Hollywood’s Obsession with “Diversity” Isn’t Going Quite The Way We Hoped
Because greed and exploitation are hurried bedfellows
Okay, I will not downplay the relevancy of seeing films like Black Panther, A Wrinkle In Time and TV shows like Queen Sugar, Insecure and so many others — dominate a landscape that for as long as I can remember — remained solely committed to the brainchild of White writers, showrunners, producers, and grossly over-paid executives.
When I travel back in time (the nineties), I’m forced to admit that most of what I devoured didn’t include most parts of myself. I was an American — raised in Nigeria — who had the good fortune of being exposed to a variety of influences — that intersected to breed a multifaceted woman.
What TV network in 1995 — would have had the balls to air a show centered on a lead — resembling my resume?
Not too long ago, it wasn’t encouraged to boldly and publicly embrace your ethnic roots. In fact my mother would visit me, armed with native wear that she had carefully plotted with her longtime tailor. Whenever she would present them to me — I thanked her with guarded enthusiasm — because I knew very well — that none of the outfits would see the light of day.
