500 Gather at Executive's D.C. Home to Protest Stereotypes
More than 500 people demonstrated peacefully outside the Northwest Washington home of Debra Lee, Black Entertainment Television's chief executive, yesterday afternoon, demanding that the network stop airing what they call demeaning and offensive portrayals of African Americans.
Led by the Rev. Delman L. Coates of Mount Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, members of the Enough Is Enough Campaign said they will return every weekend until Lee addresses their grievances.
Lee was not home yesterday but said in a telephone interview she was disappointed that several attempts last week to arrange a meeting with the group had failed. Also, in a letter, she said BET plans to launch 16 "balanced" shows by year's end.
The campaign, which Coates began six weeks ago, is calling on corporations to divest from popular culture that portrays black men as "pimps" and "gangsters" and sexually objectifies black women.
Joining protesters from Mount Ennon yesterday were members of the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority Foundation, the head of the National Congress of Black Women and Maryland Del. Justin D. Ross (D-Prince George's).
Several security guards blocked three gates around Lee's home in the 2800 block of McGill Terrace NW, while protesters marched and chanted for nearly two hours. Traffic on the otherwise quiet street, tucked into a stately residential area of Woodley Park, seemed largely unaffected. Police watched the protesters, who had been granted a permit, from the sidelines.
In an Aug. 23 letter to Lee, Coates requested a meeting. Lee said yesterday that she did not receive the letter until last week, after she had learned about the protest through a news release. Lee said Coates was told that if he brought the protest to BET's corporate headquarters in Northeast Washington, she would have spoken to him there. "I believe in freedom of speech, but if you really want to have an impact, the best way is to have a conversation -- not to protest in front of someone's house," Lee said. "I'm always willing to talk to our viewers."
Coates, 34, said yesterday, "Her people made a meeting conditional upon canceling the rally at her house."
In describing the campaign last week, he said he was "deeply concerned about the increasing coarseness of American popular culture. At some point, we have to ask ourselves what kind of world we want to leave to our children."
Founded by African American businessman Robert Johnson 27 years ago, BET has an 18-to-34 demographic. It has long been criticized for airing music videos that some believe perpetuate negative stereotypes of blacks. The network, now owned by Viacom, has recently been attacked for such programs as "Hot Ghetto Mess," which had its name changed to "We Got to Do Better" after complaints, and "Read a Book," a satirical animated public-service announcement.
I get a little tired of blacks being portrayed a certain way. Same goes with asians, mexicans and so on.
On TV or movies, black people are portrayed as gangsters (as stated above).
Asian people on TV or movies are portrayed as people who own fish markets.
Mexicans? Drug dealers. It's pathetic.
I'm glad at least one group is willing to bitch about it.
miner2049er
WTF is an African American anyway?
How many so called African Americans were born in or have been near Africa?
Also, what if an African American happened to be white?
My kid is currently at school learning the rhyme Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep.
I swear I'm gonna kill a liberal one day, it's Baa Baa Black Sheep you moron.
Show me an "African American" that's offended by the rhyme and I'll show my ass.
Actually, I could do that anyway.............
John Gibson
Are you serious about the rainbow sheep? Why would anyone screw around with that rhyme? It's totally harmless!
Black Flag NC
If one person is offended, then we have to change everything. I grew up in North Carolina and graduated from a high school that was 1/3 black. In my experience, nothing is ever enough for them. I've never owned a slave, you've never been a slave, so back off. Racism goes both ways, and I got really tired of being the white devil growing up.
miner2049er
John Gibson wrote:
Are you serious about the rainbow sheep? Why would anyone screw around with that rhyme? It's totally harmless!
Damn straight!
Same reason they stopped calling blackboards blackboards. They called them chalk boards for a while, but they got replaced with new wipeable ones that you write on with felt tips.
Guess what they are called, that's right, whiteboards.
launchpad25
[quote="miner2049er"]
John Gibson wrote:
Guess what they are called, that's right, whiteboards.
Reverse discrimination, but discrimination that liberals will gladly accept.
Same goes for this old WB cartoon apparently it is racist as hell. Maybe it is because i am not an American or just ignorant, but i canīt really see the huge problem in it.
All i see is a funny version of snow white and the seven dwarfs whit some good music in it.
Now i am 24 and if i canīt see the huge problem in it, iīll bet you anything that the kids canīt either.
