BET Awards 2010: The Paradigm of Redemption

The classic song of redemption reminds us that "We fall down, but we get up".... and so it is for the 2010 BET Awards...

This time last year, the fans were incensed. We were terribly shocked at the news of Michael Jackson's death. The world was reeling with grief, shock and awe as we grappled to understand the sudden passing of the King of Pop. The BET Awards, already set and ready to rock at the time of MJ's death; was now the center of media scrutiny as the world looked to the show as the supreme articulation of cultural perspective into the untimely demise.... Instead, we got coonery.... we were shocked and appalled... it was an embarassment.... BET had committed serious cultural crimes even as we sought to honor the memory of Michael while celebrating the best black music had to offer.

This year, the BET Awards was the catalyst for cultural redemption.  Oh yes, this year was a tremendous turnaround. With the addition of Queen Latifah as host, and the Lifetime Achievement Award performances from a visibly pregnant Alicia Keys climbing on top of her grand piano, Janelle Monae, and the legendary Patti LaBelle - all in honor of Prince, the Awards made a quantum leap in quality, presenting a dramatic, redemptive, first class perspective of black entertainment. The Awards took its rightful place as the premiere awards show saluting the best of the best in black entertainment. We fall down, but we get up.

A major element of this redemptive presentation was the tribute to Michael Jackson as the Awards found itself once again at the center of media scrutiny as the world paused to contemplate the one year anniversary of  Michael's untimely death. At the center of this keynote presentation was the controversial Chris Brown, who delivered an incredible dance tribute to MJ - the key influence in Chris Brown's "stylepath" to stardom. It would be one of the first tributes that included Chris, who has been sitting in the cultural corner enduring derision and fan disappointment. It was time for Chris to get his turn, And boy did he deliver.

His moves evoked memories of MJ. His moonwalk sent the crowd into an ecstatic uproar. But then it came time to sing "Man in the Mirror". The song's message of love and support to global crises rang true and deep, however it was soon apparent that the message took a personal turn for Chris. Overcome with tears, he was unable to finish the song.....

We witnessed a powerful moment in this young man's life as he gained the forgiveness and respect of his fans while paying proper and excellent tribute to the primary influence on his art... The essence of the song rang true and deep in his soul... It was one of those hallelujah moments.... you know that cleansing tearful exfoliation of the burdens in one's life.. He is free..... We fall down, but we get up.

 Some have speculated that the tears were contrived, but most have felt Chris in this moment, clearly understanding the significance of the performance. Redemption. 


We Fall Down But We Get Up.....The 2010 BET Awards. A Paradigm of Redemption.

Soul on Ice

Ok, so one day, I get this phone call from my friends at AEG... "Hey Greg, how are you?? listen, the Los Angeles Kings are celebrating Black History Month...." I was like "yeah right... now I know we have a great relationshp but...... hockey??" c'mon..... Black People? and a hockey game? I have done a few five star events with them so I was glad to hear from them... But I was really surprised at what they had in store this time... I mean, we did parties with Serena Williams, inaugurated the Home Depot Center with world class track and field atheletes but nothing could prepare me for what I was hearing this time...

But quickly they would inform me that one of the LA Kings brightest stars this year was a young black man named Wayne Simmonds... yup, in the middle of the NHL Hockey season, the Kings are looking really competitive and one of the central reasons was this kid from Toronto.... They were really enthused with his play.... They told me he could score... he was not afraid to fight, obviously a key attribute in Hockey.. They compared him to Kobe Bryant's entre' into the NBA inasmuch that he did not play college Hockey nor come up through the NHL minor leagues... 

Ok. this is kind of interesting... but will it resonate with my audience.... We'll see...  So my colleague Marc Gaspard and I put our heads together and the promotion began... we really took the time and care to make this promotion a huge deal in the community of black Los Angeles.... We hooked up with Ingrid Hutt and the Los Angeles Sentinel and Eugenia Wright handled the PR.... we wanted this event to really pop and pop it did...

Thursday, Feburary 11 was the night as we descended on the Staples Center to witness history... The Kings faced off against the Edmonton Oilers. It was a beautiful night and our guest list was a veritable who's who of Black Los Angeles... I mean business leaders, politicians and celebrities rolled thru... Tachina Arnold sang the National Anthem and Willie O'Ree dropped the first puck...

