Dear Hollywood,
We, the people of color, are not stereotypical props. We are human beings. Emotions do not elude us, and depth has not escaped our character. We feel. We cry. We laugh. We smile. We joke. We think. We hurt. We live. We love. We contradict. We are whole. We are scared. We are strong. We are not a singular background story to your main one. We are more than that.
If you do not honor and respect us, then we will pack our talent up and move the hell on. We will gather our resources and show you how much we truly matter in the world. Believe it or not, our stories are aligned with everyone else’s, even yours. The connection between viewer and filmmaker of color will be made once vulnerability is shown from a genuine perspective because we, the people of color, will be the ones with the pen and the lens.
You see, Hollywood, we know what you are thinking but you are sadly mistaken. There is an audience for us – a huge one in fact so you can go ahead and play in one shade. We will be over here, playing with a multitude of colors.
We, the people of color, shall not be your puppets anymore. We will gain control. We will be powerful in all of our lovely imagery that you so failed to show throughout the years because we are more than you ever believed us to be and for that, we shall say once and for all “Goodbye Hollywood.”
What are your thoughts on diversity in Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole? If you could write a letter to Hollywood, what would it contain? Let's talk about it!