Your Black News: NAACP gives a stern warning to TV

On the heels of issuing a critical report about Hollywood's minority hiring, the president of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People threatened the entertainment industry Thursday with unspecified political actions if it did not increase diversity.

"At a time when the country is excited about the election of the first African American president in U.S. history," said Benjamin Todd Jealous, who was appointed in May to head the civil rights organization, "it is unthinkable that minorities would be so grossly underrepresented on broadcast television."

The statement came shortly after the organization's Hollywood bureau released a 40-page report called "Out of Focus, Out of Sync -- Take 4" that found blacks and other minorities continue to be underrepresented in "nearly every aspect of the television and film businesses."

Though he declined to be specific, Jealous said the organization "could bring the hammer down," including "shaming the industry," if it does not improve diversity.

The report marks some of the most pointed criticism of the industry by the civil rights organization and signals a return to the issue for the group, which has been inconsistent in recent years in keeping tabs on networks' efforts to embrace multiculturalism. Then-NAACP President Kweisi Mfume first lashed out at the networks in 1999, pointing out that none of the 26 new comedies and pilots that season featured a minority lead.

Today, only three network series -- CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "The Unit" and ABC's "Ugly Betty" -- have minorities in leading roles.

Originally posted on LAtimes.com

Santita Jackson Says: Respect Yourself!

On her WVON radio show this morning, Santita Jackson interrupted a caller - who complained that Black Men are patently irresponsible, and incapable of holding their personal weight - and spoke extensively on the necessity of Black people to keep their emotional encounters away from discussion on public policy. The Theme show for the day was, "Personal Responsibility" vis-a-vis Barack Obama's NAACP Speech yesterday. Ron Walters was the guest of the day, who warned Blacks to hold Barack Obama's feet to the fire -- if they anticipate some substantive derivative from an Obama Presidency. It was when numerous guests began to call in, berating the idea of holding Barack Obama accountable - while suggesting that the Black community is innately disorganized - that Ms. Jackson flipped the script, and spoke spiritedly in defense of Black men, and the Black community. She made a rallying cry for both personal-responsibility and moral-responsibility of the society we exist in. To cap off the show, she urged her listeners to Respect Themselves by all means, and not pre-judge or analyze the entire swath of the Black Male population, from their personal encounters with former boyfriends, baby daddys and husbands. In a timely fashion, she rounded by playing The Staple Singers' hit, "Respect Yourself":

Obama Stresses Personal Responsibility Again

CINCINNATI - Democrat Barack Obama insisted Monday that blacks must show greater responsibility for their actions.

In remarks prepared for delivery at the annual NAACP convention, the man who could become the first black president, said Washington must provide greater education and economic assistance, but that blacks must demand more of themselves.

"If we're serious about reclaiming that dream, we have to do more in our own lives, our own families and our own communities," the Democratic presidential candidate said. "That starts with providing the guidance our children need, turning off the TV and putting away the video games; attending those parent-teacher conferences, helping our children with their homework and setting a good example."

He added: "I know some say I've been too tough on folks about this responsibility stuff. But I'm not going to stop talking about it. Because I believe that in the end, it doesn't matter how much money we invest in our communities, or how many 10-point plans we propose, or how many government programs we launch — none of it will make any difference if we don't seize more responsibility in our own lives."

Obama speaks often on this issue. A similar speech on Father's Day prompted an awkward rebuke from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Democratic presidential contender in 1984 and 1988, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a fellow Chicago political activist.

Jackson apologized last week after being caught saying on an open microphone that he wanted to castrate Obama for speaking down to blacks.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is scheduled to address the convention on Wednesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080714/ap_on_el_pr/obama_blacks