LAWRENCE OTIS GRAHAM IS AT IT AGAIN: HE WANTS TO DIVIDE THE BLACK COMMUNITY?

IS THERE A NEED TO CATALOG BLACK AMERICA'S RICHEST AND MOST SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE FAMILIES?

First, let me thank Bernadette 'Atlanta Correspondent' Brown for an excellent article she emailed to The Insite. It takes a look at author Lawrence Otis Grahams latest book. It's called "The Our Kind of People 800 Register." You may remember Graham from a cover story where he was the subject matter back in 1992. He went undercover as a busboy at a very exclusive New York club where his application was rejected for membership. Now the ivy league educated author has upset a lot of people in Atlanta. He's planning on touring the country and writing a book about America's wealthiest African American families. Critics of the book say it's an effort by Graham to separate the haves from the have nots in the Black community. And according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution Graham says he is doing exactly that. The man who considers himself part of the black elite says African Americans should have a social register (i.e. New York Social Register) just like the white community has done so for over 100 years. Those against the book like June Dobbs Butts in Atlanta, a daughter of civic leader John Wesley Dobbs says, "he (Graham) is such a social climber it is pathetic." Dobbs went on to say, "he is looking for validation from the wrong places." Graham counters that argument saying, "I know it is going to upset people, but I have an important goal in mind. " He says the book is about more than finding the top African American families in America. He says he's also trying to address the negative images that seem to dominate the media and mind-set. Graham says the only black success stories we seem to want to embrace are athletes, comedians and entertainers. Which means the author will likely include Bill Cosby, Bob Johnson (BET), and Oprah Winfrey. But he's reportedly leaving off Jay Z, Michael Jordan, and Tyler Perry. Graham's so called formula requires a pedigree that some of our favorite celebrities can't quite live up to. For instance the criteria to make the list: what colleges you attended, who did you marry of influence and what's your family's social status. Some of those who were interviewed by the Constitution say the book is silly and has no social redeeming value to the African American community. The question The Insite has is would you buy the book? My second question - do you think there is a need for such a book to catalog the wealth of African American families in this country for the sole purpose of social status? I thought it was an interesting subject!