MadameNoire
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Writer and producer Kenya Barris caught a lot of flack last year when the trailer for his net Netflix show, “Black AF” hit the internet.
In case you missed it, Black folks took issue with the fact that for a show named “Black AF,” the characters only reflected the lighter side of the melanin spectrum. It brought up the overrepresentation of light skinned and biracial characters in all of his shows. Rainbow in “Black-ish” is biracial. Barris created the spin-off “Mixed-Ish” exploring biracial identity. “grown-ish” was criticized for not featuring any dark-skinned women (and only one dark skinned man). And with “Black AF,” it was clear that perhaps he was relying too heavily on a certain trope and reflecting Blackness in a way that was not only inaccurate but also detrimental in perpetuating the time-honored Hollywood tradition of taking opportunities away from darker skinned Black folks.
At the time, Barris rebuffed the criticism saying:
“I’m also not gonna make up a fake family that genetically makes no sense just for the sake of trying to fill quotas. I LOVE MY PEOPLE and everything I does [sic] reflects that love. But to cast people like some kinda skin color Allstar game would actually do more harm than good. “The answer is to make sure we keep making good programming and depict ALL our beauty in real ways and roles that show the world the broad spectrum of who we are in REAL ways for EVERYONE 2 c [sic].”
He continued: “I really appreciate ur comments & I hardly ever react to social media but this cut me a little. These kids look like my kids. My very Black REAL kids & they face discrimination every day from others outside our culture and I don’t want them to also see it from US.”
He finished by adding this: “I’m going to say this and then let what happens happen… Colorism is a divisive tool used by the powerful to separate the truly powerful.”
While Barris said he appreciated the comments, I don’t know that he took them all to heed. Because recently, Disney + announced that Barris wrote the script for a reboot of Cheaper by the Dozen.
We can argue about whether this film deserved a reboot in the first place but eyebrows rose when the lead cast were announced. Gabrielle Union will play the mother in the blended family, joined by her husband Zach Braff.
For those who aren’t familiar with the story, the mother and father (in this case Union and Braff) navigate the challenges of maintaining a marriage and their careers all while raising 12 children.
The remake is set to hit Disney + in 2022.
Being that Braff and Union are the parents in this remake, this will provide yet another opportunity for biracial/light skinned casting of the interracial couple’s children.
And for Barris, someone who claims to love his people—we’re wondering when we’re going to see the diversity of ourselves reflected in the projects he is continuously given the opportunity to helm?
We’re not the only one with questions. See what folks on Twitter had to say about the news.
