Black in America - Is this different for black individuals in other parts of the world

I have been away on holiday in Africa for two weeks (juicy details of which will be posted here shortly). But as usual, I am here to give my opinion on things, some of which you may or may not agree with. It's worth a shot.

I stayed awake till 3.00am last night to watch the CNN Special Report on 'Black in America (the black woman & family)' (http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america/) and it has sparked off a train of thought that has been lingering in my mind. Why does it seem like it's only the plight of black people in America that gets media attention cos black people in all western countries suffer the same plight of having to fight for an equal level of education, opportunity, and prosperity, health, safety, and freedom with other dominant races.

In UK, the newspaper headlines currently highlight this desperate fact mainly by the sudden increase in the number of knife-related and gang-related murder amongst black teenagers in recent times. If this isn't a clear sign of the level of poverty, lack of self-respect, deprivation, and lack of clear opportunities for these teenagers, I'm not sure what it is.

African kids are raised and trained to pursue an education yet they face serious challenges when pursuing career opportunities in the western world even at levels lower than their capabilities (what the heck is over-qualification as the recruiters call them?). They are treated like aliens from another world.

Basically, I am of the point of view that black people all over the world face the same challenges highlighted by the documentary i.e. high rate of single parenthood, dropping levels in educational opportunities, racial profiling, lack of high level employment opportunities, poor health facilities, low life expectancy etc.

What was poignant for me was the part covering black women and the difficulty of finding equivalent and eligible black men to have relationships with. The documentary hit the nail on the head 'strong successful black women are having a difficult time finding life partners in black men because their eligibility is below average' (I am not giving up hope, I'm just saying I am open to a variety of options and will not be sticking to black chocolate, white chocolate is also available.

Even funnier was the fact that some black women admitted to changing their hair styles in order to portray a certain image when pursuing job opportunities, that is hilarious if it is the case because I wear my braids and cornrows anyway I want irrespective of the organisation or company structure.

I loved the documentary and will be watching the second instalment tonight however, I hope it gives all black people the strength and inspiration to focus on developing their lives positively and not give them a reason to throw a self-pity party or carry a chip on the shoulder as a black individual.

That's my piece for today, xoxo.