Like y'all, we've been watching the news. A LOT. It's full of anti-immigrant rhetoric and false and misleading information about migrants. Representation in TV shows also reinforces these harmful myths.
Migrants are depicted as the “other” or outsiders, though they’re integral community members. They’re also repeatedly portrayed as criminals and sometimes as violent.
These harmful depictions and misrepresentations fuel the public’s belief that migrants deserve the cruel treatment they receive (e.g., imprisoned in inhumane detention centers and torn from their families).
This fosters a lack of empathy toward migrants and apathy about changing our broken immigration policies and systems.
In conjunction with @DefineAmerican@GDIGM@Storyline_ we've created a factsheet for authentic storytelling about migrants and stories revolving immigration. It should serve as the start of conversation in your rooms.
Current events have us thinking about the way terrorism is portrayed in the media, particularly when it comes to stories involving Muslim characters.
Hollywood rarely acknowledges Muslims’ contributions to society (e.g., centuries of inventions) and the impact of colonialization and imperialism on Muslims the world over. This practice, along with falsely depicting Muslims as violent, dehumanizes them as a people.
Far right terrorists, not Muslim extremists, have been responsible for 73% of domestic terrorism fatalities from 2009 through 2018, per a 2019 study by the Anti-Defamation League.
Did you know that disabled people make up one of the U.S. largest minority groups -- 26% of the population, 1 in 4 adults -- but are some of the least represented characters on the screen?
On the rare occasion that disability is portrayed, characters are often seen as less- than, lacking, and exploited as objects of pity, which further marginalizes disabled people.
In conjunction with @DREDF@GDIGM and @Storyline_ we put together a factsheet about the disabled community -- including more stories we want to see on the screen. These are at a glance fast facts that should serve as the first step in a deep dive for authentic representation.