Pharrell Williams, H.E.R., Opal Lee and other individuals transforming the entertainment industry discussed the importance of diversity, inclusion and elevating underrepresented voices inThe summit kicked off with a keynote conversation featuring H.E.R., whose song “Fight for You” from Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah” won best original song at this year’s Academy Awards.
While disabled characters are starting to appear in more Hollywood productions, their storylines almost always revolve around their disability. C.J. Jones, a deaf Black actor who has appeared in “Baby Driver” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” said it’s time for Hollywood to begin breaking these barriers. “The industry needs to open itself up to this possibility and use disabled folks as the skilled and talented characters that they are, and not just focus on the disability,” he said.
Courttia Newland, who co-wrote “Lovers Rock” and “Red, White, and Blue” with McQueen, said the timing “just speaks of how circular our experiences are, that we can do something a couple of years before this thing happens and it can still be pertinent. Just the very fact that these things remain pertinent is a real sore point for me.”Daniel Dae Kim boiled down why diverse on-screen representation is essential. “Entertainment gives us a notion of what’s possible,” he said.
Billy Porter won an Emmy for his performance as ballroom emcee Pray Tell, who is HIV positive. The actor recently revealed he himself is HIV positive and further opened up tothat Pray Tell served as a proxy through who could heal and “shed the shame and finally get to a place of joy and peace.” The show also served as a proxy for audiences. “I am seeing in real-time my generation being given the space to remember to grieve so that through the grief, healing can happen,” Porter explained.
Entertainment Entertainment Latest News, Entertainment Entertainment Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: NylonMag - 🏆 697. / 51 Read more »