Jesse Jackson to CNN's Soledad O'Brien: 'You Don't Count' as Black
CNN personality Soledad O'Brien revealed in her new book that liberal activist Jesse Jackson put her down for her skin color during a private meeting in 2007. During the meeting, Jackson complained to O'Brien, whose mother is a black woman from Cuba, that there weren't any black anchors on CNN. When she pointed out that she was the anchor of American Morning, the activist replied, "You don't count."
O'Brien, who is now a special correspondent for CNN, recounted the 2007 incident in "The Next Big Story," which CNN.com excerpted on November 3. Just before her meeting with Jackson, the journalist had obtained "exclusive access to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s papers," as the lead-in for the excerpt underlined. Soon after this, as O'Brien recalled, "Jackson calls with an invitation to meet and talk." The two met at a restaurant "on the first floor of a famous hotel" and in the course of their conversation, the subject of the racial makeup of her network came up:
Today he is angry because CNN doesn't have enough black anchors. It is political season. There are billboards up sporting Paula Zahn and Anderson Cooper. He asks after the black reporters. Why are they not up there? I share his concern and make a mental note to take it back to my bosses. But then he begins to rage that there are no black anchors on the network at all. Does he mean covering the campaign, I wonder to myself? The man has been a guest on my show. He knows me, even if he doesn't recall how we met. I brought him on at MSNBC, then again at Weekend Today. I interrupt to remind him I'm the anchor of American Morning. He knows that. He looks me in the eye and reaches his fingers over to tap a spot of skin on my right had. He shakes his head. "You don't count," he says. I wasn't sure what that meant. I don't count- what? I'm not black? I'm not black enough? Or my show doesn't count?
The CNN personality continued by describing how affected she was by the remark:
I was both angry and embarrassed, which rarely happens at the same time for me. Jesse Jackson managed to make me ashamed of my skin color which even white people had never been able to do....If Reverend Jesse Jackson didn't think I was black enough, then what was I? My parents had so banged racial identity into my head that the thoughts of racial doubt never crossed my mind. I'd suffered an Afro through the heat of elementary school. I'd certainly never felt white. I thought my version of black was as valid as anybody else's. I was a product of my parents (black woman, white man) my town (mostly white), multiracial to be sure, but not black? I felt like the foundation I'd built my life on was being denied, as if someone was telling me my parents aren't my parents....The arbiter of blackness had weighed in. I had been measured and found wanting.
O'Brien might have been angry as well because early in 2007, the same year she had this racially-charged meeting with Jackson, she had defended him and his counterpart, the Reverend Al Sharpton, on-air during a February 19 segment on American Morning:
O'BRIEN: There will be people who might think watching TV that you and Jesse Jackson are the only black leaders in this country practically. Every time there is an event, a shooting, something to be said, something to respond to the black community, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are there in front of the microphones....But do Reverend Sharpton and Reverend Jackson speak for all African-Americans? One lawmaker (Rep. Maxine Waters) says if it seems that way, blame the media.
Jackson actually later admitted to O'Brien that he didn't know that she was black, as she also revealed in her book:
It wasn't until recently that I called him and reminded him of what he'd said to me that day. I had done 4 documentaries on race in between the two conversations. He was totally surprised and barely remembered the details. He had not known I was black! He said he honestly did not know, that when he said I didn't count he was alluding to the fact that he thought I was a dark-skinned someone else. That is how precise the game of race is played in our country, that we are so easily reduced to our skin tone. That even someone as prominent in African American society as Rev. Jackson has a box to check for black and one for white. No one gets to be in between. I thanked him for his candor.
The CNN personality went on touting the liberal view on race issues on-air, even after Jackson's put-down. On April 28, 2008, O'Brien praised Jeremiah Wright's speech before the Detroit NAACP as a "home run" and "really funny," despite the minister's eyebrow-raising assertion that black and white children learn with different parts of their brains. Three days before President Obama's inauguration in January 2009, the former American Morning anchor suggested, as anchor Wolf Blitzer recounted, that "metaphorically in some ways, the pilot of that airplane [Sully Sullenberger, who safely landed his crippled airliner in the Hudson River] is very much like Barack Obama." Just over a month later, on February 18, O'Brien joined Roland Martin and CNN senior political analyst Gloria Borger in unanimously praising Attorney General Eric Holder for his "nation of cowards" speech on race issues.
