BET vs OWN

Yesterday, AOL Blackvoices tweeted our the headline "BET Founder Shelia Johnson Says OWN Network Lacks Diversity." The first thought that crossed my mind was that BET has some nerve criticizing Oprah. (I know that BET did not say this, but this was my first thought) I then thought to myself is it worse to have a network that lacks diversity or perpetuates negative stereotypes. BET has come a long way from the days of Teen Summit, and if I recall correctly Sheila was there during the regime of the transition from television's version of Ebony Magazine to a hypersexualized Black version of MTV. Whether she like the direction of the television Network or not, she was there to watch the demise of something that could have been great for our community. Although BET is not all booty shaking all the time, the older and more educated you get the more difficult it is to sympathize with many of the things that have aired throughout time. One could argue that BET is not doing anything that MTV has not done; but that would be equating Black people and the perceptions involved in Black culture with that of White culture. Unfortunately, our American history does not allow Blacks to be individuals unless they are deemed examples of exception. Negative imagery of Black people is portrayed as examples of all Black people (especially to people who do not have the opportunity to get to know Black people).

As my father and countless other Black parents tell their children, you are not afforded the same privileges because of the color of your skin; therefore, you must be twice as good to get just as far. In terms of Oprah's lineup, I am not a person who believes that only people of color can share stories about people of color. Sometimes diversity is best spread by people who look similar to the people who need the message most. In college, I took a lot of diversity courses where students did not take the time to listen to the ideas of the professors of color, but when Tim Wise (a White person who speaks about White privilege) came to class and told them of their White privilege everything seemed to click. His presence for one night, made a bigger difference than months of discussion and seminars had done in 3 years. I will reserve my opinion on Oprah's choices until I have time to see more content.

Check out Oprah's OWN Website here.