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Story by Terry Shropshire
Images by Christopher Martin / CNN for Steed Media Service
NEW ORLEANS – What a difference a year makes. Several major events have happened in black America since the Soledad O’Brien-produced “Black in America” documentary series for CNN pricked the national consciousness last year. As CNN prepares to air its highly anticipated follow-up, “Black in America 2,” the most symbolic event, of course, was the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States, but there are others that might have even more direct impact on the quality of life for black Americans. For instance: the greatest collapse of the American economy in over 70 years; and subsequently, the loss of jobs and the dangerous disintegration of the black middle class. Even the death of pop icon Michael Jackson put race at the forefront of the national discussion. Was Michael’s self-mutilation a vestige of racial self-hatred? If so, why was the black community able to look past the phenomenon to embrace Jackson — whose corpse was described as being “paper white” — with an emotional outpouring that felt as personal as the loss of a close relative? O’Brien assures viewers that “Black in America 2” will not only explore what it really means to be black in America,the world-renowned journalist also promises that the four-hour documentary, which airs July 22 and 23, will build on the momentum that “Black in America” provided while exploring answers to seemingly insurmountable problems.
“ ‘Black in America 2’ will focus on emerging leaders and long-standing pioneers, people who are developing innovative programs in addressing the most persistent and the most pressing disparities that face African Americans in this country,” O’Brien stated during the Essence Music Festival in the Crescent City. “The goal is to acknowledge real problems, real issues. But also [to] look to real solutions — solutions that work, first and foremost — and that are scalable and replicable. So anything that works in one community, that someone from any other community can say ‘we need that here in our backyard, too’ is what we’re looking for.” From O’Brien’s vantage point, it was totally appropriate for the world-renowned CNN journalist to return to New Orleans to provide the first previews of “Black in America 2.” It is here, in the aftermath of the deadliest natural disaster in American history, Hurricane Katrina, that the critically acclaimed documentary “Black in America” really took root. When Katrina —– and to a lesser extent Hurricane Rita —– blasted ashore off the Gulf of Mexico, it not only ripped away homes, killed scores of citizens and uprooted lives, Katrina and Rita also tore away the thin veneer of a racially reconciled society in America.
“Through documentaries, I’ve been able to create little stories of civil rights, true heroes. And the experience has changed my life. During [the aftermath of Hurricane] Katrina, we met literally thousands of people who, despite being abandoned, survived and did more than that. They survived and came back to rebuild their homes again, and put time in to make a difference,” O’Brien said after she accepted McDonald’s Black365 Award, one of the many ceremonies that took place during the Essence Music Festival. “In ‘Black in America,’ we saw people poised for a seismic shift as the first African American became president of the United States. And in ‘Black in America 2’ we are discovering that all of our fates are intertwined. Parts of our society cannot fail, whether they are black or Latino or Asian American or white. They cannot fail, and we … expect to do well as a nation. It cannot happen. So we all must do something about our failing schools. All of us must be concerned about the success for everyone.” With over 16 million viewers tuning in for “Black in America” last year, O’Brien was able to tap the pulse of a nation still grappling with what NAACP co-founder W.E.B. Du Bois said would be America’s greatest problem. “I get love notes scrolled to me on airplanes. I get e-mails from time to time saying ‘you’re not black enough to be telling this story about black people.’ And I love it, I truly do,” she said. “Because it’s a true indication of [a] conversation, a discussion, about race in America that we tapped into last year and it’s continuing today. … We want to talk about progress and how to make that progress an opportunity available to everyone.”
O’Brien was at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans for the taping of “Black in America 2: Reclaiming the Dream,” scheduled to air Aug. 13, and featuring primarily African American celebrities and political personalities from around the nation. They will acknowledge that we are in the greatest economic peril since the Great Depression and how African Americans are being acutely affected by it. “The economy is [the] context from which we are working … today. The hit that the black middle class took is very real and part of that is a story. But I think the silver lining that we can see consistently is that we look forward to better days. Fifty-one percent of African Americans [say] they feel financially secure [enough] now to be able to provide for their children. But 86 percent [say] that they are confident [they] will lead better lives. It’s an indication of real hope. I’m happy today to share the stories of people who are making a huge impact in their neighborhood and sometimes in the nation,” says O’Brien. During the segment, O’Brien will re-emphasize what President Obama implored Americans to realize during his historic run for the White House: “President Obama said we cannot succeed if [the] pockets of our nation are failing. We cannot, in a global economy, be successful as a whole if those pieces — regardless [of] what those pieces look like, [whether] they look like us or they don’t look like us — are failing,” she says. “It cannot happen. We cannot live happily in our homes if homes here in New Orleans look like Hurricane Katrina hit yesterday. That cannot happen in this nation. It is not OK. So part of ‘Reclaiming the Dream’ is reclaiming the dream for everyone. We all get to be a part of it. We all get to be successful as Americans. That will be the goal in our conversation.” The conversation will undoubtedly center around what are arguably the two biggest names in the world today: President Obama and Michael Jackson. O’Brien said it is not surprising that there is such a disparity in the perception of how black and white Americans view the performance of Obama thus far.
“Ninety-six percent of African Americans have a positive take on Obama. And it doesn’t surprise me at all. And even the other number [for white Americans], which I believe [is a] 58 percent approval rating is high,” she says, cautioning against hasty assessments of the Obama administration thus far. With the economy still in the valley, the two wars and the health care crisis — all issues that Obama inherited — O’Brien says it will take time for the nation to climb out of it. The descendants of African slaves are overtly pushing for Obama to succeed — not only for the good of the country, but for the sake of their psyches as well. “For African Americans, the election of President Obama … was much more than ‘hey, that guy got elected and he happens to be black.’ It’s the symbol of things changing from times when the Constitution said blacks were three-fifths of a human being. It’s really a monumental [and] historic change,” says O’Brien. The death of transcendent musical megastar Michael Jackson will also be discussed along with how this controversial and eccentric man changed the face of music and popular culture forever. The Jackson segment fits right into the context of the “Black in America” franchise’s goal to highlight pioneers. “… Here was a guy who constantly pushed down barriers. You see him as an artist taking these steps and artistically doing things that no one had ever done before,” says O’Brien of Jackson. “And on every step he was moving the bar so much further and faster than everyone else behind him. I heard an interview with Sting on TV and he was like, ‘I looked at that video, ‘Thriller,’ and thought, ‘how do I get to that level?’ “That was the benchmark,” says O’Brien of Sting’s comments. “What a remarkable thing for African Americans.”
“Black in America” became a cultural phenomenon.“Black in America 2,” hosted by CNN star reporter Soledad O’Brien, promises even more as the show features the first African American president (Barack Obama), the death of the first musical superstar of the video age (Michael Jackson), and the first African American owner of a major Hollywood studio (Tyler Perry). |
“It’s funny, ‘cause people will say, ‘who did you do the story for?’ and the way I do documentaries is I find good characters who tell good stories, and if they are riveting and you fall in love with them and you’re interested in watching everything they do, then that’s a good story. And I really don’t care what they look like. For ’Black in America’ we’re focusing on African Americans,” she says. “But it’s not really made for anybody. But it was a good story. Anyone with a compelling story, a compelling narrative and something unfolding — that’s just a good story. And everybody’s going to want to see that. I mean, I watch good stories on all kinds of people. I don’t watch a story and say ‘this is a story about Asian Americans, I’m not sure I’m going to relate.’ I watch the story and say, ‘that’s an amazing human being. And what can I take from their story and apply it to my life?’ Good stories are for anybody.”
