Black In America 2: Everyday Black Experiences????

First off, I would like to say that as a Black American and an aspiring journalist, I think that it is great that CNN is telling the stories of African Americans in this day and age. However, I do feel like some of the stories are an eye-opening experience for some, but an everyday reality for many others.

I did not watch the series in its entirety, but I did see enough to say that I know many people in the situations that were highlighted, such as race in politics, business, & entertainment. But I ask myself the reason why these particular people are given the opportunity to share their stories & others are not??? I know many other black people who are in every field that have equally inspiring stories of struggle and perseverance when it comes to race. My father has over 20 years in the hospitality business, but was laid off from his job @ a hotel and is struggling right now because of the economy.

One example of this is the piece on Tyler Perry. I am a fan of his and I appreciate what he is doing for black people in the entertainment industry. I also appreciate the fact that he has a story, as in being homeless & making his dream happen based on hard work and determination, but I feel that there are other filmmakers and such who have an equally compelling story, if not more. What about John Singleton, Spike Lee, Rick Famuyiwa or others who are black and go through the same thing he went through to get where they are??? Is it because Perry is always on Oprah or because he has a show on TBS, which is owned by Time Warner, who also owns CNN???

I understand what CNN was trying to do with the series, and with the Gates situatiuon looming, it is nice to see the point of view of black people in today's society. However, I feel that some people see that example of hard-working blacks and think, "Hey, I do that too!!! What is the big deal???