I recently read an
open letter written by Regina King, the famous actress who seems to be in every major black film and TV show I can think of. Ms. King is a black female version of Harrison Ford, the kind of actress who has been in more movies than we can name, yet unappreciated for the magnitude of her gifts to the industry.
Regina King's recent challenge to those who hand out those little meaningless trophies called Emmy Awards was a very telling reminder that racism knows no boundaries. The Hollywood streets and screens that have been traditionally denied to us as a people continue to be grandly opened to others who have exclusive racial access. Just like during the days of slavery, we do much of the work, but get very little credit.
In her letter, King cites statistics regarding the lack of representation of African Americans among those nominated for Emmy Awards. She also mentions the fact that the nominating committee makes its decisions in a vacuum, with little or no accountability for how the decisions are made. This is the same thing that happens in many of the "Whites Only" corners of power all throughout our country.
One other thing that Regina King's letter to the Emmy nomination committee tells us is that wealth disparities between blacks and whites continue to permeate most of our nation's institutional infrastructure, from corporate America to universities. We are consistently made to be visitors in another person's home, primarily because we do not own the land on which we stand. So, while many African
American actors and actresses have done more than enough to earn an Emmy, the truth is that they are usually going to be last in line for recognition of their achievements.
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Individuals like Tyler Perry have been criticized (justifiably) for serving a formula of chicken and cornbread stereotypes in order to achieve Hollywood success. At the same time, Perry must be praised for thinking above and beyond the models and options of most actors and actresses when it comes to the freedom he has obtained through ownership. By creating his own production company, Perry has harnessed the ability to employ and hire hundreds of African American actors, actresses, production workers, talent scouts, etc. in ways that Hollywood has never done. In that regard, he deserves our respect.
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Regina King Through The Years
Regina King Through the Years
What started off as a hobby for Los Angeles native Regina King has become a 25-year career. This talented actress has starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Jamie Foxx and played everything from light-hearted parts in sitcoms to critically acclaimed film roles. Here, BV Newswire let's Regina King reflect on her most noteworthy performances and share intimate details about behind-the-scenes tidbits. Check out Regina King in her own words.
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Regina King Through The Years
Regina King Through the Years
What started off as a hobby for Los Angeles native Regina King has become a 25-year career. This talented actress has starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Jamie Foxx and played everything from light-hearted parts in sitcoms to critically acclaimed film roles. Here, BV Newswire let's Regina King reflect on her most noteworthy performances and share intimate details about behind-the-scenes tidbits. Check out Regina King in her own words.
Regina King Through The Years
'227' (1985) – Brenda Jenkins
"'227' is where I learned to become a professional. I looked at what I did as a hobby at that time. I was still in school, running track and being a regular teenager in public school, so I really wasn't looking at this as a career. But maybe the second to last season, I started realizing, 'You know what, maybe this is really what your career choice is.'"
Regina King Through The Years
'Poetic Justice' (1993) - Iesha
"Ghetto. I think, 'Jesus Christ, how did I keep my head up with all that hair on my head.' I should have had neck spasms. I couldn't get an audition for anything after '227.' I don't know if producers saw me as Brenda, but Jackie Brown Carmen let me read for five minutes, stopped me and said, 'I just wanted to see if you could be ghetto enough.' So I thought that was funny. I was leaving after my second audition, and John ran down the steps and said, 'Regina, you got it.' And that started my relationship with John and my first three movies were with him."
Regina King Through The Years
'Higher Learning' (1995) - Monet
"I shouldn't say this, but Ice Cube looked like a Gummi Bear in that movie to me. That is the first thing that came to my mind. But I wonder what would have happened to the hats. The hats that I wore in that movie are ones that I designed. I wonder how far I would have gotten with the line. I think I was the first entertainer that got into clothing lines before everyone else did, and it became a fad.
Regina King Through The Years
'A Thin Line Between Love and Hate'(1996) – Mia Williams
"I think about my son because I was pregnant with him when I did that movie. It was hard for me to stay awake; I would fall asleep in the middle of scenes."
