Regina King: Racism, Hollywood and Other People's Money

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

'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.