As we previously reported, some of entertainment’s biggest Black stars and executives joined forces to demand more representation in front of and behind the scenes of Hollywood.
Now, the list reads over 300 signatures long!
More inside:
Spearheaded by ‘Insecure’ star Kendrick Sampson, the movement is powered by the BLD PWR initiative and called upon the likes of Viola Davis, Michael B. Jordan, Janelle Monáe, Idris Elba, Billy Porter, Queen Latifah, Chadwick Boseman, Sanaa Lathan, La La Anthony, Larenz Tate, Laverne Cox, Keith Powers, Mekhi Phifer, and other powerful Black Hollywood figures to sign an open letter demanding change in the entertainment industry.
The letter, headlined “Hollywood 4 Black Lives,” seeks to “prove that Black Lives Matter to Hollywood by taking bold moves to affirm, defend and invest in Black lives.”
“Hollywood has a privilege as a creative industry to imagine and create. We have significant influence over culture and politics. We have the ability to use our influence to imagine and create a better world,” the letter begins. “Yet, historically and currently, Hollywood encourages the epidemic of police violence and culture of anti-Blackness.”
Asserting a need for systemic change in Hollywood with regard to racism, discrimination, and representation, the letter particularly shines light on the mistreatment of Black women.
“The lack of a true commitment to inclusion and institutional support has only reinforced Hollywood’s legacy of white supremacy. This is not only in storytelling. It is cultural and systemic in Hollywood,” the letter continues. “Our agencies, which often serve as industry gatekeepers, don’t recruit, retain or support Black agents. Our unions don’t consider or defend our specific, intersectional struggles. Unions are even worse for our below-the-line crew, especially for Black women. Hollywood studios and production companies that exploit and profit from our stories rarely have any senior-level Black executives with greenlighting power.”
- Hollywood should divest from police (“Commit to no police on sets or events or for any other purposes”)
- divest from anti-Black content
- invest in anti-racist content
- invest in Black people’s careers by giving more power and financial resources to Black artists and executives
- invest in the Black community, including Black-owned businesses
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Click here to read it in full.
Stupid people
They need to stop paying actors millions of dollars to play pretend.
They are all over paid
Why should an actor be paid 10 million dollars to pretend he is a school teacher/lawyer on film while the real life lawyers/school teachers earns less than that
This is amazing! 🥰 I’m trying not to write a novel 😂 Hollywood CREATED a world for white people to imagine themselves in…they can dream, be inspired and aspire by seeing THEMSELVES on screen in just about every situation imaginable lol…a true VISUAL…I don’t cry at the end of E.T. cause I was like, “E.T. has to go back to where people look like him, white people.” 😂 💯I used to work at the movie theater as a teenager and it was WHITE WORLD 🤣 I can see why white people love to go to the movie theater 😂 I can see why they watch TV movies and MOVIE movies all day, errryday, and twice on Sunday 🎥 🍿 😂 There’s always so much to choose from! You’re always the hero, you always get the romantic scenes….ya’ll got that thang on LOCK lol…
And I do it all sucking on my daddys Co_K just because i’m trash.
@Clarkson, you a dumpster fire chile 🔥 Stay truly obsessed 😂
Can we get latinos in Hollywood also and more movies and shows with actors and actresses and every other race please.
Who want to support my GOFUNDME for my sexual reassignment surgery?
@TGJ, you see what y’all allow? Now what am I suppose to say? Cause I could go IN on this fool…y’all LET him be racist, mysongynistic, transphobic, whatever else……using my name and likeness and talking in first person! Didn’t ya’ll warn Clarkson and it threatened to leave? Well, kick it out! This is y’all’s site! I will follow any rule…but kick THIS THANG OUT! 💯