Dear White People……and our beautiful friends of all other ethnicities , listen up! Your favorite movie is now coming to Netflix on April 28th and it will blow your mind!!
If you never seen the movie that started it all, I recommend you watching it before the show because it’s the perfect discussion we all have at some point in our lives. But, to give a quick synopsis: It’s about a group of college students at a predominantly white Ivy League institution battling racial issues on their campus. We analyze four characters that navigate a diverse landscape of social injustice, cultural bias, political correctness and activism at a millennial age. Through an abstract lens, Dear White People utilizes biting irony, self-depreciation, and brutal honesty to hold up a mirror to the issues plaguing society today, all the while leading with laughter.
During this past week, I had the pleasure to view a special screening of the series and have an intimate sit-down with the cast and director of the show. At the panel discussion, they had Logan Browning who plays Samantha White, a bi-racial film major who’s in charge of the Black Student Union at Winchester U; Marquee Richardson who plays Reggie Greene, a prominent member of BSU; John Patrick Amedori, Sam’s secret lover and Justin Simien, the creator and executive producer of the show.
HC: What were your expectations for the first season?
Simien: I wanted an organic show where we showcased activism and talk about what it feels like in the 21st century because we don’t agree. We echo people today because it’s based off certain perspectives and naturally we tend to gravitate towards views instead of our own. The movie is around these kids who trying to find themselves in a pool of college students while having a voice. So to me, this is an organic process where I also switch protagonist each episode because everyone has a favorite, but I wanted everyone to see each person’s side and how they act in this first season.
HC: Was Winchester based off a particular Ivy League or a combination of PWIs struggling with racial issues?
Simien: It’s a cumulation of PWIs. We pooled from the histories of Harvard, Yale and Princeton, but also Winchester was created intentionally as a symbolism of America. We are in a marginalized state where we have a particular way of attacking issues and part of that came from when I was in school and ultimately, translated onto paper and onto the screen for others to watch.
For the actors, they described this show as a time capsule because for Richardson he identifies what it means to be a young black man in America in 2017. He called it “therapeutic and enriching to be apart of a working team that captures the minds of intelligence everywhere”. For Browning, she enjoys the cast and the script because it’s original and we’re [the cast] able to be a voice for the characters and state a message.
Dear White People isn’t just to address our white counterparts, it’s moreso an address to those who’s struggling with self-identity in America while standing our ground about race. The show will leave with questions, laughter, anger and mostly a demand for a conversation. It will have you on the edge of your seat wanting more once the first season is over (trust me you will once you’re finished lol) and the beginning of a movement to voice our truth and find our worth.
Be sure to look out for Dear White People on Netflix April 28th and start the conversation #DearWhitePeople! You can catch the trailer right here, right now!
credit:talkwithtami, masetv