CNN is launching a documentary series called "Being Black In America."

(this is from a different documentary, but it's REALLY, REALLY good. Wow!!!!)

From CNN:

The groundbreaking documentary series CNN Presents: Black in America continues with "The Black Woman & Family." Soledad O'Brien explores the varied experiences of black women and families and investigates the reasons behind the disturbing statistics on single parenthood, disparities between black and white students in the classroom and the devastating toll of the HIV/AIDS. O'Brien reports on the progress of black women in the workplace, in universities and the status of the black middle class. Premieres in HDTV on Wednesday, July 23, 9 p.m. ET

Wow, that Legacy trailer (above) is really good. Hmm, CNN forgot to call me, I guess, for an interview. Haha, I think it would be cool for someone to do a documentary called "Being Black In Evangelicalism" the sub-title would be "The Only Black Person In The Room" (or vice-versa). Evangelicals, as members of the dominant culture, have no idea what it's like for a black person (esp. a black female) to be the only black dude in a room full of whites. It's hard to describe unless you've been in that position but it's always a bit uncomfortable no matter how nice and welcoming people are. I've been at evangelical stuff where the room had a few hundred whites and I'm the only black guy. And no one ever really seems to notice.

Or even worse, most evangelicals don't even seem to think it odd that there would be, for example, a college summer conference or high school conference, with no blacks in attendance. Or even worse, that many evangelicals don't even think it odd that their kids don't even know any black people. It doesn't even phase people, I guess.

I was at a friends house recently and their 3-or-4-year-old kid looked at me for a few seconds and then looked at his mother and asked, "Mommie, why is he black?" You know, why would God do that to someone?

I wasn't offended at all. I was glad for the question actually. It made sense to me. If all of the people you know are white and you see someone who's black sitting next to you eating (and you're around 3-years-old) it's a great question. It provided a wonderful opportunity for his parents to teach this thoughtful child that God made me that way on purpose (and that it wasn't something I needed to repent off because I wasn't "normal").

Sadly, even near major cities, most evangelical kids will grow up with their only exposure to blacks being on television, in the movies, through music or an "urban missions trip" and will, then, extrapolate those stereotypes as "normal" for all blacks. So, when the evangelical kid gets college-age to early-20s, and it now becomes "cool" to be around blacks (until their own kids get school age), they will often confuse "black" and "urban" thinking that they need to move to a poor neighborhood to have an interracial experience (even though most blacks in America are working and middle-class).

What may even be worse, though, are the well-meaning "urban-living" types, who confuse "black" and "urban" who oddly brag because they live in a mostly poor and black (or Hispanic) neighborhood, that their children are in the summer program or something with all these black kids. They take pictures to put on the frig or something (a brochure, a blog) to display the fact that they are much cooler than suburbanites because their kids are in the physical presence of black kids--like they deserve a medal for doing something extraordinary. Big deal.

If a white college-educated evangelical couple wanted to do something radical they would move into a trailer park and be around "white trash." Won't happen folks. I haven't seen anyone talk about anything like this in the 15 years I've been in evangelicalland. For those of you who are minorities in evangelical circles you will never hear a middle or upper-class white person talk about moving into a poor, "white trash" neighborhood. They'll move into an urban ghetto first.