Celebrating BLAC's 20th anniversary and recalling what we and the culture were up to in 2007, plus replaying our sit-down with John Mason.
Perhaps it was because of the rapid advancement of technology and the greater role that social media was starting to play in our lives, but it seems that in 2007, BLAC was all about getting back to the black basics. We touched on themes related to religion and spirituality (a lot), marriage and parenthood, morality and connecting to our roots. But, it wasn’t all so straight-laced and composed. We also took a gander at boating and clowns.
Still a Thing
Chene
Park is now the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre and bike lanes are now liable to
spark a heated debate, but these things featured in BLAC back in 2007 are still
relevant today
Empowering
young girls
Homeopathic
medicine
Spa
days
Connecting
to Africa
Getting enough sleep
Who’s Your Mammy?
On the heels of the release of Eddie Murphy’s Norbit, BLAC examined how Hollywood portrays black women, particularly the idea of “Mammy,” in our May issue. The caricature of the overweight, asexual – or hypersexual – and sassy black woman was certainly not new, but special in 2007 was that these racist and limited stereotypes were being perpetuated by black filmmakers – Murphy, Tyler Perry, Martin Lawrence. Though we’ve gotten several more Madea movies in the years since, we’ve also seen an increase in authentic, realized representations of black women and of the black experience.
Radio Head
In our March cover story, BLAC caught up with John Mason as he prepared for the launch of Mason Radio, his then-new enterprise aimed at owning and syndicating his own morning radio show. In a full-circle move, the NBA stadium announcer who coined the catchphrase heard all ‘round the 2000s and beyond – DEE-troit BAS-ket-BALL! – was getting ready to return to his radio roots.
On being asked to call
the 2007 All-Star game…
“What an honor, man. That’s like
the biggest honor ever. The reason I’m so popular is because I’ve got Chauncey
Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Chris Webber. So
that makes it a little different for me. It’s unbelievable because I’ve already
done an NBA championship series twice, and got a ring once.”
On doubting himself as
an arena announcer…
“I wanted to quit many, many times. I was like, ‘I’ve
never been an arena announcer, I don’t have that big announcer’s voice, I don’t
know nothin’ about this.’ I was out of my league. I got in trouble with the
referees, everybody.”
On helping to create
diversity within NBA arena announcing…
“When I started there was only one other
African-American in Los Angeles. Now there are 18. Eighteen general managers
made changes in their arenas because they wanted that kind of hype, that kind
of flava in their buildings. All because the Pistons gave me an opportunity.”
On the significance of
owning his own voice…
“The biggest thing, the historical point, is that
virtually no radio announcer has ever owned his own airtime in a major market
in morning drive. And if there was one, it wasn’t an African-American who’s
done it. So it’s a unique opportunity, and to partner with WGPR to do it in
Detroit was huge for us. If we never syndicate, or syndicate to a few stations
and stop, the fact that we have the opportunity to own something at home, where
we built our career, is amazing.”
On balancing fatherhood…
“It’s big, because my kids are watching me. They say, ‘Dad, you take us places, you do things with us. How are you going to be able to keep doing that?’ They’re watching me leave a successful job and try something (new). And that, as an African-American male, is huge. It’s huge to allow your children to see you take on a responsibility like this and go in another direction.”
In ’07
Apple’s first iPhone is released
Forest Whitaker takes home the Best Actor Oscar for The Last King of Scotland
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown divorce
Rihanna’s “Umbrella” spends seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100s
The U.S. economy entered a mortgage crisis that caused financial turmoil around the world
