Sweetness & Light has this from National Public Radio: (Yes, even NPR can be appalled at something like this!)
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No, these two don’t have the latest hit on the Billboard charts.
They are Carwin Jones and Bryant Purvis of the so-called “Jena 6.” The two walked the red carpet of the 2007 BET Hip-Hop Awards, held this weekend in Atlanta.
According to those in attendance, they spoke briefly about the case before presenting the Hip-Hop Video of the Year Award.
Though their cohort Mychal Bell is back behind bars, that didn’t stop the two from hamming it up for the cameras (even holding up the number six with their fingers).
What does it say about the culture’s celebrity obsession that these two would be feted as stars? Do you think their participation in the award show undermines the gravity of the situation in Jena, La.?
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You know who should be presenting instead of these boys? Bill Cosby and Alvin F. Poussaint of Harvard Medical School. They recently wrote a book called "Come on People: On the Path from Victims to Victors," which argues that many of the problems within the black community are self-inflicted, the result of a counterproductive culture of violence and victimhood. And they blame just the thing that BET is celebrating: The violence and ignorance that symbolizes the "gangsta" lifestyle.
Find all the common sense goodness of Cosby and Poussant here.
BET should be ashamed. What BET should do if they cared about the future of young blacks, is buy up as many of Cosby and Poussaint's books as possible and give away free to their audience.
Also, check out this appearance of Cosby on Oprah.
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