4 ms·
Great quote. I try to convey this to people. Melvin Van Peebles didn't complain that blacks were underrepresented in Hollywood. He just went out and made Sweet
by dfxm12 14y ago
Great quote. I try to convey this to people. Melvin Van Peebles didn't complain that blacks were underrepresented in Hollywood. He just went out and made Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (and it wasn't easy). That movie ushered a new era of black cinema. He solved the problem by doing, not pontificating.
I'm not saying there's no room for talking, but at this point no one is bringing anything new to the table; I'm saying if you want to solve a problem do something about it. Lead by example.
- trhtrsh 14y agoBill Cosby took another approach. (Both are valid, attacking the front and the flank.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Spy_(1965_TV_series) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Spy_(1965_TV_series) > I Spy's contribution to American television and society by being the first series to star a black and a white actor together, > (Culp revealed in his audio commentary on the DVD release that he and Cosby agreed early on that "Our statement is a non-statement" regarding race, and the subject was never discussed again.) As a strait-laced Rhodes scholar fluent in many languages, Cosby's "Scotty" was really the brains of the team. His partner (Culp) was the athlete and playboy who lived by his wits. Then, of course, came The Cosby Show's years of illustrating a non-stereotypical black family, almost never talking directly about it.
- dfxm12 14y agoSpeaking of Cosby, he helped finance van Peebles' film.