Perception is everything

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of participating in the 2007 Juneteenth Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio. The festival material explains that Juneteenth is not just a celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, but an opportunity to reflect on how far society has come in terms of ethnic relations and how far we still have to go. That's a topic I often reflect upon.

There are a multitude of ways in which we can measure the distance we've traveled. One way is with firsts. For example, in 2001, we had the first African American Secretary of State with Colin Powel and the first African American National Security Advisor with Condeleeza Rice. In 2007, we had the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl.

But what impact do these firsts have on the underlying issue of perception? Popular culture often sheds light on societal thinking - what's acceptable and what's not. Judging by television and film, we're making headway, but there's still quite a distance to travel.

For example, in TV detective series, shows like Law & Order and The Closer have several African American characters. That's wonderful. But these characters are either in supportive or secondary. What's preventing them from taking the lead?

(Don't get me started on Psych. Based on the two episodes I've watched, the African American character is a non-issue who sets us back about 60 years.)

When we think of superheroes, Superman, Batman, Spiderman are prominent icons with franchises to perpetuate their popularity. But what about the Black Panther, Vixen or John Stewart as the Green Lantern? We do have Blade. He's had three movies and now has his own series on the Sci-Fi channel. But he's a vampire who doesn't want to be a vampire and he's killing other vampires. What's the underlying message there?

My point is, I relish these firsts and celebrate them. But these firsts move us forward one person at a time. To advance as a group, we have to address perceptions and push forward strong, positive images and messages.