Vina--You made me lean into my monitor and not blink. Boom. There it was. The clear, lucid explanation of why and what the media has done to black life in America. I SYMPATHIZE witH you BUT i CANNOT BE YOU OR REALLY feel it.(I'm writing an essay on the difference between that and EMPATHY.) Let me put the movies and race into my perspective for you. I am Italian--white--second generation born in the USA. My parents loved movies like "The GodFather." My friends loved "The Sopranos." I HATED these films because they portray my culture as criminal, slovenly, dumb and crass. I was an English teacher for 32 years, and I would tell my students that none of this Italian as criminals bs flies with me. The difference is our skin color. I taught "To Kill a Mockingbird" evey day all those years and I made myself learn more about systemic, institutional racism because it is the Original Sin of this nation. I do not deserve a 'pat on the back' because EVERY TEACHER HAS AN OBLIGATION TO TEACH DECENCY AND HONOR. Tom Robinson is the hero of that novel, just as Jim, the slave in Huck Finn is, as well. They are father figures and compared to Huck's deranged )white) father or Bob Ewell (equally insidious and insestious), the moral center of these black men is to not be igonored. I understand if we do not 'chat' but I want you to know you are heard...Sincerely--Robert Pacilio (on Medium and at www.robertpacilio.net)