Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Marilyn Rhames Says We Need Media To Tell More Inspiring Stories From The Black Community
11 Jun
My friend Michelle, who is completing her Masters in Education, sent me this blog post from Marilyn Rhames’s blog, Charting My Own Course, which appeared recently on the Education Week website.
I’ve often thought about how when it comes to race, the images we see in the media–read about in books and magazines, watch on television and at the movies, and hear about on the news, all seem so narrow. First of all, we might say people of color are often absent from the majority of what we see in print and on the screen. And, when they do appear, too often, it’s the same recycled images–the hip-hop star, the black criminal (on television crime shows and in the news), and the black comedian whose “black jokes” we cautiously laugh at.
I’m not saying we haven’t progressed, or that there isn’t more representation of people of color in these arenas that is positive, and more well-rounded, but I think we still have a way to go. We’re all individuals. There are many ways to be black, to be white, to be Asian, etc. And, I think if we can show this, and tell the stories, let the stories be heard from the black community that are positive, we, and our children, can learn that we are not all that different. We desire the same things in life. We can learn that “the other” is not to be feared, but to be revered. We are all the same.
I’ll end, on a lighter note, saying I was flattered when Michelle said that she could easily picture me as the Jewish woman noted in the article here. Enjoy the read! […]
