Who Keeps Sharpton & Jackson Powerful? The White Media

Mychal Bell, one of six black students jailed last year in Jena, Louisiana for allegedly beating a white classmate, was discharged from prison almost two weeks ago. His release comes in the thick of renewed discussion about race relations in the U.S. prompted by the 20,000-person strong protest in Jena last month. Bell , who has become the face of the “Jena Six,” kissed the sky outside the county prison before he headed home for the first time since December. Beside him was the Reverend Al Sharpton, as easy before the press microphones as Bell seemed dazed. “Upon this young man’s shoulders is a symbol of a movement,” Sharpton prayed, and the assembled friends, lawyers, cameras, and family said a hushed “Amen.” The Jena case may be reaching a hopeful denouement, but Sharpton’s camera-ready role in it brings one aspect of American culture into harsh relief: The peculiar cult of the black political celebrity–which may have outlived its usefulness to black America –remains weirdly potent among the white-dominated media.  by Dayo OlopadeDayo Olopade is a reporter-researcher at The New Republic. 

To find out more, please visit: http://www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Dark_Side_4/Who_Keeps_Sharpton_and_Jackson_Powerful_The_White_Media_printer.shtml