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Should we NOT direct the question about diversity to people of color?

Posted by Ria, 24 Feb

Photo credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

In an interview with Variety Magazine, "Insecure" star Issa Rae spoke about how she is getting tired of people asking her questions about diversity seeing as the two films she will be debuting this year, has men of color as her leading co-stars.

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Recently, Rae hosted the live Oscar's nomination presentation with actor John Cho. Much as most people of color were not represented, Rae insinuated that she was doing her part by giving people of color the opportunity by employing them in her films. And that's why she is fed up about people asking her about diversity.

"I don’t feel like it’s up to me to answer those questions. Like, I’m doing the work. I’m out here. I’m employing who I need to employ, I’m telling the stories that I need to tell," she said. "Those questions need to be asked to the powers-that-be. It needs to be asked to the white people who run this industry."

Huh!

People can't stop talking about her upcoming films because they are depicting interracial romance in a different light - different people of color falling in love. We are so used to seeing interracial movies focusing on romance between a black and a white person and the struggles they have to go through.

Rae opened up in her interview saying, “Every time there’s an interracial romance, it feels like it centers on whiteness, and it doesn’t have to... Just so you know, there are people who don’t procreate with just white people.”

Her up-coming rom-com “The Lovebirds” will be starring Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, Kumail Nanjiani.

In 2017 when her show wasn't nominated for an Emmy and was asked by a reporter who she was rooting for, she blatantly said, "I’m rooting for um…everybody black".

Now while we understand where she might be coming from and the lack of representation of Oscar's nominees, do you really think that the lack of diversity question should only be directed to white people. Maybe her heart is coming from the right place - trying to offer more people of color the opportunity to be seen out there for their talents. My question is: Shouldn't the question of diversity be directed to all races?