Name: 32
Hometown: New York, NY
“I only saw parts of the special last year. But I thought it was informative and most of it was accurate. I wished they would’ve had more prominent people like Maya Angelou and Oprah talk about their personal views on race.”
Age: 24
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
“I learned a lot from the first “Black in America.” But I’m happy they’re having a follow-up focusing on the solutions and those African-Americans who give back to our community instead of focusing just on our downfalls. Having President Obama in office gives more hope to the younger generation and further helps to build our character.”
Age: Late 40s
Hometown: New York, New York
“I enjoyed Part 1 of the “Black in America” series. It’s very helpful for the community to know that there are positive Black people in America. I liked that people talked about their life experiences and were very honest about it."
Age: 39
Hometown: Conway, South Carolina
“I’m always interested in seeing what other Americans thinks about race. Soledad was great, but there were a lot more issues like discrimination within the Black community that should have been addressed. Black people feel differently now that we have an African-American President. We’re more proud and believe that things are truly available to us but as far as racism changing for the better, I don’t really see a big difference."
Age: 47
Hometown: New York, New York
“I think Part 1 could have been more in depth, hitting on hard core issues like how racism truly affects Black people in this country. Also, we should look at the idea that there isn’t a real distribution of wealth because of racism. CNN did a good job at least making that information available. I plan to watch and I hope Part 2 is more representative."
Age: 30
Hometown: New Jersey
“Last year was interesting. It was a good start but it didn’t really cover everything. There was definitely a need for a Part 2, but there’s also a need for Americans to understand that they don’t have the final say in Black culture. My family is Black but we’re from the Caribbean. Our culture may be completely different but we all got lumped in as Black Americans. It would be nice if other Black cultures were included this time around as well.”
Deconstructing Black America with CNN’s Soledad O’Brien »
Tell us what you think of the show below and don’t forget to watch CNN Presents: Black in America 2, July 22 and 23, 9:00P.M. (EST)
After an outpouring of reactions from both critics and supporters to last year’s series, Soledad O’Brien returns for another look at the long, complicated story of African-Americans with “CNN Presents: Black in America 2.”
We wanted to know what did you think of last year’s series, do you plan to watch Part 2 and what does being Black in America mean to you today? Here’s what some folks had to say on the topic.
Deconstructing Black America with CNN’s Soledad O’Brien »
Reporting by Shevon Green and Mavis Baah
