WOW. Where do I begin!? There is so much racing through my mind this morning that I’m about to burst. I went to bed full of energy and thoughts and woke up the same way. That’s how I know it’s time for me to take more action. I went on a tangent discussion on Twitter last night that seems to have sparked a movement. I hope the momentum keeps on growing. Before I delve into Black in America 4, I want to address a few things. I’m probably going to piss off a lot of people (since when is that new!) but you already know how I do it.

Let’s start with the obvious. I was invited to attend the screening and discussion last night which I graciously accepted. This is not an indictment on the organizers (THANK YOU for the invite) as much as it is confirmation about what they say about my people. While the venue was too small, everyone was quiet and respectful when the panelists (including a Skype in from Wayne Sutton) were speaking. I don’t recall any Q & A as I was in the back at the time. But I do know the panel was afforded courtesy. However, when the screening began, people suddenly lost interest. It became more about what Atlanta is known for…to see and be seen. People engaged in loud conversation and socializing. Even though there were four televisions strategically placed throughout the venue and the volume was turned up, those of us who came to watch and discuss couldn’t really hear. Some people left to watch at home. I should have but I didn’t. There was a group of us who tried as best as we could to watch and pay attention so we could at least attempt to have a conversation.

While I was highly agitated by the rudeness, I was more irritated by people saying “oh you know how our people are“. No, I don’t accept that! I call bullshit. It’s not acceptable to me to just chalk it up to “that’s how our people are“. That line is older than me and it’s still just as tired. WE HAVE TO DO BETTER, and those of us who know better need to show those who don’t how to be better. Hopefully the organizers (who kept apologizing all evening…which they shouldn’t have because it wasn’t really their fault) took note and next time plan for a better venue, like an auditorium, where people can’t mix and mingle like it’s club time. If we want to betaken seriously we have to be serious. There’s a time and place for everything. Learn the difference and do better. You can’t complain that we don’t get equality when you act counter productive to the issues we’re trying to solve. So I can’t take anyone in that venue who wasn’t tuned in (or at least trying) serious when they bitch and complain about Silicon Valley not being fair, open and diverse. Take accountability for not working harder to be part of the solutions.

Now that I got that out of the way, let me focus on the show. I did get home in time to catch the replay and I’m glad I did. Before anything else, let me address the Mike Arrington comment because that seemed to cause the most ruckus on the web. After reading his comments about being caught on the spot ill prepared, and actually watching the segment, I can say that while I don’t agree withhow he said what he said, that is HIS reality. Do I excuse this, hell no. But let’s put it in context. Tiffani Bell founder of PencilYou.inwas featured on the show as a participant in the program. When asked by Soledad O’Brien to recall other Black WOMEN programmers, Tiffani responded she didn’t know of any until she went to Howard University. Where was the outrage at her? OK cool your jets, I wasn’t suggesting you be mad at her. I’m saying keep it in context. She wasn’t exposed to any, just as Arrington wasn’t exposed to Black tech entrepreneurs. Of course there will be people that argue it’s not the same. But yes, it IS. If you’re not exposed, then you cannot respond to a question like that in a way that people will be happy and receptive. You can argue WHY a person hasn’t opened up and sought out different people to expand their horizons, and that would be a credible argument. But condemning someone based on their answer about THEIR experience is nonsense, and I don’t care who gets mad at me for saying so. I still have love for you all!

To Arrington’s comment about it being a meritocracy I also call bullshit. I’ve seen some funded companies who completely flopped. He said that people succeed there based on merit. Let’s not be foolish or blind here. He (and it’s usually a He or team of He’s) who has the right connections gets the money. Venture capital firms have a tendency to fund companies of people that look like them BUT mostly because that’s what they are exposed to. Arrington said it (although it was tacky and crass) that White and Asian domination exists in Silicon Valley. There are less than 1% Black owned firms funded. How many Black VC firms exist in Silicon Valley and if there are some why aren’t they showing themselves? But back to the comment. If we were to go by Arrington’s comment, it just makes no sense. Older tech business owners wouldn’t be getting funding (all we ever see is the young 19-20 somethings dropping out of college getting funded). Women aren’t getting funded (we only see men get funding). I’ve NEVER seen a Latino company get funding. So you mean to tell me that the only people who have “merit” based achievement are young White and Asian males? Pump the brakes. Give me a moment. More on this later.

Let’s move on to the show. I think that the intention was to show what it’s like to be exposed to the Silicon Valley experience as a Black person. However, I think it was limiting in scope. It was shown under the confines of one program, New Me Accelerator. To be fair, while there are probably other similar programs, it’s the only one that is really well known. It would have been a fairer representation if there were a few groups profiled. But I understand that it was only a one hour show. While NewMe is wonderful and I applaud Wayne and Angela for creating it, it’s ONE program. And it’s not representative of all of the Black people trying to make it in Silicon Valley. So then it becomes an issue of “where are they?” and “how do we find them?”. There are Black tech people who are not attached to a program who make it and break it in the tech world. Hopefully there will be a follow up show.

This installment of Black In America definitely opened up the dialog. It gave us, the viewer a chance to experience through the eyes of the (Black) participants what it takes to get prepared to enter Silicon Valley. It didn’t escape me that only one person got funding at the end of the show. However, much like my comment for Tech All Stars on Bloomberg, shouldn’t there be more focus on getting paying clients/customers to bring a company to profitability? Just because one gets funding doesn’t mean it’ll be successful. It’s not enough to just get funding, a business has to have potential and the ability to be profitable. And that is what I felt was missing from Black in America. On top of that, what about people not lucky enough to get into a program like NewMe? How do they get to make a pitch? How do they make the right connections when they have none? We can’t rely on what they should know (which was the response from some of the Tweeters last night). While a tad bit of common sense should come into play, you can’t always assume everyone has the same and equal access.

I believe that this installment of the series was presented much better than the last three (and even the Latinos in America series). It is only a starting point. We didn’t see “poor Curtis get so frustrated because he couldn’t find a job that he ended up back in jail“. And for that I am grateful. I think Soledad O’Brien did a phenomenal job with this installment, and I hope that she seizes the momentum to create greater conversations. And not just with tech.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my post. VC firms, tech companies, recruiters be warned.

Til Next Time,

Adrienne Graham
I AM Black in America

Check out Part II of my blog post.

Check out Part III of my blog post.

Do you like this article and want to reprint or share? You can, as long as you include this in its entirety:

Adrienne Graham is the Founder & CEO of Empower Me! Corporation (www.empowerme.org). She is a strategist that helps people grow their career, business or network in any economy. She is the voice behind Views from the Top Radio Show, and the creative visionary behind Empower Me! Institute and Empower Me! Magazine. Her writing and shows focus on Career Management, Networking Strategies, Entrepreneurial Success and Small Business Management. You can also find her causing a ruckus on Forbes.com.