As I sit here and think about how Black employees are dismissed and marginalized, let me tell about another experience at @CNN. Jim Walton was the worldwide CEO. If I ever wanted to meet with him, he always made it happen. 1/ #nottherightkindofblack
I respected Jim for that. He shot straight with me, didn’t dance around, and was honest. Yet when @Marktwhitaker - the highest ranking Black exec in company history - became the worldwide #2, I routinely requested to meet with him. #nottherightkindofblack
Never in my career had a Black media exec refused to even meet with me. That’s why it was no shock when Jeff Zucker bounced @markwhitaker, not a single Black employee said a word. No one even mentioned it. 3/ #nottherightkindofblack
Another time I traveled to Atlanta and I sought a meeting with Sue Bunda, who was over program development. She claimed she never had any time for me. So I met with Henry @hmauldin. Guess who walks in and stayed for 20 minutes? Sue. It was strange. 4/ #nottherightkindofblack
The last one was Amy Entelis. In 2012, I sought a meeting with Amy Entelis, who was now heading up program development. It was a 30-minute meeting. She arrives 20 minutes later and tells me she only has 10 minutes to meet. 5/ #nottherightkindofblack
Entelis said we can reschedule, but the tone was so dismissive that I said, “No. we’ll just do 10 minutes.” See, I knew my appearances popped on the network. I knew I could book big names. But getting a real shot to thrive? Nope. 5/ #nottherightkindofblack
The problem I faced at @CNN was the proverbial box for Black journalists. There was a fear of being different. The other day I looked at the first pilot I shot? Guess who were panelists? @MichaelEDyson @JoeTalkShow and @maddow. Yes, RACHEL MADDOW. 6/#nottherightkindofblack
There were a LOT of talented Black and non-Black folks who came through during that time, but @CNN passed on many of them. I remember @maddow and @JoeTalkShow shooting a pilot. They had her in a bunch of makeup and other clothes. It made NO sense! 7/ #nottherightkindofblack
Rachel @maddow wasn’t being her. It was them forcing her to conform. Why is she successful? Because she is doing HER. She has the freedom to be who SHE is. Unfortunately, too many Black media folks can’t, especially in news. 8/ #nottherightkindofblack
The biggest issue being Black in media; and Hollywood; and corporate America; is we can’t be our authentic selves. We can’t bring our flavor, style and swagger. In many ways we are aliens in a foreign land. 9/ #nottherightkindofblack
There will be some who say this is no big deal, sour graphes, and not racism. If so, they miss the whole point. It is the dichotomy of being Black in what is essentially white spaces, even when there are Black execs who carry the same perspective. 10/ #nottherightkindofblack
Look at this story on @michaelstrahan. google.com/amp/s/pagesix.… This is the difficulty of what we face being Black in media. 11 #nottherightkindofblack
I really hope and pray that in this moment where there is so much focus on #BlackLivesMatter that all industries, including the mainstream media, will take a hard look at themselves and LISTEN to its Black employees. 12/ #nottherightkindofblack
