Debra Cartwright said,
“The inspiration for the cover design was created as I sat in my 34th floor magazine office on Broadway overlooking the Freddie Gray protest down on the street,” said Cartwright.
“I couldn't leave work to join in at the moment so I illustrated a woman and a little boy with the sign saying ‘Stop Police Terror.’
It went viral on Instagram and unfortunately is still shared when another black person is killed. It’s being used as a protest image for so many, I suppose it seemed fitting for Starr.”
http://spinemagazine.co/articles/the-hate-u-give
THE FINAL BOOK COVER
THE FINAL MOVIE POSTER
I adore Amandla Stenberg, ever since DON'T CASH CROP ON MY CORNROWS. But this movie should have starred a dark-skinned black girl, or at least a black girl that was just as dark in skin color as every black male I saw in the movie--- and I think I saw at least five in the preview (see it below)
Before we go on, let me say this: Stenberg is black. Let me make it clear that I am not questioning her blackness because her father is white. I'm simply not happy about her profiting from colorism.
And I say this knowing she backed off being cast in BLACK PANTHER. Her colorism awareness was great in that moment.
In fact, if I was her, I'd have insisted on being Killmonger's girlfriend for a few minutes or begged to have a cameo. There's no way I'd have missed being in that ceiling breaking movie --even if I was paler than Stenberg and could easily pass for white.Even so, she still could backed off being cast as the lead in THE HATE U GIVE too. She could have been one of the main character's friends.
Like me, many black women --light, medium, and dark in skin-tone-- are tired of young medium brown to dark brown girls and women being erased by whitish-looking black women
It's time for us, the black people in the audience, to make an effort to end colorism.
In fact, I'm actually wondering if it's time to stop going to see films where the female lead is a light-skinned woman UNLESS all the black men are light-skinned too. We wouldn't have to do it forever--- just until black and white men come correct on colorism.
Young black girls and old black women and every black female inbetween needs and deserves to see themselves on television and in movies.
- whether they are biracial like Halle Berry
or
- the product of two light-skinned black parents like Vanessa Williams. We're tired.
It's time for us, the black people in the audience, to make an effort to end colorism.
In fact, I'm actually wondering if it's time to stop going to see films where the female lead is a light-skinned woman UNLESS all the black men are light-skinned too. We wouldn't have to do it forever--- just until black and white men come correct on colorism.
Young black girls and old black women and every black female inbetween needs and deserves to see themselves on television and in movies.
Representation matters. Erika Alexander said her role in as Max in LIVING SINGLE inspired black girls to become lawyers in real life.
And that representation doesn't actually take place when the black woman on the big or little screen is mostly kinda-white-looking.
So I'm wondering if we should do this until light-skinned actresses only represent 10% of black actresses in televisions shows and movies -- because as many light-skinned folks as I know, way less than 10% of them have the white-ish looking features favored by producers and directors in Hollywood.
I know it's not Stenberg's job, necessarily, to stop colorism all by her lonesome.
 |
| L: Googled Image Of Susan Kelechi Watson before she was cast in THIS IS US R: Googled Image Susan Kelechi Watson after she was cast in THIS IS US |
I know it's not Stenberg's job, necessarily, to stop colorism all by her lonesome.
I know the problem is the white men and white women directors and producers that keep choosing the paler than pale black actress, perpetuating interracial colorism. And in the the case of intraracial colorism, it's the black men and black women(?) directors and producers that keep choosing them as leads.
Stenberg has choices. She's been playing interracial characters. She's been playing characters where the character's race doesn't matter. And she can still play black characters because she is black. However, in this case she simply should not have ignored the various covers of this book, that show a medium to dark-skinned black girl as the main character.
On the other hand, I think Stenberg will probably do well in the movie. But I'm irritated at the lack of solidarity from this particular black woman in this particular instance.
PREVIEW
Keep in mind that half the reason BLACK PANTHER was so amazing for black women, as far as representation goes, was due to all four of black female main characters were immediately identifiable as black instead of prompting the question, "Uh...what is she?"
Stenberg has choices. She's been playing interracial characters. She's been playing characters where the character's race doesn't matter. And she can still play black characters because she is black. However, in this case she simply should not have ignored the various covers of this book, that show a medium to dark-skinned black girl as the main character.
On the other hand, I think Stenberg will probably do well in the movie. But I'm irritated at the lack of solidarity from this particular black woman in this particular instance.
PREVIEW
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