Media Alert: Daughters of Legacy

12 Jul 2008 Author: rikyrah

‘Daughters of Legacy’

To the world, they are activists, leaders, icons. But these women know them as “Dad.” The daughters of MLK, Ali, Malcolm X, Johnnie Cochran and Sidney Poitier… in their first conversation, together.

CNN, Sat. & Sun., 6 & 11 p.m. ET.

Tags: CNN, Daughters of Legacy

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Teacher
I enjoyed seeing the beautiful daughters of legacy, but I thought the show was shallow & scattered. I didn't get much out of it.
Kat
I just saw an ad on CNN that said that they are running a special on June 22 & 23rd called “Black in America”. I just caught the last part, but it looked like the first night is called “The Black Woman & Family” and the second night is called “The Black Man”.
I'm hoping I saw that wrong.
Miss_Opinion
No you saw it right lol I don't see a problem with that. There is the black family and women, who are for the most part left to raise “the family” And black men are not always apart of that. I imagine that segment will deal with the issues and negative stereotypes that black men face in America.
Kat
Its just the thought of nuanced issues being discussed on CNN…… ugh.
Teacher
They also advertised a program entitled Reclaiming the Dream. It looked like it might be like the 2nd half of Meeting David Wilson, if you saw that.
Where is my Lou Dobbs dart board? He is full of caca.
TruthSeeker
Dan Abrams once referred to Dobbs as “Chatty Cathy”…lol
caligirl
yeah, i second your “ugh”. to separate them out that way (ESPECIALLY when considering the network) seems strange. it gives the impression that pathology will be the focal point. why not “the black family” (where they include/discuss single/2-parent/extended families), “the black woman”, “the black man”…? i guess we'll see where it goes…
i'll tune in, but i have to admit that my expectations are low.
Observer
I agree with the Teacher about the CNN story on Daughers of Legacy. The interviewer was weak and clearly not very knowledgeable about the fathers or perhaps because of his lack of skill as an interviewer, he did not know how to ask sensitive and nuanced questions. It was scattered and we never learned anything about Atlallah or Poitier's daughter's life work. It was also shallow because all 5 women were not in conversaton together and I believe there was a reason for that. Bernice King and Atallah Shabazz cannot and would not be in the same room together. I would imagine that Atallah wouldn't stand for it NOT because of animosity about the King family and the famous lie about the King/X polarity, because actually Atallah and Yolanda King were best friends and to show Martin King and Malcolm X as opposites was fiction. In any case, Yolanda and Atallah worked together for many, many years and cared deeply for each other. But the horrific power plays in the King family with Dexter and Yolanda on one side and Bernice and Martin on the other probably had Atallah siding with Yolanda in many ways. After all, Bernice is a Bush loving homophobe. All this to say, there is a huge reason why all 5 women weren't in the room together and this is unfortunate. It didn't allow for a richer or more cohesive discussion on things like religion and activism (e.g. Islam which both Rashidah Ali and Atallah Shabazz could have discussed as daughters growing up as Muslims,) or the King/X relationships and remembrances of Yolanda and Coretta; or a deeper discussion about relationships or their own activism or even the difference between still having your father vs. losing your father to disease, illness or assasination and then for Bernice and Atlallah who both lost their mothers as well. This was probably not an area to go into but a good journalist could have figured out a way to have them discuss loss and legacy in a more substantive manner.
msmartin
I agree, it could have been much more than what it was.
msmartin
I seriously doubt that. CNN's coverage of “Black America” thus far has been shallow. I'm remebering the interviews of the college children and how race has affected them.
TruthSeeker
Wow, I did wonder why they were separate. Were Yolanda and Atallah more than friends? I found myself wanting to know more about them, and was intrigued by the friendship between Atallah and Poitier's daughter . Don is not the greatest interviewer..LOL, but he does have an odd charm.
The interview you're talking about would be 3 hours long and would be called a documentary.
rikyrah
Just finished Daughters of Legacy and I, too, was underwhelmed. I think I could have gone an hour with the daughters of Malcolm X and Sidney Poitier…I found myself always wanting MORE from their segments.
womanistmusings
I don't know what I was expecting when I say down to watch it but I was left with the feeling that something was missing. I wasn't moved nor did I feel any kind of real kinship with these women. Also why was a story about women using a male reporter? Are our stories only valuable when mediated by a man? I am going to watch the second half and hope for better…
