‘Clarissa Explains It All’ star Melissa Joan Hart has got some explaining to do herself after she posted a photo to Instagram some are deeming ‘tone deaf’ in light of the heightened conversations around racial privilege and cultural sensitivity.
Taking to the platform Monday (June 1), Hart posted a still photo from the 1935 film ‘The Little Colonel’ to celebrate diversity on screen. The problem? The focal Black character in the movie, Mr. Bojangles, has long been pointed to as representative of a problematic trope in African American film history (namely due to the limitations of roles available to actors of color during the time period).
Regardless, the TV actress is learning the hard way about racial insensitivity. See what we mean inside:
After Hart posted the above, Twitter and Instagram ignited:
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After the hoopla, Hart did remove the IG post but (as of time reported) the associated Twitter post remains.