This unusual episode of "Frontline" was co-written and is narrated by Professor Henry Louis Gates of Harvard University. I appreciate that the show dares to ask some very important questions--I just don't think they provided all the right answers. And, because it asks important questions, it is well worth seeing.
The show is about the huge gap between the most educated segment of Black America and the rest of the Blacks in this country. In other words, while affirmative action and/or hard work has helped some become rich and successful, a HUGE portion is just as poor and is just as low on the social strata as they were decades ago. This is a great point--and some sort of dialog about this is surely needed. My only complaint, and I DID like the film, is that too often the answers included re-creating society and getting rid of our capitalist society. Perhaps this is because so many of this very successful folks used to be Marxists and/or members of the Black Panthers (a group of rich Marxists...how odd!). In other words, their views in the 60s and their views today have a lot in common--'down with the system'. Well, something DOES need to be done--but what BETTER system is there? Sure, people talk about getting rid of inequity but when push comes to shove, our 'saviors' always end up creating a NEW group of the elite and it's simply against human nature to have a utopia. Plus, one HUGE problem really wasn't addressed very well. While there certainly is some racism in life (and there may always be), some problems are exacerbated by broken families and folks dropping out of school. Surely the problem is NOT all institutional racism--yet the Black leaders never much about this, though they did talk a bit about the destructive messages of our hip-hop culture. Provocative.
For a great set of films also by Dr. Gates, try to see "Wonders of the African World". It's well worth your time--if you can find it.
