I'm Officially Pulling the RACE Card!

I've been doing lots of reflecting and self analysing lately...Maybe its because I am by nature a very introspective person. I enjoy observing people, events, and issues and researching. So I've been doing a lot of thinking about my life journey and where I am and where I want to be in the next few years. I have recently come to the conclusion that many of the goals I had for myself earlier in my life I've either achieved or bypassed due to preference or circumstances. It's almost like once I started working as a TV Reporter that I felt that I had reached many of my professional aspirations. That said, there are still many things on the career side that I've yet to experience. However, God has blessed me in so many ways especially in terms of my career at such an early stage that I sometimes feel like the odd woman out.

I think that its a bit of an exaggeration to say that I'm in a quarter life crisis because I don't consider myself in a crisis. I consider myself to be in a quarter life transition. Its kinda like I sat down and said to myself ok so you didn't end of a teen mother statistic, check, you graduated college in four years with a bachelors degree, and have worked at a hand full of TV stations around the country. I know that this may sound a bit self absorbed but I feel totally blessed to have basically played by the "rules" and in many ways I feel like I've WON! Now I sit and ask my self now WHAT?!?!

Well let me tell you... The world of TV Journalism is not at all what I had expected it to be. I've had the privilege and opportunity to both learn and work side by side with many great Journalist. I've been blessed to basically be at the right place at the right time which as afforded me many opportunities to cover great stories. That said there is another side to my career that I haven't really ever spoken about or written about to date.

I know this may come as a surprise but I personally have experienced OUTRAGEOUS forms of both racism and prejudice. That said, I would like to preface the following statements as strictly MY experience. I know that others may have experienced other things but I can only tell and talk about what has happened to me. I must say that its taken me some time to be able to actually address this topic because its still quite sensitive and honestly tragic for me to recount and think about some of the situations that I have experienced first hand.

For some reason, I was of the assumption that I was the sum of my credentials and experience. However, I have come to understand even with all my combined work and life experience I am nothing more than a Black Woman in the eyes of past and present employers. I have even been told in interview settings while sitting across from various *News Directors that while their news website said they encourage women and minorities to apply they are looking for a specific prototype. Simply put, if a blond white woman left the news station for whatever reason be it for a better opportunity at another station across town or for family reasons they are looking for another similar woman to take the existing position! WHAT?!?! I said to myself, you mean to tell me in 2010 at least in my chosen field I am not measured by the content of my character or abilities but simply by the hue of my skin tone!

WOW....that was allot to take in at first. But then I started to watch the local stations and sure enough, when one white woman left she was quickly replaced by a younger, bright eyed version of the previous woman in most cases. WOW... I was shocked to see this. I was even more amazing at how self absorbed or anti-black many of the other women of color are in many of the stations that I've worked. It has been my experience that I've been befriended by the white staff in most cases because they don't see me as a threat. However, the other black women or non-white women in my experience have been plain vicious! I have found the reason other black or minority women are not supportive of new minorities on staff is because they know that in most cases its only a matter of time before they are replaced by the new "Token".

This is because in 2010 in many states TV stations usually only have one at worst or two at best minorities on-air at any given time. But at these same stations its perfectly normal and acceptable to see five or more TV personalities that are white. But for some reason each station has their "Token Minority" TV personality. There have been several times where I've witnessed blatant nepotism and racism in the hiring process.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the interviewing process of TV Journalist I would argue that we endure some of the most intense screening and interviewing procedures out there. For starters, once the *News Director has viewed your *resume tape he or she may call you in for an interview. At which point you may be asked to go out and do a "sample story" with a photographer if you are in a high enough *TV market. However, if you are at a lower TV market station then they may send you out with a camera, battery, tripod, car keys, and a map and tell you to "GO for it". Typically they give you three hours to make "magic" then come back and edit the piece as if it were to go on air.

Mind you, you've spent weeks and countless hours rehearsing the recent city happenings. You've memorized all local officials and state officials and their names and most recent issues or accomplishments. You've been asked all types of random questions about the recent city news which may include everything from politics to education issues to city taxes. You are expected to recite and have an opinion on all of the above and be able to present yourself in a assertive and aggressive manor without crossing the line of being a "know it all". But as you might have guessed you are expected to know it all... just not to act like it.

After all that I've been required to take written 4-10 page test about everything from current national events to our foreign policy. Read from the teleprompter and do a walk and talk *stand up. After having spent your hard earned money to travel across country for the interview to be told the position has been filled two weeks later by a less qualified white woman...it is a huge SLAP in the face to put it mildly.

In some cases I've discovered the new hire to be apart of the same country club as the news stations executives. To be fare that could be a coincidence. But similar situations have happened time and time again and its hard not to notice a pattern.

Yes I'm Officially Pulling the RACE CARD! I may be a Black Woman but I more than just another Black Woman on TV. I am an educated, funny, witty, sassy, young woman who has been often overlooked and judged by nothing more than my RACE! Especially when it comes to news unless you have walked in my shoes you can't tell my or our story! Have you ever found yourself watching a news story and thinking to yourself there has to be another side to the story. The thing I can't seem to wrap my mind around is the concept that news organizations expect to have balanced non biased news reports when all the content for the show is gathered from one view point...the white one.

Have you experienced any form of racism or prejudice in your field? If so I'd love to hear about how you addressed or dealt with the situations you were faced with.

All comments are welcome and appreciated even if you happen to have an opinion that is in opposition to mine.

My point in writing this isn't to say woe its me! But to bring to light my experience which will hopefully create dialogue that will one day lead to change!

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*News Directors in my career of TV Journalism are the head people in charge. They are the ones who decide who's on the news and basically what is news or what will be covered at whatever station.

*Resume Tape is a compilation of your on-camera work as a TV Personality. It is edited down to include a montage which are quick clips of your best news stories followed by the full length versions of your best work. All edited down to five or seven minutes which is the industry standard. Even though the term tape is used generally speaking the format is DVD or a web link where you've uploaded your work.

*TV Market is determined by the state in which you live. The demographic area is then measured by population and so forth. So an example of a top ten market would be say New York or Atlanta.

*Stand up is a demonstration of something you are saying by using a prop such as a gas pump if you are speaking about gas prices for example.