The Current State of Race Relations In America

We will dare open Pandora’s Box; we will peel the scab off and expose the festering wounds; and in the process, we will even implicate ourselves because it is what the members of Verily Prime do in discussing the issues affecting all us as Americans. Notwithstanding that we have our first Black President, Verily Prime’s barometer to measure race relations is how the races are portrayed on the silver screen. Specifically, when, and if, you see a prominent white actress kissing a black male thespian on the silver screen, then you will know that there is genuine progress in race relations. Look at the movie Monster’s Ball, which garnered Halle Berry her first Oscar; can my white brothers and sisters honestly and objectively say that Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep in her heyday, or a Megan Foxe, would have been subjected to that graphic sex scene between Billy Bob Thorton and Halle Berry? Another example is the movie Hancock, which starred Will Smith and Charlize Theron; normally, with such high caliber thespians, there would be love scenes between the two stars, but the script had the characters be ex-lovers, therefore relegating the love scenes off camera. Interracial relationship, between a prominent white actress and her black male counterpart is the one thing, even the so call progressive Hollywood is not comfortable with, although it is rampant on our college campuses on the “down low.” It is said that Sally Hemings slept with her slave master, Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson; however, when it is discussed, it is conveyed as such that Sally should be still giddy-upping with joy in her grave for being Jefferson’s concubine. When this member of Verily Prime was in grad school, Shaquille O’Neal blabbed that among the women he had bedded was the super model, Cindy Crawford. No sooner had Shaq said this, Cindy was out with a press conference, nonetheless, denying that Shaq slept with her--now, Venus Williams, the black tennis player, and the late songbird Aaliyah, who were among Shaq’s conquests, did not see fit to deny Shaq’s story, or moreover, hold a press conference to deny Shaq’s tales of conquest. We contend that even if Shakespeare were magically resurrected and authored an interracial tome, be it one of his comedies, which always ends in a marriage or one of his tragedies, which always ends in a death, we dare say that the Bard would have a hard time finding a prominent white thespian actress to take on the role--This would reflect the pulse and sentiment of most whites vis-à-vis interracial relationships. Consider this particular blog a primer or the opening salvo; later blogs will delve into Bakke, the seminal case, which articulated the merits or de-merits of Affirmative Action.

-Verily Prime