I am no racist..........?

Question

I have friends of many religeons and skin colours. But my question is: Why is there a need for black music awards etc etc.........It would be seen as racist if there was to be a white music (only) awards....

I dont want a white music award. Just one awards black whites browns.....

Country music awards is just for country music, not white peoples music.

Felicity you dont know me so you dont know I am racist.

Answer 1

I've often wondered the same thing.

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leeshberry (below)
It's holding on to what you believe stolen from you that keeps you from moving forward. When you become so concerned about getting what you perceive you are owed, you alienate others.

Answer 2

A lot of people ask this question because they are unaware of the history and legacy of racism in this country.

There was a time (not too long ago) when Blacks were unable to compete alongside Whites (in music, film, stage, etc.) - let alone ride on the bus alongside them. Every rare once in a while a Black person would receive recognition. One example was Hattie McDaniel's Oscar winning role for playing "Mammy" in "Gone With the Wind" (1939). Notice that this role was for playing the servant of a White southern belle during the Civil War period. These were the only mainstream roles available for Black actors.

The way that Black Americans dealt with the injustice that they found in the system was to create their own awards. They simply could not get fair treatment otherwise. This is a sad but true commentary on the history of this country.

While "race" relations within this country have improved somewhat - they still are not what they should be. I feel that is the reason why these shows have continued.

This is not a problem isolated to Blacks, people of other ethnicities face racism as well.

I personally have friends of different skin colors and I do not watch the award shows that you speak of. But I do understand how they got started (and the necessity of them when they were first introduced).

If everyone was as fair minded as you and I there would be no need for different award shows.

Best wishes!

Answer 3

Not all people are the same. When there is a regular musical awards show, the people who run it are from all different races so the music they award is not the music that black people would award if they had their own awards. They choose what is hot in pop culture. which includes the white, asian, indian,etc kids who listen to black music.
Example: In my opinion the Hustle and Flow sound track is about pimps and ho's. I'm am black and do not consider that music. Yet the Oscars.Grammy's or whatever gave that crap an award.
The black award shows give recognition to REAL artist : musicians like India Irie and Musiq Souldchild who produce songs about love and truth. They actually appeal to blacks like me. The hip hop culture of young people of all races do not like this.

Oh, yeah and in response to the other answers. Non-black people do not understand why we need a "black" this or that . Their eyes are blind to see how there aren't any black women on the "Bachelor" and there are still few blacks on shows unless the whole cast is black. There are still some colleges, jobs and neighboorhoods that discriminate. If there were more black people integrated and TOTALLY accepted into this countries white culture we wouldn't NEED our own stuff.

Answer 4

You have a point - why are there Latino music awards? The real answer to this is to show pride in your culture. When white people are winning at black music awards, and black people are winning at Latino music awards, etc., then maybe they will just change the contests to be "music award" ceremonies instead. However, for the time being they do serve a valuable purpose - they grant some special pride to the heritage of those that they represent, so I think its OK - for now.

Answer 5

The United Negro College Fund, Black Entertainment Channel, Miss Black America pageant, and other organizations for minorities, were set up in RESPONSE to being under-represented in Education, the Arts, and society in general. Why do so many people forget this? Doesn't anyone remember that there was a time when black people didn't have the same educational opportunities? Remember when there were NO black competitors in the Miss USA pageant? When I was a kid, the only black people on television were the guy from "The Mod Squad", and "Fat Albert". Every once in a while, a black movie star like Sidney Portier would make an appearance. People like Washington Irving and George Washington Carver were in the history books, but they were almost a footnote, and they were mentioned by race, as if being black and talented were something unusual. The newspaper also listed black people by race. "John Jones, a black man, was arrested for...."

Even though black people were at the very core of the success of the United States, they were treated like second-class citizens, even as recently as 30 years ago. The NAACP and UNCF were set up to ensure that black people were given the same opportunities, exposed to the same educational standards, and given an outlet to creative expression through art, music, and literature. These outlets had been denied to black people, no matter what the laws said. Even today, there are people that attempt to limit black people. Some privately owned businesses such as hotels routinely refuse service to black customers because they have a certain "image" that the owners find undesireable. I live and work in a community that is almost exclusively white, though I grew up in an integrated city, and I can tell you that the difference is almost palpable. I have seen perfectly respectable black people turned away from hotels because they "looked suspicious", and I have watched parents remove their children from swimming pools when black children enter. It is sickening. It is also the reason why black people join together to start schools, artistic venues, and scholarships for themselves, so that there will be a way for them to live the "American" dream without regard for the color of their skin. It isn't the black people who wanted a separate school, it is the whites who didn't want to share "their" school with black people, or allow them access to "white" scholarship money. So black people used their own resources and started one for themselves. There historically has been "white" music awards only, because black talent was completely ignored. Did you know that Sammy Davis, Jr., while famous throughout the US, had to use the back door to enter the Las Vegas Casinos where he performed? Everyone loved him, but they didn't want him to come in the front door with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. And when it came time to honor the talent, black entertainers never made the list. So, they decided to honor themselves, and why not? They didn't lack the talent, they only lacked the acknowledgement. Now, of course, black entertainers, sports stars, and literary talent do get acknowledged, but it is still at a lesser rate than whites. Black children need to know that being black is no hindrance to having great talent, a great mind, and great achievement.

Black people aren't more special than anyone else. But, black people are JUST as special as everyone else, and if they, as a group, want to give themselves acknowledgement, provide for their own educational opportunities, and appreciate their own unique beauty, then I, for one, am proud of them.

Answer 6

Are you talking about the MOBO awards? Well it's not music awards for Black people, it's music awards for music of black (African) origin, white people who perform music of black origin are entitled to and have won MOBO awards in the past.

It's the music of the indigenous African people that has been adapted through time by black people in other lands, like R&B, jazz and gospel music which have all come from a black slave music background. Anyone can sing it, but the awards respect the history behind it, just the way the country music awards do...I'm sure there's an Asian music awards as well.

Answer 7

Once you start separating any two ideas (colour of people, nationalities, etc) you are getting racialist as you are comparing one to the other and one becomes the loser. If a music award was just that then there would be no question to ask. Seems some people just have to distinguish between two different things.

Answer 8

I am black and I agree.
I think black people have reversed the roles and for the most part racist.
White people get beat up and tased and killed by police all the time, and the Al Sharpton does not get on T.V. about it.
There are not marches or protests, but if a black person gets it, here they all come, looking for a media event and asking for money.....I guess so they won't have to go get a real job.
If just once, these same people would stand up for a mexican or white or asian or ANYBODY else I would feel different.
Scream equality....then practice separatism.
Who is the racist now?

Answer 9

Whenever anyone starts a question with, 'I'm not a racist...' I know that they are. I have many friends. Some are better friends than others. People are people and most people would accept that there is a definite genre of music which has it's origin in either Africa or the southern states of America. Racism only comes into the question when one perceives the terminology as racist.

Answer 10

It's called reverse discrimination and affirmative action -- making up for bad things in the past. Granted, I don't think it's the right thing to do, when everyone cries for de-segregation and anti-racism, and then people go and segregate themselves. Still, you're true that there would be an ENOURMOUS uproar if there was a white-people music awards.

Answer 11

I do feel that, especially for judging it's merit in question of music, there shouldn't be classification by skin colour, or race, or sex, etc. only be the type of music - songs, lyrics, concerts, classical, modern, pop, country, rap, etc.

In fact in any form of art. A musician is a musician; an artist is an artist.