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BET Deserves Praise This Time
by Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
(TEWire) - It is possible that no one would expect anybody from the National Congress of Black Women to praise BET. Well, here I am doing just that. Long before I became Chair of NCBW, during the years when my predecessor, Dr. C. DeLores Tucker, was chair of our organization, we formed a Commission of Entertainment.
Certain female singers came to us and complained that their careers seemed to be going nowhere unless they followed the trend and switched to the kind of music that denigrated Black people—especially Black women.
Dr. Tucker made an effort to reason with artists, producers and others, and she ultimately led picket lines to protest the horrible and vulgar performances we were seeing all too often. Many of Dr. Tucker’s friends marched with her. Some even went to jail with her in an effort to appeal to all concerned for a higher standard.
Once Dr. Tucker passed away, Pastor Delman Coates of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Md. and I led and sustained protests against BET for seven months through ice, snow and rain across the winter of 2007. When we saw “Hot Ghetto Mess” and heard “Read a Book” - that included several vulgarities during the time children watched television - we knew something must be done. We picketed one of the Awards shows in an effort to get BET officials to listen to reason about how far its image had sunk. We got no satisfaction, so I was truly reluctant to attend anything with the BET brand on it.
Last weekend, my good friend, Cicely Tyson, invited me to be one of her guests at the BET Awards Show at the Warner Theater in Washington, DC. I went reluctantly with the intention of seeing her receive her award and leaving immediately afterwards. Since I have been one of the biggest critics of BET over the past several years for its raunchy, denigrating, extremely poor taste in music and television programs, I really did not expect to see or hear anything positive. I was in for a big surprise!
The show was the opposite of everything I had ever known about BET. It was truly first class. Among the honorees were Ms. Tyson, Herbie Hancock, Lonnie Bunch—people of real substance. Among those on the program were Tyler Perry, Chick Corea, Wallace Roney, Hill Harper, Jimmy Jam, Yolanda Adams and the choir from the Cicely Tyson School for the Performing Arts.
Young people had a chance to be seen in a positive light. Since we have been so highly critical of BET, I felt compelled to compliment BET this time, and pray that the 2011 BET Awards Show is not just a one-time positive event.
So many people I know would not think of watching BET, but as odd as this sounds, I am encouraging people who had given up on BET to look and see if you think they are cleaning up their act—at least during the hours children are likely to be watching. Let us see if the positive nature of the Awards show carries over to more positive television programming.
The same program I saw was taped and will be shown on television soon. I believe in second chances, so I am risking one of my chances on BET. Watch the show, and I hope you will agree that my assessment of it is worth a second chance. The show proves that BET can rise higher than it has been known to rise in the past. I pray that I am right on this one because many young people look to the National Congress of Black Women for guidance on entertainment and other matters.
Dr. E. Faye Williams is National Chair of the National Congress of Black Women. See www.nationalcongressbw.org for more information or call 202/678-6788.
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