![]() ![]() These are generally “prestige” productions highlighting past and present injustices that elicit tears of pity, outraged head-shaking and a chorus of rafter-rattling “amens!” or stories about the horrors of slavery, the perils of growing up in the ghetto or the hidden groundwater of racism flowing beneath the suburbs. Hollywood’s usual reaction to popular social protest is to produce a few Black-centric films or television shows. Why now as opposed to these past few years? Is Hollywood merely surfing the zeitgeist to garner goodwill, or is it truly committed to the long-term struggle? All very good signs of a new dawn of equality, though some people - myself included - have been pointing out for years that when it comes to inclusiveness, Hollywood’s foot-dragging has been worse than that of Pulp Fiction‘s The Gimp. New projects featuring Black actors, writers and directors were announced. Some who’d made racist comments in the past were fired. Celebrities and studios released statements of support. Considered the largest protest in American history, BLM, which started a few years ago, jolted a cultural nerve, particularly after the police killing of George Floyd. When Black Lives Matter started rocking, Hollywood came a-knocking. Illustration by Jaya Nicely Hollywood’s usual reaction to social protest is to produce a few sincere dramas about the African American experience, but “the real measure of a group’s acceptance by society is when its people are celebrated in popular culture.” ![]()
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