“The crows and musical numbers pay homage to racist minstrel shows, where White performers with blackened faces and tattered clothing imitated and ridiculed enslaved Africans on Southern plantations,” Disney officials noted about “Dumbo” on its streaming platform. “The leader of the group in Dumbo is Jim Crow, which shares the name of laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States,” the statement continued.  ... read more »

Amanda Gorman revisits her inauguration day poetry reading that wowed observers, among them Oprah Winfrey, in the Apple TV+ series “The Oprah Conversation.” ... read more »

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in the past, had been slow on recognizing their lack of diversity and inclusion ... read more »

Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx has joined Stand Up To Cancer for a public service campaign launched today to raise awareness about colorectal cancer screenings, early detection and prevention, with a focus on reaching underrepresented communities. ... read more »

Nine actors of color earned Academy Award nominations setting an Oscar record for diversity in key categories ... read more »

A physical altercation between safety personnel and members of a South Los Angeles grassroots coalition on February 25 in Leimert Park Village cut short a film production and threatens future filming revenue in an area that has struggled economically, first from construction of the Metro Crenshaw/LAX Line and more recently from the Coronavirus pandemic. ... read more »

Hollywood is an ever-changing landscape with a constant flow of innovative talent and stories that challenge the norm. Following suit, Andre Gaines is an LA-based writer, producer, and director whose work consistently breaks the mold as he tells stories in the most electric ways.   ... read more »

California has been making consistent strides towards lowering COVID-19 related deaths and reducing person-to-person transmission. This is creating an opportunity for less restrictive guidelines to be applied to the golden state.  Leilia is an L.A. native, born to perform and share her musical talents. She reflected on the opportunity of performing again as Los Angeles prepares to reopen. ... read more »

Portrayals of Black women and girls in film are showing signs of progress, with their characters more likely to be depicted as leaders or as working in STEM professions than white women, but issues of ``colorism'' still exist, according to a study released today. ... read more »

She’s back —and by “she” I mean Cherie (Cherie Johnson) and Punky Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye) with all ten episodes of the re-vamped, re-imagined series dropping all at once. Cherie Johnson reprises her role as Punky’s best friend, Cherie ... read more »

African-American actors took home multiple trophies at the 2021 Golden Globe Awards, as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization behind the awards were harshly criticized for its complete lack of African-American members, which was discovered by The Los Angeles Times.  ... read more »

#LEVELUP is is a joint production; this exciting 3-city contest, celebrating Women’s History Month, will call on young Black women entrepreneurs to share their empowering stories and compete for a Marketing campaign valued at $10,000.00 ... read more »

February marks Black History Month, a time to celebrate the voices, stories and contributions of Black and African Americans. Among the companies honoring Black History Month is Disney, and one way Disney Parks Experiences and Products is recognizing the month, is by sharing stories about their talented cast members and the important work they’re doing to create more diverse and inclusive experiences and products across the world. Throughout the month, they have been sharing these stories on the Disney Parks Blog. Here are the stories of three Los Angeles based cast members ... read more »

Through forum called “African American Equity in Media,” the new city agency known as L.A. Civil Rights brought together three representatives of the city’s leading media to review how Blacks are represented in newsrooms and news coverage. LA Civil Rights Executive Director Capri Maddox moderated the event, which featured Beverly White, NBC4 news reporter; Angel Jennings, L.A. Times assistant managing editor of culture and talent; Brandon Brooks, L.A. Sentinel and L.A. Watts Times editor. ... read more »

Popular signature BHERC “Sistas” Film Festival featuring the work of Black women directors reached out to include participants from around the world with the BHERC.TV platform. ... read more »