What’s The Controversy With Black Women & The Reggie Bush ‘Essence’ Cover?

Seems there is a lot  of controversy over the Essence Cover because Reggie sis dating Kim Kardashian a white woman, what are your thoughts? Here are some of the comments people made on the Essence website:

Reggie Bush was a poor choice for black love edition, bottom line. I will read the issue in the library but I won’t buy the issue. I don’t have a problem with with whom he chooses as a mate or date. I have a problem when it isn’t representative of me. When I read Essence, I want to read about me. NOW, if they put Robin Thicke on the cover exploring black women and white chocolate, I am interested because they would be talk about a me that I might explore. Again, its not about Reggie Bush choices, its about mine.

It never cease to amaze me how close minded we still are. Mixed raced couples should not still be an issue in 2010 we should be above looking at skin color. I have dated outside the race in the end they are all men.

I am realy disappointed that Essence choose to put Reggie Bush on the cover of its Love & Relationship issue. How inappropriate. Don’t get me wrong people can date who they choose but, Essence is a magazine that has a black female clientale and obviously its customers do not choose to read about or see a man who does not even acknowledge that black women exsist on the cover. There are so many other men who are in long lasting relationships with black women such as Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Grant Hill, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson and the list goes on…and on…
This is the first time in five years that I will not be picking up Essence off of the newsstand!

I am an educated, world traveled, African American woman. I am not loud, ghetto or uncouth. I’ve never been married, neither do I have children.

I have no problem with interracial dating and marriage but feel that Reggie Bush was not the best cover choice. I don’t care who he sleeps with but I am concerned about his connection to his community. For example, I have never seen Mr. Bush do any fundraisers for African American youth or do a PSA for inner city youth. Does he have a non-profit foundation like a lot of atheletes have. I’m not mad at him because this issue is bigger than him . From what I can gather, he actually seems like a nice person but I don’t get a sense that he’s connected in terms of helping his community, even though that’s really not what he’s supposed to do. Of course, it’s nice to see celebrities and athletes give back to their communities (ie: gay rights, Latino rights, etc).

I have read Essence since I was 8 years old and have seen the changes over the years and had decided last year that this would be my final 3 year subscription. I will not be renewing in the Fall when it expires.

Please don’t be offended by my observation but the reality is that Essence is no longer Black owned. Therefore, the love that was there before, when Ms. Taylor was Editor-In-Chief, is no longer there. It’s all about profit and not about empowering African American women.

No offense to Emil but he’s gay. There is nothing that a gay man, even though he’s Black can tell me, as a Black woman (not even fashion, even though some would disagree with that).

Just like I’m not qualified to be an Editor at a magazine like the Advocate, Mr. Wilbikin should not be in charge at Essence. Even the “Advocate” or “Out” would not have a straight person on their magazines unless that straight person had a strong presence and popularity in the gay community like Cher or Tyra.

And as for the website, I’m sick and tired of the “Atlanta Housewives” updates, the Jill Scott “baby daddy drama,” the Usher & Tameka divorce updates and all the links that update readers on stories from their “partners” at the Huffington Post and other gossip sites, where we can find out who the hottest gay couples are and what Paris Hilton wore to the latest party.

This is not empowering or uplifting.

It’s not about self esteem but about assisting African American women to be the best that we can be in ALL areas of our lives, not just fashion, entertainment and celebrity gossip.

There were tons of African American (married couples) that could have been put on that magazine such as Will & Jada, Mary J Blige and her husband, Morris Chestnut & his wife, Blair Underwood & his wife, Denzil & Pauletta, Monique & her husband, LL Cool J & his wife, Drs. Bill & Camille Cosby, Emmitt Smith & Pat Lawrence-Smith, President & Mrs. Obama, Anton Faqua (Director) & Lela Rochon, Boris Kudjo & Nicole Arie Parker, Samuel L. Jackson & LaTanya, and many more that I can mention but maybe they aren’t the most hottest, youngest or well known couples, like Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr or Revs. Eric Michael Dyson & Marsha. Spike & Tonya Lee, Smokey Robinson & his wife.

There is really no excuse for this.

And for all the people who say it’s about “racism.” It’s honestly NOT for me. So for example, when Halle is on Essence, I’m happy and supportive and it’s not because she’s mixed/bi-racial or has a blue eyed mixed baby with a white partner. I’M SUPPORTIVE AND HAPPY BECAUSE SHE’S CONSISTENTLY MAKES HER PRESENCE KNOWN IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY in a variety of ways. And as stated earlier, I’ve never gotten a sense of that with Mr. Bush.

P.S. Please forgive any typos/grammer errors. It’s been a long week and I’m exhausted.

Here is an section of an article I read on the senseless issue:

“Reading all these long-faced “Black men do us so wrong” and “I’m depressed” comments all day, I just kept thinking back to the Great Katt Williams (he might be crazy, but when he’s lucid, he drops bombs). He said:

[Women] need to stop blaming all your problems on [men]. Stop tellin’ a [man],”You f@#%ed up my self-esteem”. [Woman] it’s called SELF-ESTEEM! It’s esteem of your m@#$^f$#%^n’ self. How am I gonna [mess] up how you feel about you?

Reggie Bush, or any successful and/or attractive Black man didn’t do anything to us, in general, or to you, in particular. So why are we flipping out on him like he did? This self-loathing, woe-is-me stance that’s being evoked all across the Internet over this cover is something we did to ourselves. We tied up our self-worth in someone else’s perception — a recipe for disaster if ever there was one— and now we feel like crap because we don’t think the Black men we aspire to have see us the way we see ourselves.

We need to un-tie that ish. I can’t believe I’m about to quote Beyonce, but ladies, it’s time “to be our own best friend.” (I told you I liked Bey on the low.)

All of this fuss isn’t even about Reggie Bush. It can’t be. You know why? Because we don’t know what he thinks. About like anything. Reggie Bush barely talks.*

I think the man is a god among men and partially that’s because I can place whatever personality/fantasy I chose on him because he never opens his mouth to say something like, “Malcolm X? What does the X stand for?” I don’t even know what his voice sounds like (but it my mind it’s very bass-y and commanding.)

And we don’t know what he thinks about Black women, or even if he’s rejected Black women, because he’s never said anything about Black women. We don’t know if he “prefers” non-Black women 1) again, he’s never said anything one way or another; and 2) we have no clue what his dating track record is. The only woman we know of him dating is Kim Kardashian. Allegedly, the girl before her was Black. (I searched for pics, but couldn’t find any reference to anyone he’s confirmed to have dated… other than KK.)”

400 years later and the minds are still closed SMH -Essence

Thoughts?