Is The Black Community To Blame For Mainstream View Of Black Entertainment?

Is The Black Community To Blame For Mainstream Perception Of Black Entertainment?

Earlier this week, a screening was held at Manhattan’s SVA theater in NYC to premiere the upcoming film “Baggage Claim,” which stars Paula Patton, Derek Luke, Jenifer Lewis and Jill Scott, among other prominent African-American entertainers.

During a Q & A session with the cast following the viewing of the movie, the film’s director David E. Talbert (pictured above with wife & executive producer Lyn Talbert) made an interesting statement in response to a question on how to increase the presence of “black romantic comedies” like “Baggage Claim” in the mainstream film industry.

“Well, wait…..why does it have to be a “black” romantic comedy?” he responded. “Why can’t we just say “romantic comedy?” “It’s really just a relatable romantic comedy that just so happens to feature a predominantly African-American cast.”

Talbert then went on to address how we as a community often put ourselves in a box by how we describe our representation in mainstream entertainment, which inevitably contributes to the skewered perception that White America has of African-Americans in the entertainment industry.

So Bossip fam, do you agree with director Talbert about the black community limiting our impact on the entertainment industry through the language that we use to describe our own presence?

Or do you think that our society is still so far from post-racial status that we will be viewed through a limited perspective lens regardless of how we view ourselves? Let’s discuss.