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On Sunday, June 24th, the 2018 BET Awards shared Netflix's "A Great Day in Hollywood", a 60-second video featuring 47 black and creative Netflix talent. Among the 47 artists featured in the clip are Ava DuVernay (13th, Central Park Five), Spike Lee (She must have it), Lena Waithe (Master of Void, Dear Whites, Step Sisters), Alfre Woodard (Luke Cage, Juanita), and Laverne Cox (Orange is the new black). The one minute video was made by Lacey Duke and is based on the iconic Art Kane photo A good day in Harlem. The tribute affecting Kane's photo is a powerful statement about diversity in television and movies, a moving celebration of featured artists, and a nod to Netflix's performance in recent years. .
As has been noted time and again, Netflix strives to make sure that its original content library is not just a bunch of stories about whites, but also a collection of stories that present different perspectives. The world is a vibrant and diverse place, and pop culture should reflect it accordingly. There is still work to be done regarding representation, inclusion and diversity in movies and television, but Tinsel Town is changing for the better.
In a 2017 Variety interview, DuVernay said the following about working with Netflix:
"I find it very exciting, especially for someone like me, a person of color and a woman, to be able to see different ways of entering a space where I can reach a wide audience. same five studios and three networks and I hope that they recognize what I do and that I appreciate them, it is like that, we do not see enough of inclusion, there is now more options, inclusion is a necessity to survive. I think you can continue to operate in the same way as an industry and exclude a country that is largely composed of people who are not white men. If you stick to that, you will continue to have companies that can read tea leaves, like Netflix, come and rip off your wig.
The ever growing catalog of Netflix movies and TV shows is an important and inclusive step in the right direction. Series like Dear whites, All about the Washingtons, and On my block explore the black experience within different communities. Orange is the new black and GLOW were praised for the diversity of their compositions and the highlighting of the various characters' experiences and origins. 13th deals with the history of race and the criminal justice system. Luke Cage is Marvel's first TV show around a black superhero. And so the fantastic list goes.
The rest of the set "A Great Day in Hollywood" includes Gabrielle Dennis (Luke Cage), Simone Missick (Luke Cage), Cheo Hodari Coker (Luke Cage), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Antonique Smith (Luke Cage), Mustafa Shakir (Luke Cage), Vaneza Oliveira (3%), Russell Hornsby (Seven seconds), Priah Ferguson (Strange things), Caleb McLaughlin (Strange things), Sing Adams (Roxanne Roxanne), Nia Long (Roxanne Roxanne, Dear Whites), Justin Simien (Dear whites), Logan Browning (Dear whites), Nia Jervier (Dear whites, Step Sisters), Antoinette Robertson (Dear whites), DeRon Horton (Dear whites), Ashley Blaine Featherson (Dear whites), Brand Richardson (Dear whites, Step Sisters), Hayley Law (Altered Carbon, Riverdale), Rev Run (All about the Washingtons), Justine Simmons (All about the Washingtons), Dawn Porter (Bobby Kennedy for the President), Kat Graham (The holiday calendar, how does it end) Quincy Brown (The calendar of the holidays), Sydelle Noel (GLOW), Britney Young (GLOW), Kia Stevens (GLOW), DeRay Davis (How to act Black), Sierra Capri (On my block), Brett Gray (On my block), Danielle Brooks (Orange is the new black), Alisha Boe (13 Why Resons), Samantha Logan (13 reasons why), Ajiona Alexus (13 reasons why), Derek Luke (13 reasons why), Steven Silver (13 reasons why), Yance Ford (Strong Island), Kano (Top Boy), Marlon Wayans (Nude, Woke-ish), Rhapsody (Ravishing) and Sacha Jenkins (Ravishing).
Representation in pop culture is essential, and the statement "A great day in Hollywood" is important.
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