[H/t: National Review Online]
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Comments
O'Brien learned, the hard
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 5:36pm.
O'Brien learned, the hard way, that the race pimps like Jackson and Sharpton are the ones who decide if you "count" or not. You're not "black" unless they say you are.
Speaking of Jackson, I heard a clip from him on Rush's show today....good grief! the man was never eloquent or articulate (in spite of what HE thinks) but holy cannoli!- he was almost unintelligible!
Yep.
Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 10:36pm.
There are no moments more shocking to a liberal than when a Leftist bursts their self-image bubble.
Whether its accusing them of bias or disavowing their very ethnic-identity, libs are hurt and disillusioned by these episodes.
If O'Brien hadn't been stunned by Jackson's comment, she should've replied, "And does that mean Barack Obama does not count as the first black President?"
OMFGLOLROFLWTFBBQ!!
Submitted by Thoreau on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 5:43pm.
OMFGLOLROFLWTFBBQ!!!!
Oh snap. He's going by the 1/2 cracka ass cracka rule! Maybe that's why he wanted to cut Obama's nuts off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQl_6buUggM
I tell you. Between these Negro Nazi's and Sociopathic Caucasoid Communists, you just have to laugh.
When asked for her comment,
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 5:41pm.
Whoopi Goldberg said that O'Brien wasn't "black" black.
Good one!
Submitted by johnsonl on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 6:19pm.
Good one!
Reverend? HA!
Submitted by Red Jeep on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 5:41pm.
Wonder how his love child and mistress are doing today. As a matter of fact Jesse's son the congresscritter had a mistress too. What role models they are.
I don't think the mistress,
Submitted by WarEagle66 on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 11:14pm.
I don't think the mistress, in Jesse the Jerk's words, COUNTS, because she was white.
Ah, I See...
Submitted by Bill W. on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 5:43pm.
The Question: Content of her character, right?
Sadly,
Submitted by optimist on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 5:49pm.
African immigrants don't count either in Jesse's mind either.
You ain't black till Jesse says you's black
Submitted by c5then on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 6:00pm.
This is the liberal mindset and it comes out when they are pre-occupied and not thinking of what they are saying. The most racist people in America are the race-baiters like Jackson and Sharpton because EVERYTHING to them is all about race.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
When I was a kid, in
Submitted by DaChew on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 6:02pm.
When I was a kid, in elementary school, teachers would sometimes talk about race and how we are all equal which seemed pretty reasonable to me. They'd almost always point out that we'd all get married and have children and eventually we'd all be the same race anyway so it didn't make sense to hate someone else based on the color of their skin. The discussion would always end up with them asking what would happen when we were all the same color, same race. I didn't really have an answer then but I do now: Race baiting dinosaurs like Jesse Jackson will go in-freeking-sane.
No, teh corect answer is that
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 7:15pm.
No, teh corect answer is that people will always find some way to differ themselves from one another. To people like Jackson it doesnt matter it is just a way to make money.
Don't thank him,
Submitted by johnsonl on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 6:18pm.
call him out for the racist that he is. Why did your parents "raise you black"? Why should anybody be raised as anything? I raised three kids. Period. Their skin is white. They weren't "raised white". They weren't taught that being white is special or that they should have special privileges because of their race. They were taught right from wrong, good from bad, to work hard and obey the law. Race baiters like Jesse are a thing of the past. How many times has he been to the White House? He's irrelevent, as I hoped he would become with the election of our first black president. I hope all blacksand hispanics are looking deep inside for that racism that they carry. The race card is meaningless now. Time to stand up and excel, instead of whine for affirmative action or play the race card. Welcome to my world, where we are judged by the content of our character.
good point
Submitted by American.Patriot on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 9:49pm.
we had two healthy biological kids - blonde hair, blue eyes, and decide to adopt a South Korean baby, who by the time we got her out of the orphanage was 18 months old.
Anyway, long story short. When she came home from her first day in kindergarten she proclaimed that she was a different color than her siblings and parents. She'd never connected the dots on being "differnet" before attending public school
Just saying....
Addendum:
Submitted by Matthew Balan on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 6:23pm.
