Black in America

Black in America is a multi-part series of documentaries hosted by reporter Soledad O'Brien on CNN. The series is about various issues regarding African-Americans, and includes a study on the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr., panel discussions on issues facing the African-American community, and a look at the culture of African-American families, men and women.

The two-part documentary on Black men, women, and families that aired on July 23 - July 24, 2008 became one of CNN's most watched programs - drawing an average of 2.6 million viewers and outperforming the network's year-to-date averages for 9-11 p.m. by double and triple digits. [ [TV Week] [http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/07/cnns_black_in_america_grabs_bi.php] ] The series was promoted through an extensive advertising campaign that included television, radio, print, and online promotions.

It featured exclusive commentary by music mogul Russell Simmons, Grammy-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco, comedian D.L. Hughley, award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, and actress/comedian Whoopi Goldberg.

The program was so successful that CNN.com’s interactive section for "Black in America" garnered over 2.4 million page views. In addition, the "Black In America" iReport.com assignment brought in over 1,000 reports.

Even a group of motivated supporters were inspired to launched an online community at http://www.BlackInAmerica.com to compliment the program. The site essentially is a social network for African Americans who want to address the issues and challenges of Black America. [ [BlackNews.com] [http://www.blacknews.com/news/black_in_america101.shtml] ]

On September 2, 2008, the "CNN Presents: Black in America" documentary was made available for sale on Amazon.com and other retailers. It is also available through iTunes for download.

CNN is currently working on other documentaries and undercovered stories for the "Black In America" series. The next one will track a group of kids from Brooklyn, New York who are traveling to South Africa.

Parts of Series

*Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination: "First aired on date|2008-04-03; two hours long."

An thorough investigation is conducted on how James Earl Ray, an armed robber and escaped convict, had already spent an uncommon year on the run just a month before his path collided with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee.

*The Black Woman and Family: "First aired on date|2008-07-23; two hours long."

An exploration of the varied experiences of black women and families investigates the disturbing statistics of single parenthood, racial disparities between students and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS. CNN also reports on the progress of Black women in the workplace and the status of the Black middle class.

*The Black Man: "First aired on date|2008-07-24; two hours long."

Through the personal stories of graduates of the 1968 class of Little Rock Central High School and their sons and grandsons, CNN explores the state of Black men in America. The network dispels the myths and examines the disparities between blacks and whites in education, career, economic achievement and the devastating rates of Black male incarceration.

Feedback

Syndicated columnist Kam Williams harshly criticized the series in a widely circulated DVD review, saying that it was full of "infuriating mistakes". One part of his review read: "My biggest overall problem had to do with the program’s periodic factual inaccuracies, such as when [Soledad] O'brien refers to the riot which erupted in L.A. after the Rodney King decision as the most deadly U.S. riot in 100 years. She conveniently ignores other more bloody incidents like the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 when over 300 blacks were slaughtered by white militiamen. What’s up with that?" [ [KamWilliams.com] [http://www.kamwilliams.com/2008/08/cnn-presents-black-in-america-dvd.html] ]

Other columnists, such as Askia Muhammad from the Final Call, also criticized the series calling it "a faulty portrait". One part of his column read: "CNN was able with this report to make what many Black men had rejected as the “American Nightmare,” appear now to be the “New American Dream." [ [Final Call] [http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5081.shtml] ]

On the contrary, Washington Post columnist Tom Shales, called it an "expressive portrait". He said that CNN turned ordinary stories into an "extraordinary series." His column reads: " [The series] looms as a tremendous accomplishment for O'Brien and for the many producers, editors and crew members who poured themselves into it. And if no good comes of it, it won't be their fault." [ [Washington Post] [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072203218.html] ]

Raymond Leon Roker, a columnist for the Huffington Post, applauded CNN for taking the chance with such a controversial program. "This is never easy, as you're bound to misfire on all sides in some ways," he says. "To its credit, the series did give airtime to topics rarely discussed outside the barber/beauty shops, campuses and black kitchen tables of America." [ [Huffington Post] [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raymond-leon-roker/black-in-america-are-we-t_b_115245.html] ]

References

External links

* [http://cnn.com/BlackInAmerica Official 'Black in America' website]
* [http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=9773 'Black In America' iReport.com Assignment]
* [http://www.BlackInAmerica.com 'Black In America' Social Network]