According to an article that appeared in the NY Times ‘casting statistics on sex, age and race showed that the number of minority performers hired for film and television roles declined in 2008 from the previous year. According to the report, the number of jobs for nonwhite actors dropped to 27.5 percent of total roles cast in 2008 from a high of 29.3 percent in 2007. While African-Americans made up the largest number of minorities cast, they also lost the most ground, securing 14.8 percent of all roles in 2007 but 13.3 percent in 2008. American Indians had the fewest jobs, 0.3 percent in both years. The data were based on information collected by producers under guild contracts. “The diverse and multicultural world we live in today is still not accurately reflected in the portrayals we see on the screen,” the group’s national president, Ken Howard, said in a statement.’
While I agree with Ken Howard, I think it’s important that African Americans let Hollywood and the TV industry know that we are watching this carefully; in other words send letters.
On another note, information like this reinforces Tyler Perry’s comment that ‘
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