*Melissa Harris-Perry is on her way to the top.
It seems like the heavy criticism her archenemy Cornel West bestowed upon her hasn’t affected her at all. She’s getting ready to join MSNBC’s news as its newest anchor.
According to the network’s president, Phil Griffin, Harris-Perry’s keeping the attention of audiences nationwide, but she didn’t even know.
“I literally have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, laughing.
Well, Griffin was saying, according to the Associate Press, that when she appears as a substitute anchor for MSNBC star Rachel Maddow, the viewership numbers hold steady.
“I don’t even know what the numbers are, I don’t even know how one would get them,” said Harris-Perry, a professor at Tulane University who still considers herself an academic with a second (or third) job in television. “Who knew?”
Harris-Perry’s new show starts today on MSNBC from 10am-Noon Eastern.
This $hyt is getting about tiresome!! Every time a Black brilliant, academician, politician or otherwise comes on the scene then the Black-Faced, white-lipped Minstrel duo called “West & Smiley” rear their stooopid, pretentious, self-serving fatt heads. They feel as they have the patent on African-American intelligensia and worships it at its altar and anyone who dare approach their shrine must be cast into a sea of fire. These dudes think that they’re the smartest, most articulate Black Folks in Africa-America and everyont should be oooowwwweddd and awweeded by their imaginary, presumptive acumen. They like to use big $25 words and stand back and see how Black folks react. As my Granmother used to say, “Fanteeking, you know they bees a lot of educated fools flyin’ ’round yonder. And ain’t she soooo right!! Fanteeking/Cape Coast
I didn’t know there was a controversy which had been fleshed out.
From my point of view, the quest Cornel West and Tavis Smiley are on is important, long lasting and in keeping with everything Martin Luther King Jr. stood for. When Tavis Smiley came from the political left of Obama and castigated him for reducing access for himself and other members of the civil rights community, I believed him and couldn’t believe the ‘hater-type of criticism’ he received from other thin skinned black people. When the Congressional Black Caucus started calling him out for rolling back some of the gains black Democrats have been able to lever away from other Democratic presidents, I agreed.
The next time it becomes obvious that Obama is dodging a race issue because he is afraid that someone might notice that he is dealing with these issues, I will say you are absolutely right.
That said, there is a role for an outsider and an insider in the black community. The outsider’s roll is to storm the gates directly and press for reform regardless of who on the inside feels uncomfortable. It is bigger than interpersonal relationships. Our community has gotten this far because we struggled.
On the other hand, the insider is supposed to get on the inside and press for change in socially acceptable ways so that everyone can feel good about how liberal and wonderful they are.
Is Cornel West right to press for changes and castigate insiders for playing the game? Yes. It has been true of each and every movement of progress for this community. If Melissa is the inside agitator, it works historically. Without a Malcolm el Shabazz, Martin Luther King Jr. would not have been possible. The moment Cornel West stops agitating the liberal establishment like Frederick Douglas did, Melissa Harris-Perry can kiss her comfy inside job goodbye.