An authentic Black story
The film industry has been an enigma to the Black community. There were so many barriers for Blacks to be hired as actors. Also, the media falsely portrayed the Black community and influenced how other groups viewed them. Many Black actors only played one-note roles, which fit the negative connotation of their community.
As time went on, changes happened, but the opportunities for Blacks to tell authentic experience stories was far and few.
ArtCenter College of Design Global Institute of Black Girls in Film and Media is helping minorities fix that issue by empowering them to tell Black stories and to take up space where they were previously kept out.
"It is important they have an authentic and accurate representation of their lives reflected in all types of media, whether it's film, animation, or graphic novels. It's important to diversify the Black girl experience, so we can dispel myths and stereotypes that plague the Black community." Aaron Bruce, vice president, and chief diversity officer at ArtCenter.
Lisa Covington, lead cultural consultant and scholar in residence at ArtCenter, seconded Bruce's thoughts on the importance of the Black community being properly represented in the media and film industry.
"Since the founding of the media in the United States, there has been a misperception about Black people," Covington said. "We can go as far back as WW2 and see White actors in blackface, and the myths that developed, and the consistent need to replace the stories by Black people."
ArtCenter College of Design was established in 1930 to prepare students to become
artists and designers who, in turn, have gone on to impact nearly every facet of our
lives. In 2022, ArtCenter launched the Institute to explore how scholars, artists,
filmmakers and visual storytellers understand the ways Black girls are valued across film and media.
“To nurture this kind of scholarly work at an institution like ArtCenter is an important part of equipping our students with the skills to tell authentic Black stories in media,” Bruce said. “We believe The Institute will have a ripple effect across our campus community, through the entertainment industry, and hope that this group can inspire more scholarship of this kind at other art and design schools globally.”
Covington brought up the recent boom in Black women's TV producers and the intention of showcasing more Black actors and actresses in different roles and characters they were not normally cast in before.
The Institute is a boundary-pushing and culture-moving institute that is empowering and teaching girls of color the impact their vision and work can have in the media industry. Learn more about the Institute by visiting- https://tinyurl.com/476rsmn7.
