Collection:LPB

Genre: Newsmagazine

Place Covered: Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1988-10-30

Duration: 00:26:08

Subjects: African Americans

Contributors:

• Masingale, Sonya Host
• Pourciau, Lester Panelist
• Armstrong, Louis Panelist
• McKnight, Albert Panelist
• McCrainey, Percy Panelist
• Scott, Ardie, Jr. Panelist

This episode of the series “Folks” from October 30, 1988, focuses on the challenges facing black men in the United States. Sonya Masingale first reports on the history of the decline of the black male in America, including slavery, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement. Her report also touches on the current problems facing young black males, including unemployment, black homicides, and the high incarceration rate. Masingale then leads a panel discussion with five successful African American men: Lester Pourciau, the director of Human Resources at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge; Louis Armstrong, a mortician at the Armstrong-Mackey Funeral Home; Father Albert McKnight, the president of the Southern Development Foundation; Percy McCrainey, an attorney; and Ardie Scott, Jr., a mortician at Gilbert Funeral Home. They discuss: the African American community’s loss of their spiritual roots; the need for more black role models; the importance of mentoring young black men; the lack of business ownership in the black community; the high rate of black males in prison; the impact of desegregation on the black community; and the need to return to the traditional black family.