We had a VIP suite in the Staples Center and hosted an awesome after-party complete with red carpet and paparazzi.... Just imagine 300 black people, none of whom really knew the game of hockey, all in one place to celebrate young Wayne Simmonds and the Los Angeles Kings. Even the Reverend Jesse Jackson came out to witness this awesome event. We met Willie O'Ree, the first black man to play in the NHL.... The game was exciting.... I even met a lady who exclaimed, "hey this is better than football!!" Imagine that!

In the end, the game went into double overtime and then a shootout.... The shootout is one on one hockey- one player and the goalie... The player shoots and if he makes it, the other team gets to shoot, gaining a chance to answer... Here, the Kings and Oilers shot it out into the late hours of the nite... King after King got up to shoot, eveyone missed..... But then Wayne Simmonds took the ice..... GOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!! the Staples Center erupted into what would be the largest ovation of the nite... But alas, Edmonton would answer and even beat the Kings resulting in a loss for the Kings...

At the after party, all of our dignitaries gathered in the San Manuel Room of the Staples Center to celebrate and acknowledge Wayne... It was a nice affair with DJ James Reece spinning.... NHL Hall of Famer Luc Robaitaille, GM of the Kings came thru...  it was a really nice affair. It was here that Wayne was showered with proclamations and commendations from politicians from all over the region....

Black History Month with the LA Kings.... what an awesome event...... and you know what, now that I have experienced Hockey, I find myself keeping up with the sport.... I am a new fan.....

This is soul on ice.....

Lamentations of San Diego

So the San Diego Chargers lost to the New York Jets 17-14 in the AFC playoffs... Congrats to the Jets as they advance to the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts... It's good to see USC's Mark Sanchez doing so well.... But I was pulling for the Chargers. I was born and raised in San Diego. Although for most of my adult life I have called Los Angeles my home, I have been in and around San Diego a lot over the last year. i just wanted to see San Diego get into that championship celebration mode all across the city...

We have never won a championship. All my life, the Chargers would get close, but never close the deal...I did not live in San Diego during the Fouts years,, but I watched and cheered from Los Angeles. I mean I loved my LA Raiders, but the hometown has a special place in my heart. But each time they would get close, but never close the deal. Oh yeah, they did make it to the Super Bowl one year, against the San Francsco 49ers.... but no deal. Matter of Fact, they were scorched 49-26.

 The Padres.... a little better with two World Series apperances, but no deal.

The various NBA teams (errr, they NEVER got close, they just lost..).. San Diego Clippers, Rockets - yes. the San Diego Rockets, San Diego Conquistadors.... all lessons in losing...

Since moving to Los Angeles, I have been in the City when my beloved Lakers won it all.... I was at the parade.... I've heard the fireworks and libations all around the City...  I remember when the Dodgers won it all.....Kirk Gibson's 1988 homerun at the bottom of a two-out ninth inning World Series game....this still resonates in my consciousness..... I remember the electricity gripping the City as our teams marched towards the finals and ultimate victory.... I just wanted to see San Diego get into that feeling....

But once again, it would not be....I really never recovered from the missed field goal that Nate Kaeding kicked in the wild card playoff game against the Jets a few years back....however, my soul was just ready to forgive him this season however as he went on a successful streak of 69 made field goals.... I admit I was happy he made the Pro Bowl this year..... but then he missed..... again..... three times.....in the most crucial game.... against the same team.. Familiar feeling for the City....

San Diego lamentations..... just can't close the deal....

Color Coded Culture

The issue of light skinned/dark-skinned has found itself at the center of today's national political debate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid apparently made comments about President's acceptability as an African American candidate stating that he is a light skinned African American who does not speak with the "Negro dialect" unless he wants to.... This comment was made as then Senator Obama was gearing up for his electoral run.... And now, America is up in arms about this comment and the subject was fodder for the Sunday talk shows and headlines are ablaze with accounts of Senator Reid's subsequent apology to President Obama and the various civil rights leaders. Folk are calling for Sen. Reid's resignation as Majority leader and the pundits are speculating that the remarks may have put his re-election bid in peril.

