Michael B. Jordan BLM Speech Includes Hollywood Hiring More Black Talent
By George Robbins
The world we live in is currently in turmoil, but some of it is for a good reason and shouldn’t be ignored by anybody. The Black Lives Matter movement is one that brings with it a lot of deep-seeded issues that must see the light of day. In order for these things to be recognized they must be dredged up in order to allow people to have a voice that they should have had all of this time. Among the countless issues that can easily be pointed out by the community is the issue of representation in media. Many young Black men and women don’t have many different people that they can look up to in the media and it is an issue that makes people feel inferior due to the fact they have no one to relate to out in the world.
Actor Michael B. Jordan gave a speech recently during a BLM protest in which he stated as an open declaration that Hollywood should be doing what they can to hire more Black talent. Children look for icons outside of their familial and social circles to relate to when they are young. They look for people that look like them and sound like them and it helps develop their character from a young age. If there are no people in a field or position that a child can relate to, then they end up not trying to go into it at all and the world could lose out on a tremendous opportunity. Actors and actresses help give people something to look towards as they grow up and help them identify who they are. It is a problem that there are not as many prominent Black or Hispanic actors in media as there are Caucasian actors.
If there is an increase in diversity when it comes to actors, then we could see children growing up being able to reflect themselves in a better position in life. The better young people can relate to others in powerful positions, the better off the world will be in the end. More Black talent being hired by Hollywood would give more role models for younger generations to look up to and could give us even better future talent. Hollywood shouldn’t be the only place where this is happening, but it is most certainly a prominent one that could help make a difference. With the BLM protests, the message should be clear that everyone should be treated equally by everyone and eventually things will have to change.