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Regina King's recent challenge to those who hand out little meaningless trophies called Emmy Awards was a very telling reminder that racism knows no boundaries. The Hollywood streets and screens that have been traditionally denied to us as a people continue to be granted to others who have exclusive racial access. Just like during the days of slavery, we do much of the work, but get very little credit.
In her letter, King cites statistics regarding the lack of representation of African Americans among those nominated for Emmy Awards. She also mentions the fact that the nominating committee makes its decisions in a vacuum, with little or no accountability for how the decisions are made. This is the same thing that happens in many of the "Whites Only" corners of power all throughout our country.
One other thing that Regina King's letter to the Emmy nomination committee tells us is that wealth disparities between blacks and whites continue to permeate most of our nation's institutional infrastructure, from corporate America to universities. We are consistently made to be visitors in another person's home, primarily because we do not own the land on which we stand. So, while many African American actors and actresses have done more than enough to earn an Emmy, the truth is that they are usually going to be last in line for recognition of their achievements.
Individuals like Tyler Perry have been criticized (justifiably) for serving a formula of chicken and cornbread stereotypes in order to achieve Hollywood success. At the same time, Perry must be praised for thinking above and beyond the models and options of most actors and actresses when it comes to the freedom he has obtained through ownership. By creating his own production company, Perry has harnessed the ability to employ and hire hundreds of African American actors, actresses, production workers, talent scouts, etc. in ways that Hollywood has never done. In that regard, he deserves our respect.
The point here is that in spite of the fact that Regina King is correct in every sentence of her letter, this form of racism will continue to persist. What we might want to consider is the possibility that perhaps we can move toward a model of ownership in Hollywood that allows our films and our awards to reflect our values. The Emmy Awards are nice, but they were never created for us in the first place. By lining up and hoping that others will recognize our talent and validate us, we are always going to have our destiny controlled by someone else.
When we teach our children to become the next Laurence Fishburne, we may also consider teaching them how to become the next Oprah Winfrey. When we tell them how much LeBron James earns in a year, we should show them the average income of the man who owns the Miami Heat. The point here is that wealth and power are created by owning things, and if we don't own that which affects us, we are always going to be on the sidelines complaining. On a side note: I love Regina King for writing that letter. Girl, you are my absolute hero.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.