I’m Janita Patrick, a 15-year-old African-American female from Cincinnati.
Recently, I watched the 2009 BET Awards and felt the strongest urge to reach out
to the program. My family is of the typical middle-class variety; both parents
and four brothers. See, I’m a junior in high school (got skipped), so naturally
EVERYBODY in my age group watches BET. I’m used to seeing the sagging pants,
tattoos, lack of emphasis on reading and respecting women that makes up your
videos. People in my class live this out everyday, while teachers tell us that
we’re acting just like the people in your shows.

In your shows. That struck me as odd, because I would think that with your show
being the primary outlet for black entertainers and musicians, and considering
the context of blacks in this country, there’s a social responsibility factor to
consider. I would never blame BET alone for the way a great deal of my
classmates act and talk and dress. Everybody makes their own choices. However,
if anybody is aware the power of television on impressionable minds, it’s the
people running the television operations. If you are not aware, then perhaps you
shouldn’t be running the operations.

Guess who watches your network the most? Not those who are intelligent enough to
discern foolishness from substance, but those who are barely teenagers,
impressionable and believing. It’s awfully cruel to plant seeds of ignorance in
fertile minds. You know it’s really bad when the co-founder of BET, Sheila
Johnson, said that she ‘really doesn’t watch it’ anymore.

I am constantly fighting against the images and messages put forth on your
program. What made you think that it’s okay to bring my classmates on stage to
dance behind Lil Wayne and Drake to a song talking about boffing ‘every girl in
the world’?? Why does reality train wrecks have to thrown in our faces? Are you
aware of the achievement gap going in inner-city African-American communities? A
report from America?s Promise Alliance, a non-profit group started by Colin
Powell, recently stated that 47 percent of high school students in the nation?s
top 50 cities don’t graduate. (Fifty-four percent of males of color in Ingham
County graduated from high school, compared to 74 percent of white males). This
isn?t because of BET per se, but I don?t see any episodes on your show doing
anything to counteract this disturbing trend. In fact, your show is a part of
this cycle of media depicting us at our worst.

My older brother told me something about profit being the number one goal for
every business. I?m not sure I understand what that means, but I do know that
your shows have to be entertaining enough to generate viewers, which is how you
make your money. But surely our culture is rich enough to entertain without
anything extra to ‘boost’ ratings; why the over-the-top foolery? I listen to
classmates talk about Baldwin Hills like it’s the Manhattan Project. It doesn’t
take much effort to produce a throng of degenerative reality shows, nor does it
take much to eliminate socially conscious shows off the air. MTV isn’t much
better, but since when does two wrongs ever make a right? It’s one thing for
white television shows to depict us in a particular way, but for black
television shows to do it is baffling.

Why do you hate us?

All of the values that my parents seek to instill in me and my brothers seems to
be contradicted by a more powerful force from the media, and your show is at the
forefront. Your network is the only network that features rap videos and shows
exclusively to children of my color. I know that you have no control over the
music that the artists put out, but you do have influence as to how you air
these videos. I’m sure if a stand was taken to use the talent in your
organization to actually crank out thought-provoking entertaining shows and
videos, then artists will follow suit. Being that they need you as much as you
need them.

There was one awkward segment in the BET Awards when Jamie Foxx singled out
three black doctors-turned-authors, but the introduction was so powerless that
many of the viewers had no idea who they were. Had they been introduced as
Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins, three brothers who overcame major
obstacles to become a success without the use of lyrics that berate women, the
sell of substance that destroy communities or through raps about loose gunplay,
then maybe my classmates would have come to school talking about more than
Beyonce, T-Pain?s BIG ASS CHAIN and Soulja Boy Tell Em’s hopping out the bed.

But they weren’t introduced like that. It seemed like a throwaway obligatory
tribute to appease some irritated fans. It missed the mark. Big time. Ask
Michelle Obama if she watches BET or encourages Sasha and Malia to do so. Ask
President Obama. It’s a reason he is the leader of the free world, and it isn?t
because of Buffoonery Exists Today.

You’d be surprised how smart young black children can be with the absence of
Blacks Embarrassing Themselves. If your goal is to deter engaged,
forward-thinking articulate black minds, then consider your goal fulfilled. It’s
hard-pressed to think that your shows are working to promote cultural
betterment. However, it’s quite easy to conclude that the destruction of black
children through the glorification of immoral behavior and rushed production is
by design. Poison is being swallowed by every viewer who adores your network,
and the worse thing is, these viewers – my classmates – are not even aware what
they’re swallowing.

There is nothing edifying for black women on your show. I don’t judge people who
do throng to your programs though; I mean, if a jet crashes in right in front of
me, I’ll watch it too. That’s why I don’t flip by your channel I don’t even want
to be sucked in.

I have aspirations of acquiring a law degree and possibly entering the public
sphere, so I can counteract conditions in my community perpetuated by the images
on your channel. So I should thank you, because in a weird sense, your shoddy
programming is the wind behind my back. And it is my hope that I can accomplish
my dreams despite BET’s pictorial messages, because Lord knows it won’t be
because of them.

Sincerely,

Janita Patrick

“Grammy Nominated” Fat Joe Gives Back to His Grammar School in the Bronx……

WHO: Fat Joe

WHAT: Donation of 20 Hip-e Computers

WHERE: PS 146 in the Bronx

WHEN: Tuesday, December 21st

Fat Joe will be donating 20 computers to his Bronx Grammar School, PS 146, as a holiday gift next Tuesday, December 21st. This was Joe’s idea and came out of conversations that he had with Assemblyman Rubin Diaz, who will also be at the assembly and multimedia room unveiling. In addition to the computers, Joe has also agreed to donate money to the school to repaint and buy new furniture for the multimedia room. Darlene Stokes-McWhales, the principal of PS 146, has also agreed to rename the room after Joe’s late sister, Lisa Cartagena, who passed away during childbirth. It’s an amazing gesture on behalf of Joe and Hip-e computer — the computer company Joe has teamed up with for this donation.

It has always been important for Joe to use his celebrity for a good cause. “Each year, I make sure to give back to my community and to the children of New York City in some way, by giving toys at Christmas to children in hospitals to serving as Principal for the Day at schools in the Bronx and more. I don’t know if anything else I do charity-wise will top what I’m doing for my old grammar school. This was a school that had no computers for their children, so to be able to come in & give them 20 along with a new multimedia room that will be named after & dedicated to my sister is phenomenal and makes me feel so grateful that I’m in a position to give back to the community that helped make me who I am today.”

2004 has been a huge year for Fat Joe professionally. He recorded and released the biggest hit of his career, “Lean Back,” for which he, along with Terror Squad, received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The video was #1 on BET and MTV and received over 13,000 spins at its height. Joe is currently in the studio putting his finishing touches on his 6th solo album, “Things Of That Nature,” which will be released in March of 2005. He also recorded, “Hold You Down” with Jennifer Lopez for her upcoming album “Rebirth,” and they will be shooting a video for it in Los Angeles next month.

Source: Market Wire, December, 2004