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When former Roanoker Rene Marie foolishly chose the wrong venue to make a political statement about the national anthem a few weeks back, her ill-conceived idea had nothing to do with Barack Obama.

Yet some narrow-minded, ill-informed people projected one black woman’s miscue upon an entire race, suggesting that “this is what we can expect if they are in charge.”

When the Rev. Jesse Jackson showed his jealousy (and irrelevance) last week by crudely saying Obama should be neutered for “talking down to black people,” there were plenty of us applauding the presidential candidate for speaking truth about black fathers who are MIA.

In these United States, black people are not monolithic. Just like whites, Asians, Hispanics and Eskimos, black people are diverse in opinion, lifestyle and identity.

We share a common history of oppression under slavery, and generations of discrimination that have followed. But we are as varied as Malcolm X to Clarence Thomas, Nikki Giovanni to Thomas Sowell, Lil Wayne to Jessye Norman, street-corner dropouts to Dr. Ben Carson .

In short, all black people don’t watch BET any more than all white people watch MTV.

As blacks, we’ve articulated the breadth of our spectrum for years, but a new study quantifies that diversity. Conducted by market research firm Yankelovich , the survey is one of the largest ever undertaken of black Americans. It evaluated the responses of 3,400 people ages 13 to 74.

The study was commissioned by Radio One , a broadcasting company that targets black and urban audiences.

What it found is that blacks are as diverse as other races. Heck, we can’t even agree what we want to be called. According to the survey, 42 percent favor “black ” and 44 percent prefer “African-American.”

The study found 11 distinct segments of black people that mirror the diversity of others. Among them are:

“Black is Better” is focused on family and jobs along with black culture and solidarity.
“Digital Networkers” consist of high school and college students who are Web savvy and heavy into Facebook, MySpace, instant messaging and cell phones.
“Stretched Black Straddlers” fall in the 18-to-34 age range and are most stressed by straddling the needs of family and work.
“Connected Black Teens” are tech savvy, highly social and fans of black music.
“Family Struggles” are mostly female and struggling economically as they try to raise their children on tight budgets.
“New Black Middle Class” is the best-educated and wealthiest segment, ages 25 to 44.
“Faith Fulfills” speaks for itself, a group of highly religious people with an average age of 48.
“Sick and Stressed” are mostly over 35, stressed about money and health and pessimistic about their future. Bet you know plenty of folks of many races who fall into that category, right?

The study burrows into the numbers, ages and categories. It portrays blacks as more than statistics but as people with hopes, dreams, worries and convictions.

We are a diverse lot, much more than athletes, criminals and entertainers. Overwhelmingly, we are everyday, hard-working people. I’m not naive enough to think Radio One commissioned this survey for altruistic reasons. It is in the business of making money, and wants to better know its consumer.

Fortunately, the unexpected consequence has been powerful evidence that we’re multidimensional — just like everyone else.

To read the study, go to BlackAmericaStudy.com
Shanna Flowers’ column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.