Okay, y’all, I’ve been wanting to discuss this for awhile & as we are all reflecting on societal change & challenging previous systems that keep marginalized voices silenced…this seems as good a time as any to share what I have learned. So, here goes: (A THREAD)

Institutional racism in marketing needs to be challenged. It’s SO HARD to get a show made. Especially when it challenges the status quo & is about an underrepresented subset of society. BUT if it doesn’t receive the same marketing as it's peers it is doomed.

What many people don’t know is: morning shows, daytime talk shows & late night shows are HUGE opportunities for any BIPOC, queer, marginalized voices to get dominate culture attention & awareness. If you have a show, a movie, a book, a band – these are essential eyeballs.

You MUST care about them for survival. They help spread the word of your existence & therefore impact pop culture & create equality & change. The problem is those show usually pass on elevating a non-dominant narrative. Yep, they pass. It happened to us. A LOT.

We tried like hell to get on ANY of those shows & were denied for YEARS. And, in my frustration, I would watch those shows & again & again see the forth lead of a white show appear to talk about their show but they wouldn’t let EGOT Rita Moreno on to talk about ODAAT. Insane.

But then, that is what is so deeply embedded as normal practice -- this type of discrimination just feeds upon itself. So, as a result... low viewership. Then cancellation. It happens... a lot. Start to pay attention. Who gets the microphone?

Who gets the LUXURY of sharing their story. The same is true with award shows. Those become commercials for your art. Who gets marketing $ & who doesn't. Challenge these systems. And, bookers…consider this when you decide who is heard & who is silenced. Give us the microphone.