Ownership is the key. Media owned by us, and by “us” I mean conscious brothers and sisters who will not stoop to producing the trash we see now, is the appropriate response to the trash we see and hear in the media today. If you don’t own anything, you are always at the mercy—and the whims—of those who do.
As you read this, Bob Law, noted radio talk show host and one of the most informed brothers in the industry, is mounting a campaign to bring Black radio back up to the level of respect and intelligence it once knew. He writes, “In our initiative there are two levels of responsibility, holding corporations responsible for the inequality that contributes to the conditions in Black communities, and the Black community’s responsibility to change and correct those conditions.”
So always remind yourself of the role we play in the media, especially on the negative side. If we would not accept the trash they throw at us, it would not be thrown at us. If we stand up and let corporations and media outlets know that we will use our collective economic leverage against them by withdrawing our money from their products and refusing to watch and listen to their nonsense, we would at least have a fighting chance to change things in our favor.
You can start by signing Sabrina Lamb’s petition and the online petition that change.org is circulating. Then you can turn all that mess off your TV’s and radios. You will notice that I have not even mentioned the guy’s name that has all the babies by all the “mamas.” That’s another step we can take. Don’t even give the recognition of calling their names. And always remember, “It’s not personal, it’s just business.”
(Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is the nation’s most prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black people. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and can be reached through his Web site, blackonomics.com.)
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