Diversifying our Backgrounds2/19/2022 It is Black History Month! One of the few times of the year where I get to be proudly and unapologetically Black. Other times it’s kind of awkward, especially in an online context, but there’s something freeing about this month. It’s a time where conversations are more openly held, ideas are shared, and your local orgs and companies make a special effort to highlight the Black people around them. Maybe you’ll even get a meme or two out of it, or a feigned feeling of self importance for 28 days. Who knows? To be perfectly honest, I don’t usually do much for Black History Month, other than acknowledging that it’s a thing that is happening, but this year I’ve decided to do a little bit more than that. And so I’m here with a statement. I’m not too sure what this statement will be about really, but I wanted to say something. Because I’m here, and other Black people are here too, and that is something worthy of acknowledgement. Over the years I’ve grown into a much more diverse world, physically in some ways, but also just with the content I’ve seen around me. When I was little, there weren’t many tv shows that had black people in them, or books or stories. All the stories I wrote used to have white characters in them, because it never really occurred to me that I could write about Black people. It was something that I could do, and that I was allowed to do, but I never saw it much so I assumed it wasn’t a thing. If it wasn’t there, that meant people didn’t want to see it, right? I know that for some, having diversity in shows is a huge moment for them, one that spurs on tears and great emotional responses, but I’ve never had that. In 2009, when The Princess and the Frog came out, I thought ‘oh cool! She’s black’, but otherwise that was it for me. It was nice, but part of me knew it wasn’t something I’d get to see often. Not to mention that she was a frog for 90% of the movie, but that’s a story for another day. Essentially, I grew up in a society where Black people, and just generally minority race characters weren’t really shown anywhere. They would be hidden in the background, or have one off line of dialogue, or just be the main (white) character’s best friend. It seemed normal to me. Eventually, I began to realize the problems with the way things were and how minorities were portrayed in the media. As I realized this, more voices spoke up about it and it became a very big problem that needed to be fixed. So finally, Hollywood added more minority characters into our shows. Instead of the typical white faces in our backgrounds, there would people of all skin tones and shades. There’s still a huge colorism problem, and a lack of representation for races that aren’t Black or East Asian but it was a start. It still felt foreign to me. Every time I watch a show that just sprinkles in a Black side character, or adds more races to diversify the setting the main (usually white) character is walking around in, it always feels try-hard. I can never convince myself that it is natural, because it feels like something the producers have thrown in for diversity points. I can’t verify that this is the case, but I can’t verify that it isn’t, so in trying to make their show, or book or movie or whatever it is, more diverse, I become alienated from it. It stands out like a sore thumb, and it always makes me question the intentions behind it. Now this could definitely just be a me problem, and I’m sure other people appreciate the small but visible changes being made in the media, but to me it just hasn’t hit its mark yet. Simply diversifying the background cast of your show is not the representation we are asking for. Making the secretary at the office your main character visits Black, or the security guard at the government office dark skinned, isn’t what we want. I’d love to see some more Black main characters. Main main characters, not just one of the protagonists. I’d love to see more shows with our perspectives, with dark skinned (not biracial) actresses, with Black love interests and popular kids instead of the villains or gang leaders. We’ve made progress but we need a little bit more. A lot more actually. I know that it’ll take a lot more than a blog post to make any real changes, but it’s nice to know that I have a voice, and that I can use it and that someone might read this post and learn something from it. Every February, I sit back and watch different companies make statements and hold workshops and educate their respective populace about the existence of Black people, and the struggles we go through, and now that I’m in a position to speak about it, I’ve realized how hard this is. Not because of the content, or the obvious depth, trauma and injustice associated with this movement that I have kindly left out of this post, but because of authenticity. I am writing a post about Black History Month, because it is Black History Month, bottom line. I wouldn’t really think to write a post like this in January, or March, or July, because this is the specific time to highlight Black writers and creators, and talk about Black issues, and when that time is over, we don’t speak of it (unless something big, like a protest or riot is going on). In writing this post about tokenism, I am contributing to the problem, because the main reason I am writing it is for the sake of the month, and my intentions behind it are questionable. The truth is, we all need to do better. We need to have posts like this year round, and conversations about it year-round. And not just saying ‘Support Black people all the time’ and that stuff; we need actual conscious efforts. I’m hoping that my transparency here will help someone to realize the work we have to do. No one is forcing me to write this. It’s more something that I felt that I had to say, like an obligation to speak up because of my Blackness. I wish there were some more voices behind me right now, because I don’t really want to be the person speaking up and making noise all the time. I want to see change, and sometimes you have to stand up and make those changes yourself even if you don’t want to, but it’d be more impactful if I wasn’t a singular voice. Next year, maybe I’ll have something better planned out for this month. For the rest of this year, maybe I’ll have more posts dedicated to the conversations I want to have and the things I want to see. I’ll keep speaking out about it, until this isn’t a problem anymore. I’d like to think in the future that young Black kids will watch their tv shows and read their books and not have to wonder whether the characters who look like them were placed there for political purposes or not. I’d like to think that things will continue to get better in the future, eventually, but for now, all I have is my voice. And I think that is a good start. Jaidah-Leigh Wyattis a Canadian-Jamaican student, slowly making her way through the writing world. She aims to not only write, but be impactful and play her part in making the world a less judgemental and more accepting place for people everywhere.
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