Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1325752
A True American Scene C onver sa t io ns a b o u t D iv er s i ty i n H o l l y w oo d A cross entertainment and media, Hollywood is striving for greater inclusion in its shows and movies. A program such as Shonda Rhimes' Grey's Anatomy is an important example of these efforts, and companies such as Netflix and Amazon are following suit in their original programming. Major blockbusters have also made strides in casting performers of color in critically acclaimed films, including Jon M. Chu's Crazy Rich Asians, Ryan Coogler's Black Panther and Ava DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time. However, for many, the showcasing of diverse casts on screen is not enough. Since 2015, the social media hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, has been used in digital spaces to criticize what Washington Post writer Drew Harwell called a "startling on-screen sameness of age, gender and race" among Academy Award nominees and winners. Additionally, performers such as former America's Got Talent judge Gabrielle Union have spoken candidly about experiencing on-set discrimination. These are just a few examples, and viewers and performers alike are calling on Hollywood to do more. "What we are looking at is both a re-examination of the power structures in our country and, with it, every media institution," said Nightline broadcaster Juju Chang at the SAG-AFTRA President's Task Force on Education, Outreach & Engagement's Race & Storytelling: Asian American Voices panel on July 21. "Which stories are we going to tell? From whose perspective are we [telling them]? And who says yes to [them]?" These questions have remained present throughout the Storytelling livestream series, which has featured African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Latino performers. Performers 76 SAG-AFTRA | Winter 2021 | sagaftra.org