Comments on Bahá’í Thought: CNN Looks At Black America

First, Phillipe, thank you for the alert about thi...

2008-07-27T11:06:00.000-03:00

First, Phillipe, thank you for the alert about this CNN program. My weekend seems largely devoted to it--plus reading and viewing the comments on CNN's pages. Am also stopping to listen when CNN gives viewer responses on air. I plan to watch the encore presentations tonight. There is so very much to contemplate...

Because I grew up 'down South' and fervently believed racial prejudice was the towering national problem, I was attracted to the Baha'i Faith. I declared in 1977 but only after being absolutely convinced that "the Baha'is" truly meant to live Baha'u'llah's teachings about racial unity. What I saw in the Chicago Baha'i community totally convinced me! (Yes, I know it's not perfect, but up til that point in my life I'd never seen people making such attempts to leave prejudice behind!)

There is so much I want to comment on--both in the Baha'i community and in the CNN program. But for today, I just want to say again "Thank you!"
Your blog writings are so inspiring and heartening for me.
In His Service,
Pat

P.S. I agree with Grady-- give CNN a B+
And Mark S. makes a good point about Education. Are funding inequities a result of unconscious and unexamined white privilege? Or are funding inequities proof of established, structural racism?

Watched some of the CNN report and am still contem...

2008-07-26T22:23:00.000-03:00

Watched some of the CNN report and am still contemplating what I saw. Since I was most interested in the education segment, I kept wondering about the monetary incentive and considered both good and bad aspects of it. I really wanted them to bring up the 'pedagogy of poverty', which is typical of urban environments since the development of the suburbs and white flight. My other thought is about how schools are funded - usually via local/district taxes and supplemented (in a variety of ways both big and small) by state, federal, and private funds. If we truly wanted an equal start for all children (such that we 'leave no child behind'), then why don't we have the Department of Education collect all of the funds and divide it up. It is an oversimplified idea, I am sure, but how does one have some schools falling apart in one community and the community next door has something substantially different? Can't we make funding more just?

Thanks for the comments Grady. I actually ended up...

2008-07-24T18:57:00.000-03:00

Thanks for the comments Grady. I actually ended up missing last nights segment but hope to watch the one this evening especially given my recent experiences at the BMG Forum!

Hello, there, Phillipe. I am glad you had a chanc...

2008-07-24T16:09:00.000-03:00

Hello, there, Phillipe. I am glad you had a chance to go to the BMG at Green Acre. I wish I was there. Oh well, maybe I will get the invite next time.

I did watch the CNN story on Black in America. I thought some of it was real good. One thing I found intriguing was the educational program that is happening whereby students are being paid to take tests. For example, if a student obtains and A+, they receive $25 in the bank. Can you believe it? My comment on that is why get paid to do something you should want to do in the first place for personal satisfaction. However, these particular students are from Bed-Stuy and they are seeing the dealers get crazy loot. The positive also is they are encouraged to produce and achieve.
Some may say it is allowing them to want to learn more. I am on the fence about this concept.

One thing I found frustrating was the comments from single, professional black females. One stated that she has decided to be single, because there are no good potential black males out here to marry. Phillipe, she surely didn't meet any single brothers from the BMG. She really needed to be illumined. The group that Soledad O'Brien interviewed would be the same females who would avoid me in High School, but I digress.

I look forward to tonight's coverage, when they discuss the black male. I sure would find Black In America, if a spotlight was on our faith diversity. It has not been told, yet. CNN should receive a grade of B+ for effort and time taken to present such a broad yet interesting expose'.
That's my take. Peace