To the Group -
SoTrue1920 is SO on-point with her latest post. I have been a "Bryant Watcher" for a very long time and he has been a very outspoken critic of racism in the appropriate forums.
A lot of Black people get hung up on the fact that Bryant speaks ultra-correct english and is fair complected. Bryant is one of the most high-profile Black journalists in history and the type of journalism he is paid to do demands this approach.
I have read many interviews with him over the years and just as in the one ST linked, he pulls very few punches. White people are very fond of calling him arrogant and I think we sometimes get pulled into that hype without doing our own research on the man.
While I was not particularly "down" with the way his marriage situation ended, "nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors" so I really can't comment on his personal life. Furthermore, a lot of Black people who don't like Bryant today, didn't like him BEFORE the deal with his marriage became public. (Would we like him any more if he had left to be with another sista?)
Be that as it may, we also need to deal with his message. He was totally correct in his assessment of Ebony Magazine. It is shallow and superficial at best. Then again, perhaps thats the product that the Johnson organization wants to publish.
Either way, I think we need to avoid getting hoodwinked into a "Blacker-than-thou" debate about Bryant. The man spoke the truth. The fact that some folks don't like him doesn't make his statements any less true.
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IotaNet
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
Alpha Eta Chapter, Spring, 1980
Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity
Zeta Nu Chapter, Spring, 1979
[This message has been edited by IotaNet (edited June 26, 2001).]