handful of other current events, caused Bob Herbert’s Op-Ed column in last Saturday’s New York Times, Too Long Ignored, to touch a nerve. He said,

Terrible injustices have been visited on black people in the United States, but there is never a good reason to collaborate in one’s own destruction. Blacks in America have a long and proud history of overcoming hardship and injustice. It’s time to do it again.

We are in need of an intervention and for all of the reasons outlined in Too Long Ignored, Black America is at a crucial point where the fix must come sooner rather than later.

This fix is one that we have to take responsibility for and implement. Our survival is dependent upon it.

I encourage you to read the full piece and join me in fueling the conversation.
This sentiment is not new, but one that requires igniting…again.

Like the lyrics from the Gamble-Huff song, Wake Up Everybody say:

The world won’t get no better if we just let it be
The world won’t get no better we gotta change it yeah, just you and me.

For the full Herbert column full text click here

Reading is Fundamental

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Bitch Is the New Black: A MemoirVintage HughesWhen I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man

Work-related travel finds me spending inordinate amounts of time on trains, planes and in hotels.

Reading has become the exercise I use to fill the time and occupy my brain while I wait for the next train or simply find myself stranded because of a cancelled or delayed flight.

I tend to travel with several books because one never knows what mood will strike and variety provides not only options, but also, control.

I am currently reading three books –

When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead – Useful Stories From A Persuasive Man

Jerry Weintraub is an authentic self-made American icon.

The book shares stories and anecdotes from his life and career which has intersected with – to name a few – Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker, Sinatra, US Presidents, George Clooney and Hollywood.

From producing Led Zeppelin concerts to films – The Karate Kid (1984 & 2010) to Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen, Weintraub shares insights and points-of-view that are enlightening and entertaining.

“…you need more than material things. I mean, yes, the material can be nice. I like having what I have, but I know none of it is mine, that we are renters on earth…life will never satisfy if it is experienced only as the rise and fall of commerce. You need to see yourself as part of something larger that never dies.”

Vintage Hughes (A Collection of Poetry and Short Stories by Langston Hughes)

Langston Hughes a renaissance man is another American icon.

An activist, poet, novelist, playwright who came to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance period, Vintage Hughes includes some of Hughes’ most poignant work.

His work captures the rhythm of African-American community – a rhythm that is prevalent and optimistic driving us all forward.

Advice by Langston Hughes

Folks, I’m telling you,
birthing is hard
and dying is mean –
so get yourself
a little loving
in between

Bitch is The New Black

I heard the author, Helena Andrews, being interviewed on the radio recently.

I grimaced, laughed out loud and pondered much of what was being said.

Admittedly, I just got this book, so can only share initial thoughts and impressions from the interview.

Bitch is The New Black is an autobiographical sketch of her life, experiences, both personally and professionally.

I have to say that I was so engrossed in this book that I almost missed my (delayed) flight as I sat reading it at the gate area.

“This scathingly witty author examines a wide variety of topics that, beneath the jokes and sarcasm, address weighty issues (depression, aging, abortion) with wry astuteness…An irreverent, savvy and sharp memoir.“

-Kirkus Reviews

The Evolution of Black Women

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My co-workers and I are in the throes of what we call “planning.”

To the uninitiated, this “annual ritual” is when we “plan” a marketing calendar on behalf of a specific client for the upcoming year.

In anticipation of this, I typically read as much as I can get my hands on relating to the African-American Consumer.

There was an article in The New York Times today, “Black Women See Fewer Black Men at the Altar,” that caught my attention.

While intrigued and fascinated by the content of this article, I couldn’t help but feel that it didn’t tell the whole story.

The Evolution of Black Women in America shows a shift and “re-org” of her priorities…her needs, desires and ultimately, what is motivating to her.

Fact – Younger Black women are delaying and/or forgoing childbearing.

Only 13% age 18 – 24 are living with related children compared to 37.9%,
age 25-34

…and this makes sense, because delayed childbearing has, in my opinion, a direct correlation to increased levels of college enrollment and graduation rates.

One could go further and say that this translates to higher paying jobs and the ability to pursue and commit to career growth and development.

Fact – 40% of Black adults, 18 years of age and older are married compared to 57% of all adults.
Conversely, 42% of Black adults have never married versus 26% of all adults.

There is a Bill Cosby quote that may be the best articulation of the evolution of Black women in America:

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

Perhaps it is “harder for Black women to find a husband.”
But could it be that it is not at the top of her new priority list?

Click here -to read the full article from the Times.