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Stay Woke: Television Isn't As Diverse As You Thought

SMH.

Being Mary Jane, Empire, Scandal, Queen Sugar, Insecure — television is as diverse as ever, right? Not at all. A report from Variety keeps it 100 about the real truth when it comes to diversity on the small screen.

Back in June, Variety reported on the upcoming fall season in television, which we are currently in: "new scripted shows for the 2016-17 season reveals that 90% of showrunners are white, and almost 80% are male." Showrunners are the people who manage the show and — in many cases, make this money, even more than the actors and writers. They have control over who is hired and fired, and even over the creative direction. Being a showrunner is the real boss move. 
Variety also reported "of the 50 showrunners for the new season, two are women of color, and three are men of color." The site added, "Women of color remain largely excluded: There were no non-white female showrunners on new shows for ABC, CBS, or the CW as of press time. The small number of writers of color of either gender working as showrunners on new broadcast network programs demonstrate that in many ways, the path to one of the most powerful positions in TV remains obstructed for them."
Bottom line, there is still so much work to be done. Just because we see people of color in front of the camera, does not mean we have hit the goal. Hopefully, we can be trusted to tell our own stories or even tell stories that are not our own — an option white show creators have gotten for years (Good Times, The Jeffersons, etc.). 

For more on a woman who is shattering barriers, check out the BET Breaks above on Issa Rae.

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