African American

that means a lot to me, coming from you.

the parallel with The Help is painfully fitting.

the movie centered around the young, white woman because that allowed (whites) 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.

i always wish we could hear the honest thoughts of those black maids. i can only imagine what they would never have said to that white woman who stole their stories! just as i would have given anything to hear the honest thoughts of the black broadway stars at those tony awards, whose faces barely masked their feelings as each black nominee was passed over with each successive award. when they announced Ms. McDonald's winning, there was a silent, but perceptible, gasp from the entire audience!!

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?

yes!

on one hand, it is great that there was more racial diversity

yes. it seemed as if the black actors were seeing it that way, knowing progress is slow but IS happening; and so patiently accepting the limitations of whites who can only grow just so fast.

one other thing that helped: black cast members of plays that won (Porgy and Bess won the top award for a play) were clearly thrilled and proud, cheering and grinning while transcending the wrong of their still not being the ones receiving the awards their own labor and talents earned (along with the profit they are raking into those white male producers', and their white stockholders' pockets). i felt deepest admiration for their magnanimity.

Hear, hear!!:

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.

O! YES!! how wonderful that would be!! - WILL be!!!

i know i ought to, and i might manage to, write my criticism to the tony people. i am sure they are just as you say of whites seeing The Help: "didn't see anything wrong ... and felt that it was perfectly understandable ... "

sigh ....

thank you, again, dear Number23! and for this thread!