Today @FilmTVCharity publishes a new report into the mental health of Jewish Arab & Muslim people working in film and TV since October 7th.
It's a groundbreaking survey, I am incredibly proud of.
Read the full report but here are some highlights (thread):
filmtvcharity.org.uk/assets/documen… The Hamas attacks of Oct 7th the subsequent conflict in Gaza and unfolding humanitarian crisis have had a serious effect on people's mental:
•94% of respondents experienced a deterioration in their mental health since 7th Oct 2023.
•Only 23% felt supported by their employers.

Just watched Oppenheimer. An amazing piece of cinema. But it’s treatment of race in general, and Asians in particular, is problematic, to say the least.
A thread (with spoilers) The film features 2 sequences where Oppenheimer visualises victims of the bomb, both times they’re white.
Oppenheimer twice references indigenous Americans thrown off their land (we never see them).

I understand people being upset about @BBCNewsnight platforming Mizzy but I think there’s also another issue we should consider, which has important lessons for all journalists when thinking about diversity.
A thread:

https://twitter.com/bbcnewsnight/status/1664395023545245700

Newsnight has a track record of interviewing young black men on issues as if they are experts. On the night the US elected it’s first Black President, (a seminal moment in black history) Dizzee Rascal was one of only two Black contributors.

Two days ago I wrote a tweet about The Little Mermaid which went viral (12m views) I have deleted it, because it was widely misunderstood. A short thread... I understand and appreciate the arguments that The Little Mermaid is "just fantasy", a "fairy tale" and "escapism". Fantasies are powerful vehicles for children to understand the world around them, which is precisely why we must take care in how we, as adults, tell them.

British media, while being respectful in reporting the death of a head of state, must avoid giving a 2D picture. To do less is a disservice of what she achieved during her reign, & importantly risks losing the trust of an increasingly sophisticated &diverse audience.
(Short 🧵) The queen ascended the throne in what we now know was an incredibly controversial time - she was in Kenya at the time of the brutal oppression of the Mau Mau uprisings by the British state - which are now thought to be possible crimes against humanity.

Short thread on “Britishness”:
When people talk about “Britishness” it’s important to define terms. If you’re talking about citizenship then there’s not much argument. If u have a British passport you are British, end of story, end of debate.
But if you’re talking about culture..

https://twitter.com/mxkes_/status/1564244636457209858

What British culture and history are you talking about? Scottish British, English British, Welsh British?
And before Caribbean, African & Asian countries became independent, like it or not we technically as “British” as the Scots, Welsh and yes, English.

Style guide thread:
In recent years there has been much debate around whether the ‘b’ in ‘black’ when describing people should be capitalised. There has been very little debate around the capitalisation of ‘w’ for the word ‘white’.
This is a mistake. The argument for capitalising ‘b’ in ‘Black’ is that it is a political term, as opposed to just descriptive. The capital ‘B’ indicates this, and Black people all share a common experience (historical & present) of discrimination based on race. (An argument I agree with).

This weekend @BradfordLitFest is literally going to become the most exciting space ever for Black British thought and discussion.
If you are free this weekend book your train ticket and come up for the day or stay the whole weekend.
A thread on the amazing talks... 🔥🔥🔥🔥 'Things I Wish My Black Parents Had Told Me'
Possibly the most influential person on black fatherhood @Marvyn_Harrison, of @dopeblackdads, will join the amazing @sal2nd, @JENDELLA & @TVMarv to discuss "the talk" parents have about racism & much much more!
bradfordlitfest.co.uk/event/things-i…

We understand the world through the narratives we create. Narratives are artificial constructs that enable us to make sense of our lives which in reality are a series of random events. Narratives give these events value (which ones we prioritise) and impose causality & meaning. The vast majority of us do not create original narratives about our lives but adapt existing narratives that we read, watch and hear and then fit our life events into them. (Although most of us do not even realise we are doing this).

In 1955, 29 Asian & African countries gathered in Bandung Indonesia to define the principles that should govern a non-Eurocentric world.
I cannot tell u how often I return to the 10-point "declaration on promotion of world peace & cooperation" when analysing world events.
Thread: 1. Respect for fundamental human rights and for the purposes and principles of the charter of the United Nations
2. Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations
3. Recognition of the equality of all races and of the equality of all nations large and small

When it comes to Diversity & Inclusion sometimes a party is not just a party, it’s a lifeline. (Short thread) Last night the @LHC4MD held a gala to mark our two year anniversary. There were great speeches, as you would expect, from people associated with the centre; @MyBCU VC @PhilipPlowden, @LennyHenry @TVMarv @MuktiJCampion #ErikaJones @fdoug23 @DianeKemp1

A short thread on the @sainsburys Xmas advert:
The power of the advert is that it is a rare example of UK media representation that "centres blackness". Going beyond the "positive role model" idea and featuring a "positive role community". There is no denying that the representation of individual positive black role models on UK screens has increased but all too often our communities are still portrayed as disfunctional, crime ridden places. I wrote about these issues in a previous blog blackonwhitetv.blogspot.com/2012/05/whats-…

The BBC acknowledging that it made a mistake should be celebrated.
But in many ways it misses the fundamental point.
A thread
bbc.com/news/uk-537158… The DG's statement acknowledges that mistakes were made and in the future it will be"strengthening our guidance on offensive language in the future".
This only addresses the FIRST mistake - the use of the N-word.
The Second far larger mistake was defending its use.

Very occasionally an iconic black British cultural moment takes place in front of the world but is only recognised by the black community - yesterday journo @Nadine_Writes gave us one when in the Downing St briefing she asked a question with a picture of Marcus Garvey behind her. Covid-19 has given us a rare glimpse into people's homes and while most people have obsessed over bookshelves. Behind @Nadine_Writes was a picture of one of Jamaica's national heroes and arguably the originator of black pride and pan-Africanism.

One of the worst kept secrets in TV & the world of diversity is officially out. Next month we launch the Sir Lenny Henry Centre For Media Diversity. A group of academics and senior execs have been talking about it for a few months now. March 25th is D-Day broadcastnow.co.uk/home/lenny-hen… The centre will:
1. Create an open archive of diversity publications by academics, broadcasters, unions & trade bodies.
2. Build & support institutional memory of best practice.
3. Conduct new & focused research on diversity.
4. Offer analysis on diversity initiatives & policies

A short thread on the picture of Bonnie Greer and Laurence Fox.
Bonnie Greer was wrong to meet him the way she did and pose for a picture the way she did and here is why. Fox shot to public noteriety after his QuestionTime appearance where he made statements to Rachel Boyle which many deemed racially offensive. He then went on a radio programme and insulted the Sikh contribution during the war. Insulting millions of Asians.

Yesterday we had a birthday for our son with a pirate theme. I wouldn't normally post about my 3-year-old's party but as I post so much about diversity I think this is important. Pirates are possibility the best example of diversity in practice... (thread) A large proportion of pirates were African. This is because they'd often capture slave ships and take the captured Africans make them crew. A third of Black Beard's ship was thought to be African. For more info on African pirates this blog post is great thepirateempire.blogspot.com/2016/01/black-…