O'Brien actually erased any doubt that she holds liberal views on race later in the CNN.com excerpt where she praised Michael Eric Dyson, who complained on the July 22, 2010 edition of CBS's Early Show that the Shirley Sherrod controversy was an example of "unfair pressure on the Obama administration, Mr. Obama himself, from, I think, the far right wing, which perceives black gain at the expense of white security:"
One day Bud Bultman, my managing editor, quoted Michael Eric Dyson as finding the story of Black America depressing and sad. It's undoubtedly the case that some of the stories are depressing and sad but you can't only tell stories that are outlined by statistics. There is a way to nuance the story so that the community is fully represented. Michael Eric Dyson is extraordinarily smart and articulate and is also one of the happiest and funniest people I know. There has to be a way to present stories that is not simply either/or -- that can't be reduced to good news/bad news, happy and sad. These elements coexist. This was the perspective I was supposed to bring to the documentary [her July 2007 "Black in America" documentary on CNN].
Poor Soledad
Submitted by ArchieBunker on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 6:26pm.
Guess what, You're also not Irish , but I bet that doesn't bother you. Actually you look whiter than Anderson Pooper. Poor baby.
She Should Be Embarrassed By Her Continued Gullibility
Submitted by rammingspeed on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 6:35pm.
Her parents' banging "racial identity" into her head was, obviously, child abuse. Doubtless there was a great deal more "progressive" head banging going on, which would be Marxism without saying the name Karl Marx. The fact that she still clings to her bias even after Jackson's slap in her face shows how deep are the scars of indoctrination. She's like a battered wife, running back to her drunken SOB of a husband no matter what.
She's too old to be this liberal, this much of a tool. Others have been abused the way she was and have overcome it. I don't feel sorry for her, but I certainly feel sorry for those whom she negatively influences through her profession as a journalist.
Rev. Jesse and Rev. Al, and da Rev. Wright.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 6:38pm.
Will these these pitiful people ever get over their self loathing?
And just who the hell made them "Reverend?"
I think I'll be "Doctor" from now on!
If you don't like it, you're a racist.
I want to be African
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 7:20pm.
I want to be African American, how does one do that? I always ask people that and they come up with all sorts of goofy answers I promptly shoot down. If we all came from common anscetors then how can we be different races? And then there is the killer when they they say you have to be from Africa. so what about a "white" person from Africa?
Peopls will contort all diffferent ways to conform to the proper response. And ask a European what a black is and they will lump in Indians, Packis and any number of others.
Remember?
Submitted by almostacowboy on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 7:45pm.
Does anyone remember the Ali G show where he interviewed Andy Rooney?
Ali G said something like, "ya does't like me just 'cause I is black" and Andy says with complete incredulity, "You're black?" Absolutely classic!
Soledad's the female Ali G.
And why do people like her identify themselves as "African-American"? It couldn't have anything to do with affirmitive action, could it?
Obama & Ms. Soledad Should Celebrate Being of Mixed Race!
Submitted by gruyere cheese on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 7:59pm.
It is sad that people like Obama & Soledad who are of mixed race do not celebrate being different.
Sure, life is hard for anyone who does not fit the look of what the masses expect you to look like, but that is what makes you special. Someone of a mixed culture has the ability to be in the middle, you can look at both sides of the spectrum without being judgemental...it is a gift! Obama's mother was white, but he chose to write a book about his abusive father instead!
Soledad should be proud of her Cuban heritage without focusing on the color of her skin. She probably is bilingual and can adapt to living here or somewhere else, then again she is a liberal and so she will play the "cry me a river song"...
I am one of those so called "brown people" because of my hispanic heritage-- according to the liberal fanatics. I can honestly say that I was never so embarrased of this government until Obama & his posse landed in the White House. Hell, George Bush at least tried to speak Spanish when he was addressing my people. Our Obama tells the Latinos to fight against the enemy (Republicans) in English...how condescending. I would have some respect for him if he at least tried saying "Hola & Bienvenidos". Try eating some tamales for crying out loud Mr. President!
I am proud to be an American regardless of my skin color or heritage. As my grandmother would say; "Anyone who does not like what you look like or the color of your skin, tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine". Ay Caramba!
Hey Jesse, guess what? YOU
Submitted by eflatminor on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 8:02pm.
Hey Jesse, guess what? YOU don't count either.
Best comment of the day
Submitted by Van Halen on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 8:12pm.
Best comment of the day award!
Soledad O'Brien learned
Submitted by seanrobins on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 8:14pm.
