my family outing has me thinking about some race issues and so when i read this i thought it was interesting...
From Iconoculture's Advisory Team (www.iconoculture.com)
By Kimberly Dixon, PhD, Director, Consumer Strategist, African-American
It's springtime and our thoughts have turned to passion. Not the hearts-and-flowers, sap-rising-after-a-long-winter kind. We're talking about prominent African-Americans speaking publicly and passionately on tough subjects.
There's Cosby: After criticizing poor African-Americans notoriously in 2004, this month the former TV Dad indicted African-American men as he encouraged women graduates of Spelman College to take charge. Both times Cosby exposed the mainstream to some class, gender and generational tensions African-Americans usually keep behind slammed doors. And whether or not we agree, Cosby's passion for African-American communities is clear.
And there's Nagin: New Orleans' mayor just won re-election despite having shown his passion...twice. First, he raged at slow Katrina relief efforts then enthused about New Orleans' eventual return to a "chocolate" majority. Nagin wasn't saying anything many others weren't saying too - he just did it publicly. Yet, instead of rejecting Nagin's style, voters lined up for more.
Public passion is dangerous for African-Americans. It can conjure social fears about Angry Blacks, trigger accusations of emotionality or paranoia, even inspire resentment for airing "dirty laundry." But this kind of honesty advances our conversations about prickly topics like race, class or gender. In fact, these passionate figures might just be stimulating Americans' hunger for truthful, authentic interactions when they expose our more intimate territory. It's getting hot-hot-hot!
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