http://bronzetrinity.blogspot.com Bronze Trinity
I was disappointed. It seemed pretty superficial. I like the interviewer on CNN but during the interview, he just wasn't answering questions I thought were important. I thought it would be about what the daughters though of their father's controversial statements and work, do they think things have changed, what they think of the people who murdered or criticized their fathers etc. I also thought they would show all of the children with details about what all of the children were doing. I don't think they even really covered the issue of civil rights, the problems Black people are still facing, and what needs to be changed. It could have been a lot better.
dcholder
I disagree. I thought Don Lemon did an excellent job and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire interview. Each daughter spoke from the heart and displayed the love they have for their fathers. I am sure each father would be proud.
Perhaps all five women were not in the same place because they may live or work in different geographic locations. I am sure that what was spoken would have been the same if Atallah Shabazz and Bernice KIng had been in the same room. Why would one assume that there would be friction between these two intelligent and sophisticated women? I have heard both of them speak many times throughout the years. I am also aware of the close relationship Atallah and Yolanda King enjoyed. But to assume their relationship would cause Atallah to side with anyone is presumptive. Also, whatever their politics may be does not deflect from the well-spoken women they are.
The interview was only one hour and I wish it had been longer. Pehaps then it would have included all the subject matter you feel was missing. I think it was very well done. I also hope it will be aired again.
mspierre
I really think we are as black need to be more positive stop sitting down and complaining all the time. I mean cnn is doing this special if you don't like it do your own interview or write to cnn and give them your ideas instead of sitting down complaining about the same old thing.
fd
ask yourself the question: Did the father of these daughters engage in: racism, prejudice or bigotry ?
Did the father of these daughters MAKE money from that racism, prejudice and bigotry ?
Didnt Johnny Cochrane, make a fortune exclusively representing not those who didn't kill people , and needed representation— but rather he only represented blacks who actually killed whites for racist reasons?
Didnt cochrane make money that way, through appeal to prejudice ?
SHouldnt his daughter give back the money ?
Did the daughters who got money and privillege from their father's being racist, prejudiced and bigoted, ever feel the need to apply the reasoning of the
repairations movement, which claims that even though a person today doesnt own slaves, because they profited from it monetarily from an inheritence, they should give back the ill gotten gains ?
Did Malcolm X rise to power and wealth and fame by calling “white men devils” who were made by “Yacub” ?
So shouldnt Malcolm X”s daughter give back the money ?
Didnt MLK sleep with white woman and use them, while enriching himself with nobel prize money ?
So shouldnt MLK's daughter feel guilty and give back the money ?
Didnt Ali encourage blacks not to fight in Vietnam by his example, thus increasing the number of whites who dies there, because more had to be sent to Vietnam, to replace those blacks who followed Ali's example and chose not to serve ?
So shouldnt Ali's daughter feel guilty and give back the money ?
anna
fd makes some good points,
the people listed were more infamous than famous
their daughters shouldnt be held responsible though,
but maybe the show could have been entitled ” Daughters of Bigotry”
sach
Frankly speaking, what you're saying is ignorant. Malcolm X never attained wealth at any point during his life. Although is was rumored that King had extra martial affairs, where's the evidence that he had encounters with white women? And Ali did not kill any white person when he courageously refused military induction during the 60s
sach
Frankly speaking, what you're saying is ignorant. Malcolm X never attained wealth at any point during his life. Although is was rumored that King had extra martial affairs, where's the evidence that he had encounters with white women? And Ali did not kill any white person when he courageously refused military induction during the 60s
sach
Frankly speaking, what you're saying is ignorant. Malcolm X never attained wealth at any point during his life. Although is was rumored that King had extra martial affairs, where's the evidence that he had encounters with white women? And Ali did not kill any white person when he courageously refused military induction during the 60s
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