Viacom uses "blackface" Cartoon to Promote New Show- AT&T and DaimlerChrysler Pay for it!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Viacom Uses “Blackface” Cartoon Character to Promote New Show - - What About Our Daughters? Calls for AT&T and DaimlerChrysler to Withdraw Advertising from Viacom Network and Website.

TX --June 30, 2007-- Viacom is using a “blackface” cartoon character to promote its newest show, “Hot Ghetto Mess.” The graphic for the show features a cartoon character with a black face and white lips surrounded by a red circle with a line drawn through it. The concept of the show is offensive enough, but the accompanying graphic indicates that the creators of the show believe that African Americans deemed “ghetto” are “Sambos“, “Golliwoggs” or “Picaninnies.”

DaimlerChrysler and AT&T, whose advertisements appear prominently above and beside the graphic, clearly are not aware that their ads are being featured prominently in association with a “black face” cartoon character on BET.com. The fact that BET executives believe that this graphic is the best representation of the show exhibits a level of contempt for African Americans and history that would not be tolerated at any other television network. Viacom should not be allowed to make BET a cultural “superfund” site, where the most vile and racist images of African Americans are broadcast to the world.

The blog, What About Our Daughters? calls for DaimlerChrysler and AT&T to withdraw advertising from all BET properties including all BET networks and BET.com. The executives at BET clearly cannot be trusted with the AT&T and DaimlerChrysler brands.

How much is Black America going to take from a company that is making hundreds of millions of dollars on the backs of Black viewers? How long are large corporations going to subsidize degrading images of African Americans? This is just a latest in a prolonged and consistent pattern of BET profiting off of promoting images that malign and degrade African Americans.

The graphic is located here at http://www.bet.com/BETShows/HGM_AboutTheShow.htm or at WhatAboutOurDaughters.blogspot.com. What About Our Daughters? is a blog dedicated to combating negative portrayals of African American women in popular culture.
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For information: http://whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com
Contact: Whataboutourdaughters@gmail.com
“Combating negative portrayals of African American women in popular culture.”

They aren't open on the weekend, but come Monday morning. AT&T and Chrysler's phones will be ringing. This is ridiculous even for BET.


I am going to sleep now, but you can BEST BELIEVE we will be discussing this on the Black Women's Round Table tomorrow at Noon CST. Pastor Tatum from the Ft. Worth protest will be one of our guests, the other will be a blogger from the blog " The Last Plantation."

Update ( Sat. Morning): It breaks my heart to report that when I returned to the BET site this morning, a Target ad was being featured prominently. As image-conscious as Target is, I am surprised they entrusted their brand to BET executives.