In the past two or three years, we’ve seen many conversations about having more diversity in mainstream media. We have definitely made progress, however; the inclusion of people of different races, sexual orientations, religions, and disabled people is still lackluster.
A lot creators of shows and movies like to do “colorblind casting” where they say that all people can audition and there will be no bias in terms of race. While this is a progressive practice, we’re still coming up short. Most movies or TV shows still have a mainly white cast with a token character of color. Not to mention, that a lot of these shows still heavily stereotype their non white characters. So, maybe colorblind casting isn’t working, or rather, people aren’t doing it correctly.
What I suggest to Hollywood writers is to, instead, create stories for people of color. Tell the stories of people of color having to face racism, of immigrants coming to America with absolutely nothing, of people struggling to stay in tact with their family’s culture while still being American. Or, simply write in characters of color without erasing their backgrounds or stereotyping them. It’s not hard; many movies and shows have already done this.
People of color have amazing stories to tell and it’s unfair that they go untold because Hollywood would rather hear the same stories about two white people having a summer romance.
Having one character who is conveniently a person of color isn’t enough. There are thousands of people from different ethnic backgrounds that want to feel represented. Having a character who is stereotyped or not treated as importantly as other characters doesn’t do much for the people who just want to see someone like them on their screens. If you want true racial diversity in your movie, try casting more than one person of color, and people from different backgrounds. Try allowing those characters to embrace and talk about their culture. Try not stereotyping them.
There’s a reason that movies starring people of color do so well in the box office. People want to hear their stories. We love seeing people we can relate to, just like what white people have been getting for so long now. Remember that when you decide to cast a black, latinx, Asian, or Native American person in your movie, there will always be people watching in hopes that they’ll finally be represented properly.
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