How Black Creatives Are Fearlessly Defining The Culture In Hollywood

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Women of the Movement (that aired on ABC last month), for example, the story of Emmitt Till is told, not to rehash his gruesome murder in a manner that could be perceived as “trauma porn,” but rather to give a voice to his mother and spotlight the role her activism played in the success of the Civil Rights Movement.

And last year, Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country brought to life the experience of Black travelers in a sundown town in the 1950s, while the devastation of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre became a crucial plot point in the Regina King–led drama series Watchmen.The fictional and nonfictional story lines in Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar, When They See Us and Colin in Black & White connect the dots between the Black history our ancestors lived and the lasting remnants of that era—as we navigate the same economically crippling social construct that is systemic racism today.

Similarly, the late John Singleton’s drama Snowfall explores the government’s documented involvement in the crack cocaine epidemic that ravaged Black communities in Los Angeles in the 1980s and 1990s.Through relatable comedic relief, Issa Rae’s Insecure and Donald Glover’s Atlanta humanize the non-monolithic, everyday lives of young Black millennials of varying social classes.

Both series also highlight the evolution of predominantly Black neighborhoods—amid longstanding social issues, such as gentrification and economic instability, that continue to shape those communities.Meanwhile, the effects of today’s social awakening on young minds are being amplified through timely television series.