Issa Rae on Black TV History: ‘They Built the Success of Their Networks on Our Backs, and We Almost Don’t Have Anything to Show For It’
variety.comSelome Hailu Issa Rae is working to spotlight the history of Black television with her upcoming HBO docuseries “Seen & Heard,” which she discussed at length in a keynote conversation at SXSW.
The moderator, Rotten Tomatoes’ Jacqueline Coley, described the first episode of “Seen & Heard” as focusing on how studios in the past “used Black audiences” and then “abandoned them as soon as it was convenient.” Rae said she wanted to dive into that history because “it sounds like a conspiracy” on the surface, but producing the documentary proved to her just how that trend had played out. “It’s one thing to say it.
You might have heard someone say that in the history of television and the history of particular networks,” Rae said. “But to have the actual creators, showrunners and writers chronicle the history of that is undeniable.
We wanted to make a comprehensive history and showcase, with evidence, that this is how they built the success of their networks on our backs, and we almost don’t have anything to show for it as a result.
Read more on variety.com