But why does Sen. Reid owe Black America an apology? His comment only places a longtime cultural dialogue onto the mainstream stage. We all know that the "general market" is less intimidated by the light skinned African American. The light skinned African American has always been more accepted by the mainstream.  The light skinned/dark skinned battle has raged within our culture for centuries. In slavery, the light skinned black was the recipient of generous favor - often given the opportunity to gain education, own land and maneuver around with less scrutiny than that of the darker brothas and sistas. The issue of "passing" was a persistent benefit in the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Even now, the one that is light skinned with "good hair" is yet and still a preferential choice when identifying a more "favorable" black person.

We don't need the mainstream to apologize. We already know that the light skinned person is more accepted. This is not news. So many studies and analyses have been conducted to prove the point and a gargantuan effort to overcome the stigma darker blacks have contracted because of this has been part of the fabric of our culture for years. The notion that the light skinned one is somehow better than being dark has wrought seemingly irreparable psychological damage on our people. We have been conditioned to perceive the darker skin as bad, dishonest,  and somehow less valuable than the light skin.... 

The black elite contains more light skinned people than dark. The lighter black person rises to the heights of corporate promotion and opportunity while the darker one faces a more intense discrimination. Sometimes no matter the education, pedigree, experience... if you're black, step back...

We don't need the mainstream to apologize because we have perpetuated this self hate on ourselves for centuries. Back in the day, the standard for color-acceptability was the brown paper bag test. If you were darker than a brown paper bag, then you were too dark and would not be accepted into certain segments of black society. Daughters were prevented from dating brothas who were too dark because the darkness was a preventative from getting to the upper echelons of mainstream America.

On a global scale, the stigma of dark skin has catapulted skin lightening creams and cosmetic procedures to the top of the beauty industry. We have been duped into thinking that being dark is somehow bad.... The hair weave and pressing comb have provided an escape from our naturally nappy hair. All over the world, the notion of dark skin light skin and good hair, bad hair has caused us to be ashamed of who and how God created us....

While Sen. Reid's observations are probably politically incorrect, he was only thinking what we know mainstream America thinks of us. And that is that the light skinned black is somehow more acceptable and less threatening in their eyes than the darker black person. Even Vice President Joe Biden made comments to the same, stating that "finally we have a mainstream African American, who speaks well...."

When President Obama was running for his office, an article appeared in Advertising Age, a marketing industry newspaper. This article examined the marketing strategies of the Obama campaign and expressed a perspective as to why even hardened racists would vote for him. The prognosis of the piece was that President Obama's complexion makes him "acceptably black" and therefore white folk would be comfortable enough to hear his message and place a vote in his favor..... They called it the Halle Berry test.

It tickles me to hear light skinned blacks express outrage at the remarks of Senator Reid. They are the same ones who teased and ostracized dark skinned blacks in the 'hood, in church, at college.... There are still black organizations that only admit and support light skinned blacks. In the not too distant past, and in some cases this may still stand, but you could always tell the girls who pledged Delta from the ones who pledged AKA because the AKA's were always lighter. This collegiate fact was spoofed in Spike Lee's School Daze('Your just a jigaboo, tryin to find somethin' to do... you're just a wannabe, tying to be better than me....) We still find light skinned black families who caution their daughters to stop dating a dark man based on their own sensitivities about skin color within our race.

It is ludicrous for Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele to get on national television and call for Harry Reid's resignation and deplore the remarks. It's fairly obvious to me that this light skinned consciousness is the same consciousness which allowed him to rise to the political heights to which he has attained? I bet he has been told of the paper bag test... I am sure he has engaged in this cultural self hate. I wonder how many times in his lifetime has he looked around his neighborhood and identified people as "too black"

Naw, Harry Reid doesn't owe me an apology. We already know how white folk think of us. He has only brought to the light a secret that has plagued black culture for centuries.... there is an internal battle within the culture. The battle of light and dark. politically incorrect? probably. But we can't get so up in arms about it because let's keep it real-Long before he spoke, We were already a color coded culture....