diversity in media
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Amid a Firestorm, Essence Appoints an Interim CEO, Promising an Independent Review and 'Transparency' [Updated]
The pioneering and still most prominent media brand for Black women will once again have one at the helm—at least, for the immediate future. This is just one of the announcements Essence Communications made in a statement emailed to The Glow Up on Tuesday night, just two days after a now-viral open letter was published…
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Kerry Washington Says Hollywood's Diversity Commitment 'Still Centers Whiteness'
The country is experiencing a racial awakening in response to the police brutality protests that are still taking place after George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths. Anti-racism books are flying off of shelves, streaming services have dedicated blocks of programming to Black shows and movies, and general interest in Black stories has risen for weeks.…
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#OscarsSoWhite Creator April Reign Is Launching a Digital Content Studio for People of Color
April Reign, well known as a diversity and inclusion advocate and the creator of #OscarsSoWhite, is partnering with the media platform Overture Global to start Ensemble, a digital content studio “aiming to accelerate opportunities for people of color both in front of and behind the camera,” according to a press release obtained by The Root.…
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ABC News Executive Reportedly Made 'Picking Cotton' Comment Aimed at Good Morning America's Robin Roberts
A white female casting executive at ABC News is under investigation for what is being described as an “extensive history” of insensitive comments, including racist ones geared at black employees. Barbara Fedida’s abuses of power and alleged acts of discrimination were uncovered in a HuffPost investigative piece, which dropped Saturday. It was written over the…
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Cover Stories: The #VogueChallenge Is a Black Beauty Revolution for the Fashion World
In a world currently consumed with black trauma (and copious amount of white guilt, in response), black beauty may feel like a luxury we can’t currently afford as the moment demands we keep our eye on what feels like an ever-moving goalpost. Nevertheless, beauty is not only necessary to black life, but it is a…
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'We Have Made Mistakes Too': Anna Wintour Apologizes for Vogue's Treatment of Black Talent
Vogue magazine has long been at the forefront of the fashion industry, forecasting trends that the rest of the world follows. But now, the magazine is in the rare position of working to get ahead of a cultural moment in which the fashion industry—and its publications—are being indicted for their treatment of the black talent…
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Solidarity Is in Style—but Is Fashion Media Really Ready to Reckon With Its Race Problem?
Though we’ve long known it to be true, in some ways “Black Lives Matter” has suddenly become the little black dress of the fashion industry: the oft-forgotten yet indispensable and unfailingly stylish way to show solidarity in a moment of global outrage. One need look no further than the spate of daily newsletters sent by…
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Black Actresses Discuss Importance of Representation and Diversity in New Interview
Award-winning actresses Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, Lynn Whitfield, Kimberly Elise and Mary J. Blige sat down with The New York Times’ T Magazine to discuss the importance of representation in media, as well as some of the issues they’ve come across during their time in the spotlight. The actresses came…
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Oscars Still White: April Reign Explains Why 'Diversity' Alone Isn't Cutting It
“If you’re throwing a party and you want everybody to come, equity is ensuring that there are different price points. Diversity is inviting everybody. Inclusion is actually asking people to dance once they’re at the party.” —April Reign text It’s 2020 and this awards season is looking real white. What happened to all of those…
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So, Let's Talk About That Time Elle Germany Reduced Black Models to a Fashion Trend…
With that headline and Elle Germany’s proclamation that we’re going “Back to Black” this season, you might be wondering why you’re looking at a cover featuring Danish model Gertrud Hegelund—likely a lovely person, but by no means a black one. Or perhaps you’re wondering why we’re making a fuss, since Elle must’ve been talking about…