Personal Perspective

The National Association of African American Owned Media INAAAOM) and Entertainment Studios Networks, Incorporated, allegedly filed a lawsuit against Comcast, MSNBC, Time Warner Cable, Al Sharpton, and other nonprofit African American organizations for $20 billion. Although African American media and entertainers have been excluded from expansion and recognized as Global and Emmy Award worthy, there are several accomplishments one should note as a glimmer of light. MSNBC has introduced a few hosts of color in the past few years. Tamron Hall, Reverend Al Sharpton, Melissa Harris Perry, Toure and Joy Reid. The Chicago Tribune writer Eugene Robinson and Jonathan Capehart are frequent guests on various MSNBC shows. Each host has enlightened viewers in their own way or style, to convey various urban issues related to the plight of African Americans. Some people may view Reverend Al Sharpton as a media hogging pimp. Others recognize his contributions to the urban community and social media outlets as a refreshing and invigorating foot soldier helping to open the door to acceptance and change for future media hosts. What the plaintiffs in the lawsuit have to remember is from whence we came. They have to remember that baby steps are better than one not able to walk at all. Reverend Al Sharpton and those entities that assisted to elevate him to a higher platform through the media is a reminder of how one must learn the basics in an effort to master the stride. So from one African American struggling media outlet to another, keep striving for upward mobility by not bashing those that have established a financial stronghold through favoritism or whatever the case may be. Perhaps the lawsuit will put a spotlight on others who are deemed worthy to those powerful entities who make the decisions on whether or not to broadcast. In the meantime, the resounding message is to continue the struggle.  Look how long it took Google to add ethnic Emojis to the mix. By the way, congratulations to Lester Holt for holding down the fort on the Nightly News on NBC!  The struggle continues.  Change will come.


References
National Association of African American Owned Media,  (2015).  Complaint.  Retrieved from http://www.naaaom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Comcast-Sharpton-Complaint.pdf