Don't
See Yourself on TV? Don't Be Ignored
July 1999
Once in a while comes a situation, the very thought of
which provokes you. It bothers you, broils within you, agitates your soul. Then it angers
your spirit to the point where finally, you’re mad as hell and you just won’t
take it anymore! That’s how I feel about a distressing situation that affects us all,
a truly unacceptable situation which was reported in the media recently, including the
front page of the Los Angeles Times on May 28, 1999.
I am not talking about Kosovo or Columbine High or the sad
state of education in California. Yet this situation involves a sort of “ethnic
cleansing,” if you will, and it affects all aspects of our American way of life. It
is borne of insensitivity and exists on apathy, right in our homes. It strikes at the
dignity of every one of us -- red, brown, yellow, black and white -- because this
“situation” keeps all but one of these colors out of sight. It is powerful
because many of us don’t feel we have a way to resist.
Please take a moment to read a brief excerpt of the Times
report. I believe your thoughts will be provoked. Then you can easily add your positive
input to help correct a very negative situation. I encourage you also to forward this memo
via your mailing list. Go to:
http://members.aol.com/jackong/whiteworld.htm
You can also add your name to the petition by e-mailing to:
jopetition@aol.com
From the front page of the Los Angeles Times May 28, 1999:
“A WHITE, WHITE WORLD ON TV’S FALL SCHEDULE”
“The new prime-time television season has been unveiled, and guess who’s not
coming to dinner this fall."
“Of the 26 new comedies and dramas premiering on the
major broadcast networks -- CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox -- not one features a minority in a
leading role. Even secondary minority characters on these sitcoms and dramas are sparse,
turning the TV lineup into a nearly all-white landscape."
“...The lack of minority characters has sent a shudder
through an industry that has prided itself on being politically enlightened and
progressive. Further, it is in direct contravention of network executives’ repeated
pledges to increase diversity in their shows....”
PETITION We the undersigned denounce the “white, white
world” programming that will make up the 1999 Fall television schedule. We insist
that decision makers in America’s television industry take immediate action in the
producing, writing and casting of television programs, so that what we see on the air will
truthfully reflect that which we see in our diverse society today: people of every color.
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