America Beyond the Color Line: Did You Watch It?

[Sistermadly]

Just curious to see who watched the program America Beyond the Color Line hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates.

I watched all of the segments, and I have to say that even though I have few doubts about Dr. Gates' "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" leanings, it provided a fairly in-depth view of how life has changed for African Americans since the Civil Rights Movement.

(On a personal note, he gets extra brownie points for interviewing the sexiest actor alive, DON CHEADLE!)

Did anyone else watch? What were your thoughts?

(If you missed the series, check your local listings at http://pbs.org to see when it airs again)

[RedefinedDiva]

I wanted to catch it, but I missed it. I'll have to check when it airs again.

[9dstpm]

Originally posted by Sistermadly
Just curious to see who watched the program America Beyond the Color Line hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates.

I watched all of the segments, and I have to say that even though I have few doubts about Dr. Gates' "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" leanings, it provided a fairly in-depth view of how life has changed for African Americans since the Civil Rights Movement.

(On a personal note, he gets extra brownie points for interviewing the sexiest actor alive, DON CHEADLE!)

Did anyone else watch? What were your thoughts?

(If you missed the series, check your local listings at http://pbs.org to see when it airs again)

Hubby and I watched some of the program and from what we saw, it was a very good show. I taped it so I'm going to watch it all this weekend. I thought that it was a real honest look at how far we as a people have come but there is still so much to be done. Hubby was impressed that Dr. Gates talked to people on all levels, not just the upper class like some programs have a tendency to do.

Sorry, Sistermadly, but ummm, Don Cheadle is not the sexiest actor alive. I believe that title belongs to Dennis Haysbert. LOL!!

If your PBS affiliate will not repeat the program, you can purchase it on VHS and DVD. Just call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. I believe that it is $24.95 for VHS and $34.95 for DVD.

[Steeltrap]

Of this special and enjoyed it. But I liked the segment with Gen. Powell and Franklin Raines slightly better than Hollywood. I think that Gates is probably a moderate when it comes to politics, but he does have some slight bootstrap leanings.

And I loved Skip Gates' visiting with Milton Irvin (?) and his friends in the suburbs, including the Pearsons. I do admit that Donna Pearson had me doing a double-take before I listened to her and the insensitive comments she sometimes got because she's fair enough to pass.

Honestly, I think that Gates is on point when he says that the extreme right and the extreme left's view of our communities are not right.

[Gyrl7]

I watched it, and I thought it was excellent! I hope they show it throughout black history month.

[serenity_24]

I watched it and loved so much that I stayed up 'til three just to see it again because I missed parts of the first one.

I don't know. It gave me hope that we were headed in the right direction but I was mad that in all this time we are still not too far from the starting gates.

[Sistermadly]

The thing that really got to me - and I admit, this is kind of a personal pet peeve of mine - was that when he was talking to all of the successful upper middle class African Americans in Atlanta none of them were willing to see the parallels between the things they were saying (about wanting to live in all black neighborhoods) and the things whites would say who wanted to defend living in all white neighborhoods.

I know that there's a time and a place when you really just want to be around YOUR OWN, and everyone should have the right to live how they want to live. That's cool, and I certainly respect that opinion. But something about their attitudes/motivations just ring false to me, and seem antithetical to my interpretation of what the Civil Rights movement was all about.

9dstpm: Haysbert is fine, but there's just something about that little bit of gray in Don's goatee that just makes me go all... mooshy.

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by Sistermadly
The thing that really got to me - and I admit, this is kind of a personal pet peeve of mine - was that when he was talking to all of the successful upper middle class African Americans in Atlanta none of them were willing to see the parallels between the things they were saying (about wanting to live in all black neighborhoods) and the things whites would say who wanted to defend living in all white neighborhoods.

I know that there's a time and a place when you really just want to be around YOUR OWN, and everyone should have the right to live how they want to live. That's cool, and I certainly respect that opinion. But something about their attitudes/motivations just ring false to me, and seem antithetical to my interpretation of what the Civil Rights movement was all about.

9dstpm: Haysbert is fine, but there's just something about that little bit of gray in Don's goatee that just makes me go all... mooshy.

SM, can I hijack? I never saw any gray in Don C.'s goatee! But he's a talent, for real. I still think he's the best Sammy Davis Jr. interpreter out there (HBO's The Rat Pack)

[Sistermadly]

If you're talking about Don Cheadle, hijack away! Check that Essence cover from a few months back that had all of the black actors on the cover.

[9dstpm]

Originally posted by Sistermadly
If you're talking about Don Cheadle, hijack away! Check that Essence cover from a few months back that had all of the black actors on the cover.

I have that issue. It was from April of 2003. It was called the Hollywood Issue. It's the only issue of Essence that is still at my house. (I usually throw them out once I get the articles that I'm reading out of it.) Dennis was on it, of course, (although I will concede that Don is fine, too!) just looking all manner of yummy!! Once I caught Hubby trying to throw it out on the DL and it wasn't a happy time at the house.......

Sorry for the hijack.