Posts tagged whiteness.

By Tracy Oliver

Last night, a few of my castmates -Issa Rae (J), Sujata Day (CeCe), Madison T. Shockley III (Fred), and Tristen Winger (Darius) came to my apartment to shoot a scene for the next “Awkward Black Girl” episode. Hours after we wrapped the shoot, we stayed in my living room passionately discussing the future of “ABG” til 3am. The topic of discussion: Should “ABG” stay on the Web or go to television?

Six months ago, that answer was emphatically television. I distinctly remember sitting in coffee shops with Issa, strategizing ways to reach potential producers, executives, and networks that may be a good fit for “ABG.” We were even writing an extensive treatment for the series, visualizing how the characters and storylines could be adapted into a half-hour comedy.

I’ll admit it. The prospect of “ABG” on television is enticing. The thought of millions of people sitting around their flat screens watching a weekly version of the show is pretty exciting. The thought of an African-American female lead with dark skin and a short fro starring in a mainstream comedy is downright revolutionary.

On television, “ABG” could be what “The Cosby Show” was back in the day — a universal show breaking in several actors of color in front of the screen and writers and directors of color behind the scenes. In a perfect world, it could change the perceptions of African-American women at large and fill a void that’s absent in mainstream media.

The only problem is, we don’t live in a perfect world.

Television today often doesn’t reflect the beauty in diversity, in front or behind the camera. The numbers of writers and directors of color working in television are dismal. The numbers of femalewriters and directors of color are even worse. According to a recent DGA study, white males directed 77% of all television episodes for the 2010-2011 season, while women of color directed just 1%.

When looking at these statistics, the reality of selling “ABG” to a network lends itself to many questions. Who will become the showrunner(s) and will they understand our vision? How many writers of color will be staffed? Will we able to maintain our current cast? How much creative control will we have over the content?

To answer these questions, Issa and I sat down with a television executive from a prominent network. In short, his response confirmed our worst fears. He felt that in order for “ABG” to become more mainstream, the entire cast would need to be replaced. His suggestion for the lead character, J, was a long haired, fair-skinned actress who looked more like a model from a rap music video than an awkward black girl.

Needless to say, the meeting was frustrating. But also very eye opening. This executive’s thoughts on making “ABG” more mainstream stripped the show of what made it a hit in the first place — its relatability. The truth is, he didn’t get our show. He didn’t get our vision. And worse, he didn’t get our audience.

Our audience is the reason “ABG” is where it is today. They support our vision, and the Web allows us a unique opportunity to stay true to it. Though we haven’t yet found a way to monetize the series as we would in television, the trade off is being able to have full creative license over the content, which is ultimately why we’re excited to do what we’re doing and why our fans are excited to watch.

Tracy Oliver is a writer/producer/actor whose work can be currently seen in the hit Web series, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” also known as “ABG.” “ABG” has been featured on several sites and publications, including Vibe magazine, Clutch magazine, CNN, The Root, Shadow & Act, AOL, and the Huffington Post. You can find “ABG” episodes and information HERE.

Observations about White run anti-racist blogs Vs. POC run anti-racist blogs

I left the following comment on That’s Some White Nonsense’s blog:

the defensive comments you receive are interesting, and reflect the need for blogs such as yours. on white run anti-racist blogs, there seems to be a “shred” of respect from the dissenters, whereas here you are immediately called a nigger and told to shut up.  such massive assertions of white supremacy are amazing, and not at all surprising. in the minds of those who attack you, your blackness immediately subjugates you to them, silences your voice, dismisses your truth.  i stand with you sis.

This was an immediate observation. STFURacists and WTFWhitePrivilege definitely receive their share of attacks.  I read comments on their blogs, that basically say, “you’re a racist for calling out my racism,” “you’re white? you hate yourself,” as well as vehement denials of the existence of racism/white privilege/white supremacy.  But in some way, they are listened to before being dismissed, or listened to while being dismissed.  Their “whiteness” gives them some ounce of credibility in the minds of their attackers.  Not so for ThatsSomeWhiteNonsense.  Her blackness makes her automatically ignorant, stupid, a nigger, dismissive.  How dare she challenge oppression?

It is obvious that racism is the default starting position in our culture.  

(STFURacists and WTFWhitePrivilege are great blogs, this is not an attack on them, just a general observation about the nature of thing

Thoughts?

forbrowngirls:

Black Girl In Suburbia is a feature documentary that looks into the experiences of black girls growing up in predominately white communities. This is a different look into suburbia from the perspective of women of color. This film explores through professional and personal interviews the conflict and issues black girls have relating to both white and black communities.

Black Girl In Suburbia intends to spark an open dialogue about race, identity, and perspective among all people, in hopes that these discussions will allow us to reconsider perceptions of ourselves, others and the communities in which we live and share.

Summer 2012
www.blackgirlinsuburbia.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Girl-in-Suburbia/200754476613676

www-blacksurfer-com:

wtofadreamer:

White Wash, the documentary, is a film exploring the complexity of race in America through the eyes of the ocean. Examining the history of “black consciousness” as it triumphs and evolves into the minds of black surfers, we learn the power of transcending race as a constructive phenomenon. The story is narrated by the legendary, Grammy Award winner Ben Harper (Fistful of Mercy, Relentless 7, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals) along with Tariq “Blackthought” Trotter of the Grammy Award winning hip hop group, The Roots whom also originally scored the film.

Man, this movie hits home!!