As a Black-American woman in the midst of testing her multimedia journalism skills in advertising, my eyes are always wide open. I've been analyzing every single commercial and ad in magazines, newspapers, transportation hubs, as well as the ones that appear on my favorite television shows, black-ish.
The Richard Youngster episode that aired March 29, 2017, on ABC, opened my eyes even more. While social media expressed their disappointment of Chris Brown's appearance on the show, I was applauding the writers. About what? Blacks working in advertising and the lack of Blacks working in the business. I'm talking about the absence of Black creatives, talent, focus groups, and Blacks in executive positions at global agencies.
There were several truths in the episode, but the one that caught me off guard was how Richard Youngster was compared to Stepin Fetchit. Which, by the way, I never heard of until Andre, Rainbow and Ruby broke it down.
Know the history of Stepin Fetchit. Both sides! Catch up on #blackish here: https://t.co/Od3k2nUIGi pic.twitter.com/qrhkFcWjeg— black-ish (@black_ishABC) March 30, 2017
Unfortunately, most people missed the history lesson, and the in your face message of what it's like to be a minority working in advertising. Even industry advertising newsletters didn't get or send a memo.
Lucky for me, I did get the memo because my eyes are opened...even wider.
Did you get the memo? Discuss in the comment box below or e-mail your views to TCsViews@gmail.com.
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