Spike Lee ain't said nothin' but the truth, the whole truth, so help him God

Mr. "Do The Right Thing," Spike Lee, has caught flack for his comments on gentrification in New York's boroughs, particularly Harlem and Brooklyn. (Even though, ironically, he no longer lives in Brooklyn, but in a very nice section of Manhattan).

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/02/27/ac-intv-cooper-spike-lee-on-gentrification-rant.cnn.html

And truth be told, I think he was only telling the truth.

Gentrification is defined as the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.

Harlem, once known for the renaissance of Black poets, jazz musicians, writers, and artists, has seen all-Black and all-Hispanic housing complexes torn down, only to be rebuilt with high-rise and high-priced condominiums, mostly inhibited by affluent white residents. Fort Green, Clinton Hill, and Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, also epicenters of Black visual and performing arts and Black-owned businesses, are now inhibited by "hipsters."

Thing is --I actually agree with Spike. Although I'm not a native New Yorker, I have been here for 5 years, and have lived in Brooklyn for 3.5 of those years. I love Brooklyn for it's diversity, its unique culture within each neighborhood, and for the fact that it is different from all the other boroughs. Although I can't attest to changes that have taken place from gentrification since the 1990s, as I did not live here then, close friends and neighbors can speak to --and agree with--Spike's comments. And I have witnessed the changing landscape of Harlem over the past five years, as my church is in that community.

A cable network released a reality TV show last year about Bed-Stuy, which is the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. What struck me and my friends as odd is that all of the cast members were White, when Bed-Stuy is--and for the past 80 or so years has been--predominately Black. I understand not all paintings are done with a broad stroke, but this stroke was painted entirely too narrow. I'm all for Americans having the freedom to choose where they want to live, but it becomes a bit uncomfortable when it comes at the expense of life-long residents of a community who ultimately become out-priced out of their homes.

Gentrification is here. It's happening. It's been happening, and isn't likely to slow down in the near future. I'd like to hope that even with gentrification, there remains a respect and value of the cultures and qualities that made each neighborhood unique.

Being Mary Jane..or at least Being able to Relate to her

On tonight's "Being Mary Jane" finale, Mary Jane was partly blamed by the public--and by fellow Black journalists--for the suicide of Terrence Mitchell (portrayed by Ludacris). On a recent episode of her news show, she interviewed Mitchell's ex-girlfriend, who said she had tape recordings of Mitchell admitting to lying about information he shared with news media in years prior. Knowing he was lying, he declined to be interviewed by Mary Jane, and must have subsequently received immense negative backlash and ultimately took his own life. Cameras flashed in Mary Jane's face, a lawsuit was pending--all blaming the journalist for causing the death of a man who chose to take his own life.

To a degree, I can relate to this situation: having the public make you feel like your work caused negative outcomes in other people's lives. As a news reporter in Spartanburg, S.C., I once covered a story about a coach who was charged with inappropriate sexual conduct with a student. When the story ran, I got several calls sharing negative feedback on us running the story, including a call from a Black man who said, "You have ruined the life of a black man!" Yet, in my view, that black man ruined his OWN life, rep and career because of what he did; not because of what I reported. 

Often times, as in Mary Jane's case, being one of the reporters of color in a newsroom means that there's an unspoken expectation within your community to be the voice; be the beacon; shed light on the positive. But truth be told, there's good, bad and ugly within each of our communities, and I felt it my duty to report--unbiased --on situations as they arose, regardless of the subject's race. 

To my fellow friends in journalism, report facts, report truth, and keep your head up knowing your work is needed, valued and important--regardless of what the public has to say.