I'm actually laying in my bed right now listening to the Black Girls Talking podcast and I felt inspired to write this post. On episode 14, which was about Black Hair and WOC (women of color) creating content, I was shocked to hear that Issa Rae's choice in not selling her show The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl to a major network was because they wanted a white woman to fill J's shoes!
What?
I'm not sure if its true or simply hearsay, but if there is a kernel of truth to the notion that this show had to have more non-blacks than blacks, then its pretty obvious that there is something wrong with what is happening in the TV and the film industry today. Is it me or does it seem like TV was more progressive 10 years ago than it is today? Maia M. published a piece that spoke to this issue before about black shows being more prominent in the 90s than they are today. Shonda Rhimes has been the catchall showrunner when it comes to ethnic diversity of TV characters. We have high hopes for what Shonda has to offer with hit shows like Scandal and Grey's Anatomy. However, why is it so difficult to see a black female protagonist on TV or in Film? Melissa Harris-Perry this weekend also had a panel of filmmakers which included Tim Reid, Tananarive Due, and Ava Duvernay and again we had the same discussion about the unbalanced disparities between black faces on the silver screen compared to non-black faces.
It is 2013 and for some bizarre reason we have moved backward instead of progressing forward. I think there are a number of us who would love to see black men and women depicted in roles where we are more than just the "magical negro trope" or any other black stereotype that has made Tyler Perry a ton of money. Tyler Perry's films work for several reasons, but many of us support his movies because of the lack of POC content anywhere else. We are waiting with baited breath to see ourselves represented on TV and film, even in it fits into a narrow-minded stereotype, we will go for it, because we have nothing left to hold onto.
I am personally a strong proponent of social media and I believe that it is a powerful tool to connect a message from one source to another. The term "Black Twitter" refers to the disproportionate amount of black users to non-black users. Trending topics that speak to issues in black culture are illustrated quite frequently on Twitter whether its positive or negative. The number one group of users on social media are minority women.
Why?
My personal assessment of this fact is that minority women are the most suppressed group among all. Their ideas, concepts, philosophies, cultural issues, health concerns, sexuality, and more are ignored and dismissed among mainstream white hegemonic culture. Social networking allows several platforms for minority women to engage in and extract their views to a large audience. That audience may be other mommy bloggers, female coders, or freelancers looking to create their first startup. Whatever the circumstance may be, social media is a platform that is a major asset for women of color.
Going back to my discussion about film and television, I think it is just as equally important that we sound off in social media about the deficiency of black female faces in TV/Film. Why are there only a handful of popular black actresses in Hollywood? Why are there little to no black female protagonists in TV? Why are black women depicted as historical stereotypes that dates back to the "Mammy", "Jezebel", and "Sapphire" era? Why is it so challenging to see on TV/Film WOC depicted on this very site who are nerdy, quirky, and eccentric?
We need more Awkward Black Girls.
Why do we exist in extremes? We are labeled as "too ghetto" or "too white".
There is much to be said about how WOC being represented in the mainstream. Is there a place for us in the mainstream, or do we only exist as a subculture? The time is now to sound off about this issue. Use the power of social media to state your case on this issue. We should use social media for good and utilize it as a fundamental resource to illicit change more than simply using it to peruse celebrity gossip sites and participate in fruitless trending topics.
The time is now. Let's move forward...not continue to evolve backward.
