In a country roiled by racial conflict, facing protests through the Black Lives Matter, and faced with demands for inclusion by racial and gender minorities, the Kidscreen Summit Virtual has chosen Baratunde Thurston to deliver a critical keynote for the industry on Feb. 16, 2021.
Thurston comes with an impressive CV that includes an Emmy Award, his work for the satire site The Onion, for The Daily Show, and more seriously as an advisor to the White House during President Barack Obama’s term in office.
Thurston also produced what MSNBC host Brian Williams called “…one of the greatest TED Talks of all time, and authored the New York Times bestseller How to be Black.”
Kidscreen publicist Janet Balmforth says, “Thurston’s presentation will explore how we can all reframe the actions we take to be more inclusive, and the role content producers play in shaping how kids see race on screen.”
It’s a topic that has gripped all sectors of society during 2020, particularly after protests erupted nationwide following the death of George Floyd, who was killed when a white police officer was filmed kneeling on his neck until the 46-year-old Minneapolis man died of asphyxiation. That debate has centred on the treatment of black people and other minorities by police, but the entertainment industry has also been going through an important rediscovery of its portrayal of ethnic diversity in America.
The Academy Awards, for example, came under fire for a lack of diversity in its various film awards, while several films and television productions were criticized for the practice known as ‘white washing’; or, in other words, choosing white actors to portray characters of different races. Just this week the actor Kristen Bell dropped out of the Apple TV+ series Central Park, where she was cast as a mixed race character named Molly.
“It was wrong and we, on the Central Park team, are pledging to make it right,” Bell wrote in a statement on Instagram. “Casting a mixed race character with a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed race and Black American experience.” Apple has recast the role with Emmy Raver-Lampman, a highly acclaims actor known for her roles in Hamilton and The Umbrella Academy.
Kidscreen says it chose Thurston as a keynote speaker because, “Right now, the writer, activist and comedian is using his powerful voice to help people understand this revolutionary moment with his unique blend of insight, humour and empathy.”
Thurston’s ancestry is like a roll call of people who have overcome racism and hardship to succeed. His great-grandfather couldn’t attend school, and had to teach himself to read. His grandmother was the first black employee at the US Supreme Court. His mother was a computer programmer who took over radio stations as part of the Black liberation movement.
Born in Washington, DC, Baratunde has been heavily involved in politics, outside his work in various comedy shows or publications. In 2006 he co-founded Jack & Jill Politics, a Black political blog, and he served as an advisor to the Data and Society Research Institute and a director’s fellow at the MIT Media Lab.
“Baratunde is a rare leader who sits at the intersection of race, technology and democracy and seamlessly integrates past, present and future,” said Balmforth.
Baratunde’s keynote presentation will be delivered on Fe. 16 next year. Registration for Kidscreen Summit Virtual is now open, with both Content Passes ($495) and Business Passes ($995) available. More information can be found online at summit.kidscreen.com.