Regina King Through The Years
'Jerry Maguire' (1996) - Marcee Tidwell
"There was this time when I was waiting to shoot a scene, and they were setting up. I was in what was Jerry Maguire's office. Then I hear Tom [Cruise] yell, 'Regina, come on. We're rolling." I was freaking out because I am on this movie with Tom Cruise, and here he is telling me that they are rolling, and I'm always on time. So I break my neck, and standing in the middle of the set is Steven Spielberg, and Tom just falls out laughing like, 'I got you.' I'm partially relieved because we weren't rolling, but then I'm standing there out of breath in front of the greatest director ever."
Regina King Through The Years
'Enemy of the State' (1998) - Carla Dean
"I met Will once for our table read, and the next time I saw him, I had to do a scene where I showed him my underwear. It wasn't supposed to happen that way, but we had to do a cover set, because it snowed or rained and they couldn't do the planned scene, so I was like, 'Oh my God I have to kiss Will Smith and show him my underwear.' I was devastated."
Regina King Through The Years
'Daddy Day Care' (2003) - Kim Hinton
"Eddie Murphy is a man of his word. I was at a concert, and he was there with his wife, Nicole, who I knew. I tapped her and she introduced us, and Eddie said, 'I'm gonna work with you one day.' I'm like, 'Whatever, I hear people say that all the time,' and he said, 'No, I didn't say I want to work with you one day, I said I'm going to work with you one day.' Three months later, 'Daddy Day Care' was sent to me, like 'Let's Do It.'"
Regina King Through The Years
'Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde' (2003) – Grace Rosstier
"I think about Sally Field, and I hate that they cut the scene we had in the movie. It was a little bigger than what actually made the movie. I was just so in awe and amazed to work with her. She's one of the main reasons why I decided to become an actress – seeing her in 'Sybil' and 'Norma Rae.'"
Regina King Through The Years
'Ray' (2004) – Margie Hendricks
"Just an amazing experience to work with [director] Taylor Hackford and Jamie Foxx. I mean, I still pinch myself. It was truly an amazing experience. It was a movie that, while we were shooting, I knew was going to be a piece of work."
Regina King Through The Years
The point here is that in spite of the fact that Regina King is correct in every sentence of her letter, this form of racism will continue to persist. What we might want to consider is the possibility that perhaps we can move toward a model of ownership in Hollywood that allows our films to be made and our awards to reflect our values. The Emmy Awards are nice, but they were never created for us in the first place. By lining up and hoping that others will recognize our talent and validate us, we are always going to have our destiny controlled by someone else.
When we teach our children to become the next Laurence Fishburne, we may also consider teaching them how to become the next Oprah Winfrey. When we tell them how much LeBron James earns in a year, we should show them the average income of the man who owns the Miami Heat. The point here is that wealth and power are created by
owning things, and if we don't own that which affects us, we are always going to be on the sidelines complaining. On a side note: I love Regina King for writing that letter. Girl, you are my absolute hero.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
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Comments: (48)
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By: Justifyed on 9/08/2010 1:06AM
I LOVE Regina King, she is simply a class act!!
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By: Joseph K Gordon on 9/08/2010 6:19AM
Regina is right on!
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By: Toni on 9/08/2010 8:02AM
Regina Right on!!!!!
Maybe the likes of Tyler Perry and Ophra should start their own EMMY awards but dont be like them actually nominate whom ever deserves to win, Lets be fair and not prejudice. Two wrongs dont make a right.
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By: David1 on 9/08/2010 8:17AM
"When we teach our children to become the next Laurence Fishburne, we may also consider teaching them how to become the next Oprah Winfrey"
Oprah is not a very good example IMO. She has all but ignored the black market. Her black and white supporters excuse her by saying she has a "white middle class audience". That's no excuse. That hasn't stop wealthy whites like Ted Turner of CNN who owns Essence magazine or Summer Redstone of Viacom that own black network BET to name a few. Turner and Redstone make most of there money from whites too. Rich whites invest in that black market everyday why aren't rich blacks doing this???
