So how does it feel to be a problem? CNN's two-part special on the everyday lives of black people in America sadly reminded me of one of this nation's oldest traditions. Presenting narratives of a dysfunctional black race as cover for extreme inequities in wealth and power in the American system obviously dies hard.

For as long as black folks have been in this country, white America have masked the social degradation and institutional neglect of our people behind a "Negro problem". The black man and woman have been the subject of deep suspicion and loathing far longer than the "crack epidemic" in the 80's and the scourge of HIV and AIDS.

The popular image of lazy, criminal-minded, amoral black men and women has always been a staple of American black-face [in] plays, radio broadcasts and television news specials. It was a centerpiece ,for example, in the 1915 classic Birth of a Nation directed by D.W. Griffith. Often these images were presented under the best of intentions with black Americans sometimes involved in their production and distribution. The primary consumer was always and continues to be white people.

I watched the CNN special in awe of host Soledad O'Brien's grace as she explored many of the textbook racist stereotypes from the past including at one time asking "is marriage only for white people." The black hosts invited to speak were no better.

Many of them reinforced the "Negro problem" narrative of black life that was devoid of the richness of our histories, cultures, and class realities. The panels were ironically mostly comprised of upper-middle class to wealthy black men and women who took aim at the black poor and scolded them for not reaching their levels of status and wealth. Instead of an authentic dialogue about the nuances of class and race in America, the stage became a bully pulpit for the black bourgeoisie to spew their self-righteous indignation.

For the record, the so-called widening disparities between blacks and whites in "education, career, economic achievement and the devastating rates of black male incarceration" are not unique to black America. These social trends can be seen among Latinos, Native Americans, poor whites and other marginalized groups in American society.

However, the American media seems committed to reproducing the myth of a pathologically dysfunctional black race. In the future there can no longer be discussions about race in America in a vacuum.

So what could have been discussed in a discussion on black America? A conversation on the impact of predatory lending and the sub-prime crisis would have been timely. The crisis has broken up more black, middle-class families in the last ten years than gangsta rap ever will. The rising costs of food and gas have hit poor black communities disproportionately hard. To have a discussion on being black in America and not mention the uneven amounts police brutality in our community, the consolidation of the prison-industrial complex and other socio-political ills is beyond comprehension.

The cost of higher education many of the panelists enjoyed is simply unaffordable for most of us, and rising. The truth is this country would rather talk about black immorality than unearned advantages and privileges among white Americans.

The apprehension goes deep into the roots of American history. In Souls of Black Folks, W.E.B. Dubois asks black Americans "how does it feel to be a problem" in early 20th century America? Sadly, it's a question the corporate media won't let us get beyond in the 21st century.

Articles in the Voices section represent the opinions of the individual writers and do not rreflect the views of Black College Wire.

Austin Thompson is a student at Howard University. This article originally appeared in The Hilltop, Howard's student newspaper.