访谈录 2010-04-24&04-28 解读剩女现象-1

We are going to dive into a controversial topic and a really provocative 1 conversation, and issue, woman’s quests to find Mr. Right. It can be illusive 2 for anyone, but for black women, specifically for successful black women, the challenge can be that much greater. Consider some numbers here, 42% of black women are unmarried. That’s double the percentage of unmarried white women. And for professional black women, the unmarried number spikes 3 to 70%. Vicki Mabrey hosts tonight’s face-off : why can’t a successful black woman find a man?

Welcome to Hotlanta. The capital of beautiful, professional, (That’s right) single black women.

Single women in the ATL.

Waiting for that man.

The numbers are staggering. In the black community nationwide, black women outnumber men by nearly 2 million. 70% of professional black women can’t seem to get a ring on it. Beyonce's lyrics 4 have become an anthem 5 for young black women everywhere. Because the problem is real, but who’s to blame, the men or the women? We brought together a sharp, sassy (We will see what happens.) and sophisticated group of single men and women, here at Atlanta’s Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center to battle it out at a nightline (What's up, man.) face-off.

I gotta prepare myself.

Tonight they answer the controversial question, why can’t a successful black woman find a man?

I might get loud, I might get loud.

Sherri Shepherd is co-host of ABC’s The View, and author of Permission Slips. she’s had a hard time finding Mr. Right.

I love to have fun. I got all my own teeth. These are real. Uh, I don’t know if the camera caught that, THESE are real.

But are her standards too high? 

I want a man that's ambitious, and I need a man that has a sense of humor.

Or maybe a bit outrageous 6.

If you see my wigs 8 are dirty, can you wash my wig 7, can you take the cornrows out of my hair?

Some of them are delusional 9, you know, or some of them are impatient; again, I can hear that tick, tick, tick.

On the other side, Jimi Izrael, NPR contributor, and the author of The Denzel Principle, he says women are looking for an ideal that doesn’t exist.

Every woman thinks that she is, you know, Michelle Obama, and that’s, um, um, no.

Backing up Sherri is Jacque Reid, star of VH1’s hit show, Let’s Talk about Pep.

My hope is that we can move this conversation forward and come up with some solutions, because I love black love.

And so does our final panelist.

Everybody, here in Atlanta. Right in front is a huge group of people we just drove in.

Hill, Hill...

Hill Harper is star of CSI: New York, (Angel.) and author of The Conversation.

E-mail it to each other.

The problem he says is that 95% of black women are trying to date the top 5% of black men. His advice: date a man for his potential.

Are you guys ready for a good discussion, a lively discussion?

The ladies of Atlanta turned out in droves, hoping to find solutions.

See you inside.

It cannot be this many black women that want to know how come they can’t find a man. I don’t have all the answers.

Wow. You look at all these, look at these cars, this is crazy. This is, this is really nice.

Did you see the way they like to look at me, that they look at me like you’d better say the truth, sister.

Knives and, and rocks you know, rolling pins are going to come flying out.

Steve Harvey!!

I am an expert on the mindset of the male species.

Steve Harvey hopes there can be a meeting of the minds, he joins me tonight as co-host. Steve is a relationship expert and author of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.

I understand manhood inside and out.

But do the ladies?

Black men and black women need actually discuss this, you know, and get passed all the anger, that exists between a lot of us...

Girl, you don’t want to pop nobody in the mouth.

No, well, no. not yet, we will see what happens. Not yet.

Moments before the debate, Sherri confronts her old friend Hill.

You are still emotionally unavailable, Hill.

That’s not true, you know, you never gave me a chance. I asked her out on a date.

No, you didn't. I remember…

That's why there are a lot of single sisters out there.

I remember that was his goofy smile. He was so cute.

goofy, see? goofy, (more on that later)

with almost a thousand people settled in their seats. (Good luck to all of you.)

Just have to say a little prayer to Jesus!

It was time to get started, but will the love last?