With the rise of movies like "Black Panther," "Get Out" and "Moonlight" and TV shows like "Atlanta" and other ethnically diverse productions, it is clearly an indication that the tides of many creative industries are changing. The number of minorities that are creatives (writers, actors, artists, photographers, etc.) are swiftly and exponentially growing. Along with this change comes the idea that young, non-white passing kids have people to look up to who aren’t placed in stereotypical roles.
For example, in "Black Panther" African people are depicted as diverse and are in positions of power that they hold with dignity and class, rather than the overly stereotypical nature in which Africans and African Americans are depicted in many Hollywood movies. In "Get Out," there is an innate understanding of the minority experience that is conveyed through the use of horror and satire.
The unfortunate part about these types of movies is that there is a lack of them. Other than a few popular forms of media, there is not that much diverse representation as a whole. For example, I, as an Indian American, do not see many Hollywood roles that portray people from the Indian subcontinent as anything other than the IT guy or the awkward nerdy kid who’s ridiculously smart. Growing up, I did not have the comprehension that I could be anything other than that small and boxed role.
Then one day, I decided to watch Hassan Minhaj’s Netflix special, "Homecoming King," and it felt like my world had opened up. Here was a fellow Indian American Muslim who was outgoing and confident and most of all, someone I could relate to. He had moments where he talked about being Muslim and the culture of the post-9/11 Muslim American life, and there was a moment he said, "Do you ever see your parents, and you see the mortality in them?" after their car had been vandalized the day after 9/11. This moment had me in tears the first time that I saw it, because it was so relieving to know that someone else in this country was like me and understood this fear.
That has stuck with me throughout the rest of my life. When I see people who look like me and are on a world stage, it inspires me to better myself.
The same goes for the creatives that are not on so grand a stage in terms of viewers. Photographers, painters and other artists often go unnoticed. Regardless, they are indubitably just as important. Like when it comes to photography, seeing darker skinned people in photos opens up an entire world of diversity, both of race and of art. There are countless more creative jobs that are undoubtedly influential upon full generations of people, but it would take years to highlight their incredible importance.
The message to take away from this is that we desperately need more ethnically diverse creatives, in order to support generations of people that yearn for icons that look like them, too.
