Representation Is No Longer Enough
When Black people struggled to penetrate media of any kind, any representation was historic — but we need more from our art
“Black people love to see Black folks winning, yet we are reluctant to unpack what qualifies as a win. If you don’t look at the data too closely, you might be convinced that a respectable level of representation has been achieved. Many of the TV series and movies that have come out in the past few years seem to have gotten the memo. And yet, in 2017, fewer than 20% of lead film actors were people of color. There are more Black directors now than perhaps ever before, but in a field that multiplies exponentially on a daily basis with the goal of cementing audiences to their couches, the ratio of Black impact remains minuscule. Hollywood attempts to balance this by advertising the offerings of Black artists more, without actually putting a dent in the ratio. Always a minority, never a bride.” — Scott Woods
Read Woods’ essay in its entirety below.