Regina King ought to be criticizing Oprah and other rich blacks who ignore and think giving money to charity excuses them from economically investing in their own race to create jobs.
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By: Kathy on 9/08/2010 5:43PM
Brother, you hit the nail on the head! Another sister out there who is outspoken & deserves our respect and support is actress and writer Victoria Rowell, who has been extremely vocal about how African-Americans watch Daytime soaps (she was formerly "Dru" on The Young & The Restless")but are under-represented both behind the camera and on camera. She chronicles daily on Twitter the treatment she and others have endured, and if they dared speak out (something White actors have been able to do without repercussions) they will be suspended from the show and lose precious story & air times; something that has happened to her former "husband" on the show "Neil Winters" (Kristoff St. John). The soap press are branding her as a disgruntled ex-employee of Y&R, but consider this: Why would one of the lead actresses on the show put on a clown Afro wig whenever Ms.Rowell was on set to do her lines? And why would one actress do an unscripted "spit take" on her face? It is those reasons why I have boycotted this show and will continue to boycott Daytime TV until we are represented behind and in front of the cameras.
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By: Lucille on 9/08/2010 1:42PM
Oprah is a well read, well spoken, intelligent, rich black women. Because of that, the black community does not support her. The black community has the power to create wealth with the 675 billion dollars spent each year. That is enough money to be the tenth largest country in the world - yet - the median financial net worth of a single black woman in this country is $5.00!
The high-school drop out rate in some black communities is 70%. Our young men continue walking around using profanity with their pants hanging down and know one corrects these young men. It is time for us to take charge, educate ourselves and handle our own lives. We must stop waiting for Oprah's to help us. We have the power to control our destiny. We are surround by information.
Lucille Baldwin
Author of: Sick and Tired of Being Broke"
http://Thejourneytowealth.blogspot.com
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By: Michele on 9/09/2010 12:50PM
Hi David: I understand what you are saying but being an entertainer in the business, I have to side with Oprah. I say this because we don't as a people don't support our own. To clarify, I mean our people don't support us as artists. They always look for the next new thing. Oprah was marketed to a white middle class audience because she appealed to them not us. Many of us wanted to see Maury and who's the baby's daddy or Ricky Lake, or Jerry Springer. Many of us didn't want to hear the things she wanted to discuss. They said she is too white. OK, she became rich being white. As an entertainer you go where you are going to get paid and are appreciated. Why do you think that Beyonce` and Alicia Keys, Diana Ross, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner and more have a huge white audience. They have it because white people don't throw you away as an entertainer. Look at this, grandparents are taking their grandchildren to see the Rolling Stones. Our children and grandchildren don't want to see Earth, Wind, and Fire or Al Green, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle, Frankie Beverly. I can go on an on. Our music isn't being passed on the way white people pass their's on. I do gigs all of the time where young white kids can sing lyric for lyric Gap Band songs or even Four Tops and Temptation songs. What does that say about us? Again, I understand your frustration but sometimes we are pushed to go where the money is. We as a people have to work toegether and not throw each other away. Be blessed.
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By: SOUL SISTER on 9/10/2010 2:49PM
thank you!!!!
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By: A Hayberth on 9/08/2010 8:49AM
I have always wonder when someone would address this issue,NOW,Dr.Boyce,do you think any of the A/A actors/actress will speak on this matter?I know its just a guess.Thank you for always for your comments.
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By: habitz on 9/08/2010 11:33AM
Good article. Regina King is right to write her letter. We see this second class status applied to us everywhere. Even the President, suffers from this racist perception, second guessing him on, he should not take so many vacations, or change his office, or the first lady should not go to Paris.
Tyler Perry is a good example of how ownership can change this social dynamic. Hopefully, more African-Americans will do their films at Perry's studios and help build the necessary financial capital to allow for more Black creativity and films.
This is the way to build strong institutions--through support. And hopefully, in time, we will have our own Black Emmy's, where we don't care what others do or think about us---because we got our own!
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