Boyz N The Biz

Here at smntks, I’m all about good critical analysis of our media environment.  Good critical analysis to me means looking at the content of media stories, the context that they are made in, and the creators and consumers involved.  While we can all look at the content clearly from the outside, there are some parts of what makes media tick that can only be seen by an insider.

This week, director John Singleton ( Boyz n the Hood, Rosewood, 2 Fast 2 Furious) pulled back the gilded curtain of Hollywood to expose the challenges of getting films made featuring African Americans.

As Shakespeare famously penned, “truth will out.”  The truth is that  the small steps Hollywood has taken  are not enough to guarantee a film industry that reflects its customers. Thanks, Mr. Singleton for knocking off that we’re-post-racial-because-12-years-a-slave-won-the-Oscar buzz.

Author: Susan X Jane

Susan X Jane is a diversity educator, speaker, and trainer and coach. A former professor and media literacy activist, she now consults with organizations looking to make sense of our current cultural shift. She thinks a lot about media and race…a lot...and writes and speaks about media…and race... and encourages everyone she meets to think about the way our identity shapes our experiences, ideas, and beliefs about the world. If you're reading this, she wants you to think about it too. Want to talk about it? Let's go. View all posts by Susan X Jane