Just been thinking of this: obviously poc creators are NOT above critique. But ive noticed the general public (sometimes even critics) dont understand the barriers, hoops, pressure, and confines that poc must create in. Sometimes we are overruled and we can’t even speak on it.

I’m in poc writer groups and we talk about this A LOT. That normally THEE poc writer gets thrown under the bus for an episode. And reader, I can tell you, we are often overruled by higher ups.
I wish people knew how many times we flag something. Or fight something

And from an outside view it can be like “Well they should quit!” But if you quit every job that had micro (and macro) aggressions you would not be in hollywood. Not as a poc.
We are trying our absolute best and even being vocal PUBLICLY when we can. Always to our detriment

Nothing sparked this, other than the weekly convos I have with friends that it’s very clear people outside our jobs do not understand. Even people who want to be creators/writers.
I literally had to make a list of every time a co worker was racist and take it to a showrunner.

A lot of us have left jobs. Burned bridges. Filed complaints. Some poc writers have literally gone by a different name cause even after flagging things repeatedly (or leaving) the show is problematic and not a reflection of them.
We are often overruled and I wish people knew that

And when you are a poc director this is magnified by 10x.
And sometimes it’s not until you’re in the thick of it that you realize a lot of what they want is for appearances, to seem “woke” and they don’t actually care about the message you want to tell or making it authentic.

And your budget is laughable. And you have to fight to even have poc casting. Or explain to them why u need a dark skinned actress for this role as that’s literally the character. And meanwhile you are barely getting your foot in the door and already upsetting studios.

Except you arent a young white guy who reminds them of themselves. A scrappy lad from film school just trying to make his dream!
You are a difficult poc who isnt grateful for this opportunity and you aren’t listening to your bosses.
Are you replaceable? Of course you are

The hard part is, so many of the folks we work with in hollywood are white liberals. So when you point this out, it’s triggering for them as they view themselves as progressive. They can’t possibly be problematic. They are doing their best! They believe BLM and hate trump!

What I say to that is: please know yes this is still going on, A LOT.
And ask how you can LISTEN to and support poc creators more.

No one is taking your job.
But you can make ours very disheartening.

How can you make sure the poc voices around you are HEARD and respected

As I close out this thread I want to say - the idea that we are hired BECAUSE we are poc is laughable.
You see the stories we are making right now (cause we are finally getting a little bit more space in this town) and we are literally killing it.

We’re here cause we are hilarious, and talented, and thought provoking and unique and have lived experiences that shape our writing that is different than the past century of film/tv, that we are still exploring.

Look at the great art that can be made when studios trust us more