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37th Annual NAACP Image
Awards
By Kam Williams
When
the NAACP Image Awards were held at Shrine Auditorium in
Los Angeles last Saturday, it appeared, superficially at
least, that the big winners were The Bernie Mac Show
(3), Alicia Keys (3) and Crash (2) since they took home
a total of eight trophies among them. But the more
discerning observer might notice that the evening
primarily belonged to Fox, the network which hosted the
program.
For
not only does the mega-media giant own the Bernie Mac
series, but it has acquired the rights to run a spin-off
of Crash on its FX Network. Just as curiously, recording
artist Keys released all three of her CDs with
J-Records, the same record label which signed Fox’s
American Idol winners Fantasia and Ruben Studdard to
lucrative contracts. J-records is a division of
Sony/BMG, the music conglomerate which has enjoyed a
cozy, cross-promoting relationship with Fox since one of
its executives, Simon Cowell became a judge on AI.
This
might help explain why Carlos Santana was picked as this
year’s inductee into the NAACP Hall of Fame, even though
he isn’t black. Afterall, he is with Arista, another
division of Sony/BMG, and the honor afforded him a
chance to perform on the program.
Suspiciously, the questionable corporate ethics even
extended to another presumably prestigious honor,
namely, the NAACP’s President’s Award, which went to
Susan L. Taylor. Taylor, the long-time editor of Essence
Magazine, also just happens to be an author who has
written two books for HarperCollins, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of, you guessed it, 20th Century Fox.
Jada
Pinkett-Smith prevailed in the Outstanding Children’s
Literary Work category for her book, Girls Hold Up the
World, but one can’t wonder whether the accolade is
tainted, too, since its publisher, Scholastic/Cartwheel,
is a division of Harper Collins. In the field of music,
other Sony/BMG winners included Jamie Foxx (Outstanding
Male Artist), Destiny’s Child (Outstanding Group), Chris
Brown (Outstanding New Artist). In total, Fox artists
took about a third of the 44 awards handed out that
night.
Although the show aired on Fox, a co-sponsor was
Blockbuster Video, which is a division of Viacom, the
parent company of BET, Paramount, Nickelodeon, CBS,
Showtime and Simon & Schuster Publishing. So, it comes
as no surprise that Viacom did just as well, prevailing
in 14 categories.
Maybe
the letter ‘C’ in NAACP should stand for ‘Corporate.’
Afterall, its new President, Bruce Gordon, has a
background in business, not civil rights. His resume’
reveals an impressive, 35-year career in the
telecommunication industry with Verizon, Bell Atlantic
and Tyco, on top of credentials which include a master’s
degree from MIT.
Don’t
blame Bruce entirely in this regard, since he just
assumed the reigns of power last summer, and this is not
the first year that the NAACP stamp of approval has
seemed to be up for sale. Nor is it fair to denigrate
any of the recipients, as they are all extremely
talented in their own right. But are we to believe that
almost all of the gifted African-Americans work for one
of two companies?
The
problem, here, is that the NAACP appears to be drifting
far afield from its legacy of lobbying on behalf of an
oppressed people, when it lets corporate interests play
such a significant role in determining which
African-Americans are to be commended for presenting
positive images. By design, profits will always be more
important than humanistic concerns to a multi-national
enterprise. Thus, if they haven’t already, business
execs can’t help but turn the NAACP Image Awards into a
shallow platform to sell consumer products rather than
as a program to promote those exhibiting a continuing
commitment to the betterment of black people.
Note:
The show aired Friday, March 3 at 8 PM on Fox.
Complete List of
Winners:
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Outstanding Comedy Series – “Everybody
Hates Chris” (UPN)
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series -
Bernie Mac, “The Bernie Mac Show” (FOX)
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series -
Tichina Arnold, "Everybody Hates Chris" (UPN)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Series - Reggie Hayes, "Girlfriends" (UPN)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in Comedy
Series - Camille Winbush, "The Bernie
Mac Show" (FOX)
Outstanding Drama Series - "Grey's
Anatomy" (ABC)
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series -
Isaiah Washington, "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series -
Vivica A. Fox, "Missing" (Lifetime)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama
Series – Gary Dourdan, "CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation" (CBS)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama
Series - S. Epatha Merkerson, "Law &
Order" (NBC)
Outstanding TV Movie, Mini-Series or
Dramatic Special -
Lackawanna Blues
(HBO)
Outstanding Actor in a TV Movie, Mini-Series
or Dramatic Special - Terrence Howard,
Lackawanna Blues (HBO)
Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie,
Mini-Series or Dramatic Special - S.
