I hate stereotypes. One reason this blog was so important to me was to dispel the myths that all young women of color, particularly Blacks and Hispanics, do nothing progressive in their lives but exude sexuality, make babies, and cause trouble. The media is largely responsible for this, I know, as they broadcast the worst stories from urban communities, develop television and movie roles that play into awful stereotypes for the world to view, and exploit our music. All the while failing to acknowledge that African American only make up a dismal 13%, so how could we possibly have the negative impact and influence that is claimed when the numbers just don’t add up.
I’m a recent college graduate who graduated in the top of her class. I went to college on an academic scholarship and was involved in numerous student organizations and activities from after school mentoring, to the newspaper, to holding a leadership position in our public relations organization. But most importantly, it wasn’t just me. The friends that I surrounded myself with were more impressive than I. All of this is to say that the stereotypes are not always true. African American women are attending and graduating college at in increasingly high rate and taking on leadership roles in the workplace, and at a faster rate than their male counterparts.
See Rehema Ellis, NBC News correspondent’s article entitled African American Women: Where They Stand. http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/26/480738.aspx.
The truth of the matter is, it is up to us to let the truth be known. We are making change, and at a very progressive rate. Despite the frustration that I feel every time I turn on BET and there’s a video with a beautiful woman shaking her butt as opposed to speaking her mind, I know the times are changing. I have a younger sister, and she’s the single most important person in my life. It’s up to me to show her how to be a lady and make educated decisions. As she gets ready to enter her 11th grade year of high school, I am that much more determined to make my voice be heard in the hopes of a better life for her.
Below I have posted the links to a few videos clips about the advancement of African American women from NBC Nightly News:
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=a5cb5dd4-e890-49d9-9615-c61f6d4f6823
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=400f8224-0e5d-4d7c-a31e-42b8dec0e3d1
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=bbd35b81-c915-452c-bfe4-01433b56cf38
