“We have to be willing to look at ourselves, regardless of what industry we’re in.”
BY CHELSEY SANCHEZ JUN 24 2020, 1:24 PM EDT
- In a new episode of LAist’s podcast, Hollywood: The Sequel, Kerry Washington talked about Hollywood’s diversity problem.
- “When we say we’re committed to diversity—it’s diverse from what? We’re still centering whiteness as the most important thing and inviting diversity around that,” said the Little Fires Everywhere actress.
- The conversation comes amid daily nationwide uprisings against police brutalityand systemic racism against Black people in the United States.
It’s no secret that Hollywood caters to white stories. Kerry Washingtondiscussed the entertainment industry’s infamous diversity problem in a new episode of Hollywood: The Sequel, a podcast from culture website LAist.
“We look at ourselves to get better and do better,” the Little Fires Everywhere star said when asked about what she hopes will come out of the current movement, per People. “When we say we’re committed to diversity—it’s diverse from what? We’re still centering whiteness as the most important thing and inviting diversity around that. Or when we talk about inclusivity, there’s still an in and an out. So, we’re still centering certain kinds of people and maybe in tiny fractions allowing other people to the table. There’s just so much of it that needs to reexamined. The simple answer is … I hope a lot of good [comes out of it] and that we can see each other, and have courage to make room for each other.”
She added that although many are beginning to be awakened to the realities of systemic racism, it’s not news for others. “Not much has changed for Black people in the last couple of weeks,” she said. “There’s a different response to it. The sentiments of the moment that feel revelatory—I don’t feel like those feelings belong to me.”
