What’s up, it’s Sussan Mourad here with Clevver News, and within weeks following George
Floyd’s death, the Black Lives Matter movement has shaken the entertainment industry in a
worldwide call for many forms of change.
From artists and actors issuing apologies for depicting black characters, to shows promising
to be much more inclusive when it comes to cast members moving forward, it seems many
are making changes in order to do their part in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement
and the continuous fight for racial equality.
Speaking of equality, one show that has vowed to honor their Black cast is The CW’s Riverdale
following Vanessa Morgan’s pledge to never take roles that don’t properly represent
the Black community.
In her original tweet, she voiced her frustration over how Black people are portrayed in the
media, like “thugs, dangerous or angry scary people,” as well as “sidekick non-dimensional
characters to our white leads.”
The show’s creator, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa then issued a statement pledging to do better
to honor Vanessa and the character she plays.
He also stated that Riverdale will “get bigger, not smaller,” and will “be a part
of the movement, not outside of it.”
ABC’s hit reality series The Bachelor made immediate changes to their upcoming lineup,
as the first-ever Black Bachelor was announced last week.
Although Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay was the first Black female lead, the show had not
once cast a Black male lead in the 18-year-long run.
As many Bachelor fans know, the decision comes just days after Bachelor Nation called for
more diversity among the franchise by sharing around a petition that called on ABC and executive
producer Mike Fleiss to cast more people of color.
The petition noted that in 40 seasons of The Bachelor and Bachelorette, and an 18-year-long
running show, Rachel has been the ONLY black lead.
It stands at over 100,000 signatures, but that number has grown tremendously following
last week’s big news.
Although the BLM movement seems to be sparking an industry-wide change in entertainment,
many are still disappointed that it took something like the death of yet another innocent Black
person to kickstart a revolution.
HuffPost editor Elise Foley wrote, “Congrats, I guess, to The Bachelor franchise for picking
a Black bachelor 25 seasons in, after pressure from anti-racism protests prompted by a Black
man being killed by police.”
That said, shows that promote police brutality, or even glorify the police instilling fear
into people are discontinuing their run.
Well-known reality show Cops, which follows police on patrol, has been permanently pulled
by the Paramount Network, as well as the temporary withdrawal of the classic film Gone With The
Wind from streaming services for its controversial portrayal of slavery and the Civil War.
Four cast members and counting from Bravo TV’s hit reality series Vanderpump Rules
have been fired from the show for their past racist remarks, some of which included Stassi
Schroder and Kristen Doute, who called the cops on their castmate Faith Stowers back
in 2017 for a false crime.
They were immediately dropped from the show, as well as many of their personal brand deals,
as Bravo confirmed on Instagram, saying, “Bravo and Evolution Media confirmed today that Stassi
Schroder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not be returning to Vanderpump
Rules.”
Aside from doing their part in supporting the fight for racial equality by disassociating
with controversial celebrities, shows like Sesame Street are doing their part in educating
people on racism… which starts with our youth.
With the help of the show’s beloved puppet characters (and Elmo’s wise-beyond-his-years
father, Louie) Sesame Street teamed up with CNN earlier this month to explain racism and
the power
of protesting:
Many users praised the show for their efforts in educating people starting at a young age,
while others suggested that this important lesson shouldn’t just be for the kids.
One person tweeted, “Maybe we should show this during primetime for the adults to get
it.
And don't advertise it as a kids show just play it.. cause as an adult I'm watching it
and the way it's being explained is the way Adults need to hear it.”
AMEN TO THAT.
Others also suggested a certain United States President might even benefit from tuning in,
although that’s a conversation for a whooooole different video.
If you’ve been scrolling through Netflix lately and have noticed a banner that reads,
“More Than a Moment,” this is the streaming platform’s latest play in supporting the
BLM movement, and more importantly, allowing for users to easily access educational tools.
The special Black Lives Matter section showcases films and documentaries for viewers to “learn
more about racial injustices and the Black experience in America” and includes films
and series ranging from Dear White People to the Oscar-winning Moonlight.
Amazon Prime has followed suit with its own section called “Black History, Hardship
& Hope,” which also includes popular films including Just Mercy starring Michael B. Jordan
and Jamie Foxx.
Even books by black authors, as well as educational tools that tackle racial issues within the
United States, like Layla Saad’s Me And White Supremacy, have sprung to the top of
the bestseller lists in recent weeks, some even selling out on Amazon.
And after years of criticism, controversy, and even the spread of worldwide hashtag #OscarsSoWhite,
started in 2015, the motion picture academy will now be introducing new eligibility rules
to enhance diversity among Oscar nominees.
A statement was released last week that read, “To ensure more diverse representation,”
a new task force will be set up “to develop and implement new representation and inclusion
standards for Oscars eligibility.”
Last year, less than one-third of the nominees admitted were people of color, so moving forward,
expect and hope to see some major changes!
And in regards to award shows focusing on music, the term “urban,” which has been
closely associated with rap, hip hop, R&B and other Black genres, is being largely questioned,
and in some cases, completely banned from shows.
Label company Republic Records, which is home to musicians like Drake and The Weeknd, was
the first to stop using the word, and the Grammys are following suit by replacing the
“urban music” category with “R&B progressive”.
With everything going on in the world and the continued acts of racism in this country,
it’s more important than ever for everyone to hold each other accountable and continue
to learn and grow as a society.
The industry has made major strides, however, there is still so much more work to be done.
With all this being said, we here at Clevver stand against the injustices suffered by members
of the black community and we stand with every Black person who has tragically lost their
lives due to the color of their skin and police brutality.
To see how other celebs are calling for social justice and equality, click right over here
to watch another Clevver video.
And be sure to let me know all your thoughts on the way TV is changing following the Black
Lives Matter movement down here in the comments.
I’m your host Sussan Mourad, see you next time.