Epatha Merkerson,
Lackawanna Blues (HBO)
Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
– Shemar Moore, "The Young and the
Restless" (CBS)
Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama
Series – Victoria Rowell, "The Young and
the Restless" (CBS)
Outstanding TV News, Talk or Information
(Series or Special) - "Tavis Smiley"
(PBS)
Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)
- "BET Awards 2005" (BET)
Outstanding Performance in a
Youth/Children's Program (Series or Special)
– Raven, "That's So Raven" (Disney/ABC)
Outstanding Motion Picture -
Crash
(Lionsgate
Films)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture -
Samuel L. Jackson,
Coach Carter
(Paramount
Pictures)
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
– Kimberly Elise,
Diary of a Mad
Black Woman (Lionsgate Films)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion
Picture - Terrence Howard,
Crash (Lionsgate
Films)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion
Picture – Cicely Tyson,
Diary of a Mad
Black Woman (Lionsgate Films)
Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction –
Breaking the Cycle, Zane (Strebor Books
International/Simon and Schuster)
Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction
–
Is Bill Cosby Right?: Or Has the Black
Middle Class Lost Its Mind, Michael Eric
Dyson (Basic Civitas Books)
Outstanding Literary Work - Children's –
Girls Hold Up This World, Jada Pinkett
Smith (Scholastic/Cartwheel)
Outstanding New Artist - Chris Brown
(Jive)
Outstanding Male Artist - Jamie Foxx (J
Records)
Outstanding Female Artist - Alicia Keys
(J Records)
Outstanding Duo or Group - Destiny's
Child (Sony Urban Music)
Outstanding Jazz Artist - Najee (Heads
Up Intl)
Outstanding Gospel Artist (Traditional
or Contemporary) – Yolanda Adams (Atlantic/
WEA)
Outstanding Music Video – “Unbreakable,”
Alicia Keys (J Records)
Outstanding Song - "Unbreakable," Alicia
Keys (J Records)
Outstanding Album - Emancipation of
Mimi Mariah Carey (Island Def Jam)
Outstanding Independent or Foreign Film
- "The Boys of Baraka" (THINKFilm)
(Review)
Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series
- Paris Barclay, “Cold Case” (CBS)
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
– Millicent Shelton, “The Bernie Mac Show”
(FOX)
Outstanding Directing in a Feature
Film/Television Movie – John Singleton,
Four Brothers (Paramount Pictures) |
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Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in
America
By Melissa V.
Harris-Perry
According to the
author, this society has historically exerted
considerable pressure on black females to fit into one
of a handful of stereotypes, primarily, the Mammy, the
Matriarch or the Jezebel. The selfless
Mammy’s behavior is marked by a slavish devotion to
white folks’ domestic concerns, often at the expense of
those of her own family’s needs. By contrast, the
relatively-hedonistic Jezebel is a sexually-insatiable
temptress. And the Matriarch is generally thought of as
an emasculating figure who denigrates black men, ala the
characters Sapphire and Aunt Esther on the television
shows Amos and Andy and Sanford and Son, respectively.
Professor Perry
points out how the propagation of these harmful myths
have served the mainstream culture well. For instance,
the Mammy suggests that it is almost second nature for
black females to feel a maternal instinct towards
Caucasian babies.
As for the source
of the Jezebel, black women had no control over their
own bodies during slavery given that they were being
auctioned off and bred to maximize profits. Nonetheless,
it was in the interest of plantation owners to propagate
the lie that sisters were sluts inclined to mate
indiscriminately.
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Sex at the Margins
Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
By Laura María Agustín
This book explodes several myths: that selling sex is completely different from any other kind of work, that migrants who sell sex are passive victims and that the multitude of people out to save them are without self-interest. Laura Agustín makes a passionate case against these stereotypes, arguing that the label 'trafficked' does not accurately describe migrants' lives and that the 'rescue industry' serves to disempower them. Based on extensive research amongst both migrants who sell sex and social helpers, Sex at the Margins provides a radically different analysis. Frequently, says Agustin, migrants make rational choices to travel and work in the sex industry, and although they are treated like a marginalised group they form part of the dynamic global economy. Both powerful and controversial, this book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the increasingly important relationship between sex markets, migration and the desire for social justice. "Sex at the Margins rips apart distinctions between migrants, service work and sexual labour and reveals the utter complexity of the contemporary sex industry. This book is set to be a trailblazer in the study of sexuality."—Lisa Adkins, University of London |
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The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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If you like this page consider making a donation
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Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
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1965
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____ 2005
Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
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The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
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Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery /
George Jackson /
Hurricane Carter
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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posted 12 March 2006
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