Jack & Jill Politics

I recently read an article about the demise of Hip Hop journalism and how it was taken over by sensationalism and gossip. Coming from a a Hip Hop background I saw the points and remembered how I was first inspired to get into politics by Hip Hop.  I gloated about how I do real journalism to my Hip Hop journalism comrades. Still several of them pointed out that what I do was not to different from them. They were quick to point out that my top stories were Chris Brown and Rihanna, Dwayne Wade and STD’s and the J-Hud tragedy.

This got me thinking about the lack of positive black news or lack there of. I posted an interview I did with Professor Charles Ogletree, who is an excellent example of a positive black man who has done a lot during his career to advance the cause of black people, from clerking with Thurgood Marshall, to helping draft the South African constitution to helping mold the minds of Michelle and Barack Obama at Harvard Law. I posted the interview on both NewsOne and Jack and Jill and got an underwhelming amount of views and feedback. The only place that linked to it had it filed in a section, Postive Black News.

In contrast I did a story, Top 5 Fox News Uncle Toms, which totally took off geting dozens of links and thousands of views. Why is when I attack wack black people it gets tons of love on the internet but when I showcase positive black people, it gets none? I was reading the piece tha dNa did on Ben Jealous. I thought it was a dope piece but it seemed to get the same amount of response as my Ogletree piece. Are people going to wait until these guys to die so they can be a part of black history to comment on them or take an interest?

I also did a story on a black couple who hold the record for the world’s longest marriage. Amazingly I could not find the piece online and had to jack it off someone’s facebook note which they transribed from a newspaper. If this were a white couple, it would be all over Good Morning America, USA Today and tons of other media outlets.

Lat month I read about Myronn Rolle, a Florida State football playerthe first major college athlete to win the Rhode Scholarship since Bill Bradley. If Myron Rolle were to have been arrested for weed, drunk driving, or assault, he would’ve gotten way more press and recognition than for postponing a career in the NFL to attend one of the most prestigious Universities in the world. I don’t want to seem racially cynical but again if Rolle were white, he’d be lifted to pre-bong Michael Phelps status and held as an excellent example for children everywhere. Still I bet you way more African Americans are probably more aware of Dwayne Wade and his STD problem than of a black athlete recieving one of the most prestigious academic awards in the world.

Barack Obama was a great example of positive black news and continues to be so. Still there are hundreds of Obamas who are working as activists, community organizers, lawyers who go unrecognized while any rapper or athlete who gets in trouble with the law gets a media maelstorm.

Jack and Jill is a truly dope website that showcases involved intelligent African American posters and readers and is a good example of positive involved black people who arre concerned with what’s going on in this country. I realize that it is not a black thing to highlight negativity over postitivity as it has been how the American media has been run for many years. Still I find a lot of what I, as well as other black journalist,s do is to highlight racism inflicted on blacksmy the media, government or police, covering the negativity in the black community while disregarding the positive black people who are the real history makers. As black history month comes to an end, I think we must all be reminded to honor the black history makers while they are making history not after they’re long gone.