Soledad O'Brien learned nothing from the experience, obviously. Jesse Jackson simply made a "mistake" in not knowing that she was black. No, it wasn't a mistake about the significance of her being or not being black, certainly not! <sarcasm>
Wise up, Soledad. Even if Jesse realized you were black, it doesn't matter, because that's not what it's all about with these "race pimps." To them, race is only a weapon to use for the usual extortive purposes. If you think that there is anything truly substantive to them, you are a fool.
sean robins
Good to know who the real
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 9:27pm.
Good to know who the real racists are, not that there was any doubt.
Affirmative Action Jackson
Submitted by Phryj1 on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 1:28am.
Jesse Jackson has a dream...of a world where people are not given jobs based upon the content of their character, but for the color of their skin.
Progressives seem to be completely averse to facts and logic. Apparently, reality has a conservative bias.
The point of JJ entire
Submitted by ConservativeRex on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 2:21am.
The point of JJ entire arguement is- If you are an immigrant from Africa, if you are from the Islands or if you're even from freaking Paupa New Guinea, you are not black. In order to pass the JJ black test your ancestors would have had to come here in chains and owned by some one else.
Why oh why does anyone pay any attention to this race pimp? Have you ever seen the way black folks in this country treat someone that is actually from Africa? They treat 'em like crap. I've witnessed it more times then I care to mention, not including the back stabbing that occurs from one concerning the other.
The bottom line is, if you think American blacks went en masse to Africa they would be met with open arms by their brothers and sisters? They would be met with machetes and .308's from AK-47's that's what they would be met with.
So, to Jesse Jackson, let's concentrate on being Americans first and foremost, without any hyphens. The same goes for you Soledad.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
" Rev " Jackson's comments
Submitted by sarge329 on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 3:22am.
So " Reverend " ( quotes mine ) Jackson says that Soledad O'Brien isn't black enough. Black enough for what? For her opinion to count? Who is he to say that? I seem to recall that he was the author of " diamond merchants " and " Hymietown " , to name a few. That makes him as blameless as " Reverend " Sharpton with his Tawanna Brawley story. If I misspelled the young lady's name, then I apologize to her. It has been a few years since that incident. What? What's that you say? Because he and " Reverend " Jackson both have liberal tendencies and are therefore down for the struggle, then they can say who's " black enough " and who's not. Oh damn. I guess that, since my ancestors are from Northern & Central Europe, my opinion doesn't count. By the way, a first sergeant under whom I had the honor of serving many years ago told a brash young EEO officer how that worked in his unit. " In this unit, Lieutenant, there are 3 kinds of troops. Light green, dark green, and bumpy " . The lieutenant tried to explain to Top that his way of thinking was outmoded, obselete, and not PC. Top's response was simple, " Does my explanation bother you, LIEUTENANT " ? This last word was spoken eloquently, and with just a hint of that ever-popular inflection, used with much effectiveness by all senior NCOs, as Command Voice. The lieutentant became very still, packed up his forms and charts, and scurried back to his warren at Bn S-1. I know this happened because I was working that day as SDNCO/CQ, and heard the entire exchange. Top's version of equal rights worked for me then, and that was over twenty years ago. Still makes sense.
racial obcession of liberals makes me crazy....it is killing
Submitted by Paarl on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 10:03am.
the natural growing together of the races in America..the ammount of interracial dating/marriage is climbing and the racial hustlers just dont like it...they see their market disappearing.
I grew up in Rhodesia, just north of South Africa in the days of apartheid in South Africa. In South Africa there was a large mixed population called the Cape Coloureds....they are the product of the many races in south africa over the 3 centuries. In the 1950s when apartheid was being instituted the authorities instituted many 'tests' to determine the racial clasification of each citizen....from the pencil in the hair (does the hair hold the pencil when the head is tilted..measurement of lips...measurement of nose width..crazy madcap things which succeeeded in nothing but busting up families. sOME would be classified white...some coloured..some Malay...truly idiotic.
And it seems at times that the looney left here in America thinks in the same terms. That race (as class is in marxian theory) is the sole determinate of one's place in America. Nothing else counts. Jessie Jackson and aL sHARPTON ARE THE PUBLIC FACES OF THIS OBCESSION but Soledad Obien follows the same path. It is less than useless...it is dangerous and divisive and I reject any part of racial determinism...we all should !!
Paarl of Rhodesia...now of America
Jesse Jackson has always been
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 12:49pm.
Jesse Jackson has always been a racial bigot so why is this any surprise?