Jeri Lynne Johnson, Founder, Philadelphia's Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra

Jeri Lynne Johnson, founder of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra in Philadelphia, decided to fill a void in the classical music industry when it came to black women. A graduate of Wellesley College, Johnson traveled the world working as a conductor, composer and pianist, only to return to the U.S. and be rejected by major orchestras.

“When I came back to America I was trying to get jobs with bigger orchestras, but they were not interested. One orchestra told me they like my conducting and the board thought I had great ideas, but they didn’t know how to market me,” Johnson told Madame Noire.

“When I asked him for clarity, the guy on the search committee basically said, ‘You just don’t look like what our audience would expect a conductor to look like.’ That’s when I founded my own orchestra.”

Writer Makula Dunbar caught up with Johnson to talk about her plight to create her own opportunities, expose other minority women to orchestras and a different genre of music and making strides in a lane some mainstream orchestras thought she didn’t fit into.

Read more at Madame Noire …

George Zimmerman, left, has been arrested and charged in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin (right) 45 days after the shooting. (Photo: File)

Yesterday, Florida prosecutor Angela Corey announced that George Zimmerman, the man who killed unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Zimmerman, 28, turned himself in to police after the charges were announced, and is, according to reports, now in protective custody at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Seminole County.

Details of the shooting and the events that led up to the death of the Miami Gardens teenager are still emerging, as prosecution and defense lawyers prep their cases. It has been more than a month full of protests, petitions and intense media coverage of the case that have led to latest developments. Forty-five days after his death, many watched with thoughts  of relief that the case will finally go to trial and hopes that truths will be exposed.

The questions still remain: What do these charges mean? Will there finally be justice in a court of law? How will this play out for Zimmerman, his family, and the family of Trayvon Martin?

Writer Zerlina Maxwell breaks down the legalities of Zimmerman’s charges as well as what this type of case entails.

It is important to know that there are number of proceedings that need to occur even before we get to a trial with a jury of Zimmerman’s peers.  “Long before we get to a jury is the unique pretrial hearing on the ‘Stand Your Ground’ statute. The defense will file a ‘Motion for Declaration of Immunity,’ ” says BJ Bernstein a trial attorney based in Atlanta (who is not affiliated with this case) in an interview with Ebony.  “Remember, ‘Stand Your Ground’ is not merely a defense but rather [indicates] that a defendant is immune from prosecution or a civil suit. When filed, a judge triggers a hearing before trial in which the judge would determine [whether] there is enough evidence to get beyond immunity.”

That means that a judge will ultimately make the determination if the “Stand Your Ground” law applies to this case and whether Zimmerman is immune to the murder charges as a result. If Zimmerman and his defense were successful in this pretrial proceeding then the case would be over and it would not move forward to a jury trial.

Read more at Ebony.com…

I’m over it too.

The commercial was released. We laughed, grunted, side-eyed, debated, and took to the Web to express our indifference, apathy, disappointment or utter disgust.

Burger King initially said the removal was due to a copyright, licensing issue with the jingle, but then went on to indicate the ad was unfinished and that a final version would later be released. Blige finally spoke up late yesterday, according to the Associated Press, stating she understood why fans were upset, that the ad didn’t come across the way it was planned, and that she would never put out an unfinished product.

(Yep, I’m confused too. This snafu seems like a perfect award nominee in the “Best (Branding) Hot Mess” category or a case study for Public Relations 101.)

Now that Blige and Burger King have officially responded, the bigger questions remain: Are the mega star and Burger King keeping it real on what or who’s to blame for the release of this commercial? And further, is a lack of black presence in advertising truly the culprit in these repeat situations of questionable commercials featuring and targeting people of color?

Critics of the commercial expressed a concern about the lack of black professionals in the advertising business as a factor in the recurring side-eye-worthy marketing that has been for decades evident in major fast food, liquor and automobile campaigns. According to the 2010 Census, “majority” minorities — Latino-Americans, Asian-Americans and African-American—make up 35% of the population, and advertisers have taken notice, with major shops creating separate departments to handle accounts targeting the multicultural market, and start-ups popping up that exclusively focus on that market.

The growth in minority population, however, hasn’t matched growth in hiring advertising professionals. According to the 2000 Census, of the 500,000 people employed in advertising and related services, only 6% of those were African American and 9% Hispanic. Not much has changed in recent years, as seen in research by the Madison Avenue Project, a think tank and advocacy entity formed by the NAACP and law firm Mehri & Skalet, P.L.L.C.

Interesting enough, The Impact Study, a recent survey conducted by cross-cultural talent consultancy Tangerine-Watson, reported that 74% of minority employees in the industry agreed with the premise that their “experience as an employee from a multicultural background is different from my colleagues’.”

According to Advertising Age, the responses from participants— 831 ad-industry professionals of various races and across general-market and ethnic agencies— included insights such as: “Simply being aware of the presence (or lack thereof) of racial overtones in our advertising concepts and being turned to as the one to call it out is an unwritten responsibility—and I fear an unwritten liability,” wrote one respondent.

“There’s also the worry of being stigmatized as a complainer, ” writer Ken Wheaton reports. ” ‘Wrote another: ‘I have been treated differently for expressing negative feelings vs. my white colleagues.’ ”

One BlackEnterprise.com reader elaborated on those sentiments: “I work in the ad industry and this is a direct result of the lack of people of color working at agencies. It takes a lot of layers for a [stet] ad to go from concept to a point where its [stet] filmed. To go through that many layers and not have one person raise their hand and ask, “Why are we having the only Black person in our campaign singing about chicken?” tells you a lot. I won’t even go into the fact that every other spot with foot touches on multiple food products (salad AND chicken).”

