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Number23

(24,544 posts)
6. Really great post, Fury
Tue Jun 12, 2012, 12:57 AM
Jun 2012

And it's an excellent question. I haven't seen the Tonys and probably won't, but your question reminds me of the conversation we had in this forum over The Help and how some white posters didn't see anything wrong with the story and felt that it was perfectly understandable to have the movie centered around the young, white woman because that allowed them to "relate" to the story. As if had the story been told exclusively from the perspective of one of the black maids, that would have somehow seemed to alien.

And I get your ambivalence on this because on one hand, it is great that there was more racial diversity than at previous Tonys but on the other, it's STILL nowhere near enough and why are so many whites walking home with the prizes even if the stories are about black people?

I don't think much is going to change until black people are allowed to tell our stories in our own voices and to have these stories still be as respected/admired/popular as they are when they are told by whites. For every Malcolm X there are a dozen Color Purples and even though I am immensely glad that they are both getting onto the screen, it would be wonderful to have more diversity behind the cameras which would probably lead to more diversity in front of it as well.

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Latest Discussions»Alliance Forums»African American»Graphic examples of the r...»Reply #6