Mathis and Women's Group Engage

Media Execs For Dignity AND Diversity
 

(Atlanta, GA – June 21, 2007)  Janice L. Mathis, Esq., Dr. E.Faye Williams and leaders of several other women’s groups met for more than an hour with CEO Debra Lee on June 20^th at BET headquarters in Washington, D.C. to present a constructive agenda, including the establishment of a viewer advisory panel, more public affairs programming, a BET-lead dialogue on decency and diverse senior staffing, mentorship and contracting.

While Lee would not commit to an external advisory council, she responded to the grouop’s concerns by indicating that Teen Summit (the most requested BET program) would be revived, that a town hall meeting on decency and other issues was in the works, that BET’s staff is 95% African American, 60% female and the company annual has 60 college student interns.  BET execs also directed the group to consider the positive impact of programming such as “Meet the Faith” and “Baldwin Hills.”  Senior leaders of BET in the meeting included chief of staff Tom Reynolds, Jenine Lyburd and BET General Counsel Byron Marchant. 

BET denied that it was honoring outspoken proponent of gansta rap Snoop Dogg at its upcoming awards show, indicating that the award Snoop is nominated for is based on votes from the industry.  Lee resisted that idea that BET should be judged based on the most explicit music videos that aired on BET Uncut, a late night program that has been discontinued.  The parties agreed to keep the dialogue open.  The women’s coalition will conduct additional meetings beginning on Friday, June 22^nd, with media executives to press the case for dignity and diversity.

Following the BET session, An all-star lineup of activist women met at the historic Washington D.C. offices of Dr. Dorothy Height on Wednesday to plot strategy for their campaign to improve dignity and diversity in media.  Film and television star Sheryl Lee Ralph attended the entire session, stressing the need to involve more young women and indicating that no other group existed to defend the image of women, particularly women of color, in media.

There was great consensus among those in the room on several issues, including:  the coalition must be prepared to work for at least 25-50 years; following the money is critical to influencing media content; censorship is not the goal.  Educating young women to become better media consumers, establishing new standards of decency, raising public awareness with a media scorecard were how the women present said they would define the group’s success.

During a three-hour strategic planning session facilitated by Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, the group addressed such basic questions as whether to confine their efforts to media (yes – media touches everything), whether to accept corporate support (yes, with limits), whether to incorporate a new organization (no- the coalition message is important) and whether to seek censorship (no – the guarantees of the First Amendment are important.)

With perseverance and a little luck, historians may look back fifty years from now and see the efforts of the DD coalition as the beginning of a trend away from the most negative images of black women in media.  USA TODAY reported on June 20, 2007, that hot new rapper Kingston says he's trying to make feel-good music and won't use profanity in his songs. "People don't want to hear that from a kid," he says. "I want to make music for everybody."

In addition to Janice L. Mathis, Esq. VP of Rainbow PUSH, Dr. E. Faye Williams, National Director of the National Congress of Black Women, Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Kim Gandy, NOW President and Ellie Smeal from the Feminist Majority, others in attendance included Dr. Barbara Skinner and Diane Babineau.  The group is open to those interested in achieving dignity and diversity in media. 

The coalition for dignity and diversity formed in the wake of the Imus scandal, meets weekly by telephone.  Previously, the group protested at the Viacom shareholder meeting, participated in the Rainbow PUSH Women’s Luncheon featuring Debra Lee and Linda Johnson Rice, publisher of Ebony and Jet, and succeeded in getting Chicago Congressman Bobby Rush (Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee) to schedule hearings on Capitol Hill in July.