Does the slap on the hand go to an advertising industry still struggling with diversity and how to position themselves in an ever-growing, multicultural world, or to Blige and her team for agreeing to the chicken wraps concept — from its pitch to execution to the final edit?

I’d have to say that being the Queen, one must have a royal stamp of approval for anything related to her reign. But, even working in journalism, where I’ve been an editor, writer and producer, I can say that there can be many hands in the pot, and the final execution may not necessarily be anything like the initial concept or idea. A myriad of factors can contribute to the decision on what is — or isn’t — finally released to the public

I can’t say one way or the other….at least not until I see the so-called “final” cut. Damage already done, I still hope it doesn’t include any resemblance of what was released. Let’s go back to the drawing board with this one, Mary.

This is the screen you'll see if you're looking for the infamous Mary J. Blige chicken wraps commercials.

Though the damage (to Mary’s J. Blige’s brand) has already been done, the infamous Burger King chicken wraps ad featuring the mega-platinum star has mysteriously disappeared from the fast food chain’s YouTube (and thus can’t be easily obtained elsewhere).

(Reportedly, the commercial was removed due to “copyright issues,” a notion I give an even stronger side-eye to as well.)

If you were recently searching for it, you’d have to rely on Web, co-worker and family accounts of its ridiculousness. (We actually found it on another site here.)

The television spot, which featured Blige singing the ingredients to chicken wraps in a song reminiscent of a Top 40 hit (as a comical group of patrons Bankhead Bounce and Raise the Roof), had many reactions — mostly negative — from raised eyebrows to utter disgust, and reminded many of us that stereotypes of dancing, singing, and chicken-loving black people still remain prevalent in the hearts and minds of advertisers.

Not only that, but it’s to be noted that late-night talk show host Jay Leno and oh-so-fine soccer superstar David Beckham both have recent Burger King commercials, yet those do not include them making a mockery of their brands. (So you won’t see Beckham dancing around, doing foot tricks with nuggets, nor will you see Jay Leno singing any ditties.)

At this point, I just wonder what — if any — real response Burger King will have about this, and more importantly, what’s behind Blige’s thinking?

I could think of a few better ways she could have been featured:

1. Maybe in the drive-through, playing her own songs of which she’d like to promote and maybe adding a funny quip that references something she’s known for.

2. What about her being in the LINE herself behind the guy holding up the line asking what’s in the wraps, and some funny quip there.

3. What about anything but her popping up in the middle of a restaurant doing an impromptu performance that seemed like it should’ve been a skit on Saturday Night Live.

Mary, I still love you, girl. We all make mistakes. Let’s just chalk this up as a slip in judgment.

But this time was different — at least for me. I thought this one was a joke. Some hoax commercial created for a laugh or two.

Sadly, it isn’t.

This particular Burger King commercial features music sensation Mary J. Blige, answering a hungry, conservatively dressed customer’s question: What’s in those new chicken snack wraps?

In the commercial, the fast food joint suddenly becomes a club, where Blige sings about the ingredients in a catchy ditty reminiscent of a song she might include on an album, as diners, including the geeky customer who initially prompted the performance, dance along.

(Can’t picture it? I couldn’t either. See for yourself.)

My immediate reaction to this was laughter, then an undeniable side eye.

Mary, I just can’t. I’m usually the biggest chatterbox in the office, but at this point, I’m almost at a loss for words.

As with anyone who has a brand to build— and protect— I question the motive behind a move that is both comical, stereotypical and just plain wack.

This is the same Mary I grew up with, who cried with me after break ups in songs like I’m Going Down and Be Happy, and gave me empowerment through hits like No More Drama, Just Fine, and Family Affair. The same platinum-selling, street-glammed, Grammy award-winning Mary who always kept it real, kept it authentic and stayed true to her roots in her climb to success. She took the issues of urban women mainstream, breaking barriers in the music industry with her gritty voice and passion for strength in femininity. She’d escaped many stereotypes, coming from a broken, abusive home in the projects to the heights of million-dollar success in the entertainment industry. She’s even ventured into business with her own HSN fragrance and eyewear line, Melodies by MJB.

She now joins the Side-eye Roster of neck-rolling, Mammy-type choir sisters singing praises to the poultry gods; the white Australian who thought it cool to diffuse an “awkward situation” by giving a crowd of mostly black cricket fans a bucket of chicken; a dancing MC Hammer, prompted to bust a move after tasting popcorn chicken; and the lovely couple who sang their love for one another over a fresh carton of chicken nuggets.

SMH.

True, stereotypes do exist in the world, and those stereotypes can sometimes drive the business decisions of advertisers who surmise that including black people in a commercial for a product that— let’s just be real—many of us enjoy, is the smart business move.

But for Mary J. Blige, it’s just not a good look. After seeing that Burger King commercial, I feel like I just saw my best friend, a professional woman climbing the ranks of entrepreneurship and life coaching, booty shaking in the latest Waka Flaka video. (Not knocking video vixens, but again, we’re talking professional branding here.)

Maybe I’m being a little too sensitive, but at this point in her career, I think there are plenty of other products Mary could endorse that not only align with the brand we know and love, but help to enhance its reach and ensure its longevity with an audience that has been loyal to her from the beginning.

Video shot and edited by Brain Food Film.

The researchers go on to say that this can be used to their advantage if exhibited in the right manner in the workplace. The researchers also suggest that the “angry black woman” stereotype can be turned into a major asset in making power plays in business, since many of the respondents surveyed in the study saw direct and aggressive leadership coming from white men and black women as a positive thing.

Read more at Madame Noire …