On Tuesday, Insecure star Kendrick Sampson released a letter calling for Hollywood to divest from the police and to invest in Black communities instead. Sampson had previously been active in the Black Lives Matter movement and co-organized his own demonstration in Los Angeles.
Sampson’s letter, which was published exclusively by Variety, explained that Hollywood has long been guilty of perpetuating racism and glorifying police corruption and violence.
“We must end the exaltation of officers and agents that are brutal and act outside of the law as heroes,” Sampson wrote. “These portrayals encourage cops like Derek Chauvin, the murderer of George Floyd.”
Sampson went on to say that anti-blackness within Hollywood did not solely exist on-screen. There are few senior-level black executives who could advocate for black talent within the industry and agencies didn’t recruit or support black agents and unions didn’t consider the specific struggles of being a black worker in Hollywood.
“Every time a Black executive or assistant is passed over for a promotion, or the marketing or production budget for another Black-led film is limited… gives us less control over our narratives, continues the legacy of white supremacy’s influence over our stories and makes Black people in Hollywood and all over America less safe,” he wrote.
Sampson ended the letter by demanding that Hollywood divest from the police and invest in anti-racist entertainment and Black careers. The letter was developed alongside Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah and Marvel Cinematic Universe star Tessa Thompson. The letter was signed by hundreds of black actors and executives, including Sampson’s co-star Issa Rae, Michael B. Jordan, Idris Elba, Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis.
The same day, many in the music industry released an open letter to Congress that called for police reform and voiced their support for the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. If passed, the bill would help combat racial bias and police misconduct with measures like creating a national registry to collect data and records of police misconduct and lowering the standard to commit a law enforcement officer for misconduct. The letter was signed by hundreds of artists, actors, and companies, including Billie Ellish, Ariana Grande, Future, and Anderson. Paak.
These two letters show how entertainment has become more involved in the Black Lives Matter movement and how artists are using their notoriety to provoke change.
