NPR: NBC Addresses Concerns Over Black Women Series

NBC Addresses Concerns Over Black Women Series

On Monday, we spoke with NBC News' Rehema Ellis and Mara Schiavocampo about that network's weeklong series, delving into the lives of African-American women.

Called "African-American Women: Where They Stand," the project hasn't been without controversy.

Now on NBC's site, Ellis is responding to the audience reaction, and Schiavocampo (also a News & Notes contributor) is addressing two of the main criticisms of the series. Read her response, and come back and tell us what you think.

Flashback: Reaction from What About Our Daughters | AverageBro

Geoffrey Bennett

Tags: NBC News

5:54 PM ET | 11-29-2007 | permalink

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the nbc series would have been better titled...

african-american women: the reasons why you should be thankful you are not one!

Sent by dirtyblues | 3:04 PM ET | 12-01-2007

Two comments on your segment on reaction to the NBC series on black women: First, given last week's news about how little people read, I think we need to raise important topics and issues in whatever forum will be accessed by them-- so your commentator's remark that these sorts of stories shouldn't be touched in the nightly news series 5-minute-at-a time format because of their complexity seems unrealisitc. Sure, this material is worthy of dissertations or extended studies, but the dialogue must include a nation of non-readers and people with elementary critical-thinking skills. The very fact that this series sparked a conversation in many arenas is testament to its success.

Second, I also take issue with what I think was the same commentator's view that black women have developed successful coping and self-advancement skills because of the dearth of black men in the home, or the dearth of black men taking responsibility for their family lives. Many of the high-achieving, independent and responsible black women I know grew up in two-parent homes, and/or with supportive and loving black fathers.

Those sort of speculative, sweeping unsupported generalizations have no place on such a great and thoughtful news program.

I love News and Notes-- I listen every day on the web.
Claire Garcia

Sent by Claire Garcia | 4:20 PM ET | 12-03-2007

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