[House Hearing, 116 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
DIVERSITY IN AMERICA: THE REPRESENTATION
OF PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE MEDIA
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
__________
Serial No. 116-89
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Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available http://judiciary.house.gov or www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
42-635 WASHINGTON : 2022
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COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
JERROLD NADLER, New York, Chairman
MARY GAY SCANLON, Pennsylvania, Vice-Chair
ZOE LOFGREN, California JIM JORDAN, Ohio,
SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas Ranking Member
STEVE COHEN, Tennessee DOUG COLLINS, Georgia
HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, Jr., F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, Jr.,
Georgia Wisconsin
THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida STEVE CHABOT, Ohio
KAREN BASS, California LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas
CEDRIC L. RICHMOND, Louisiana KEN BUCK, Colorado
HAKEEM S. JEFFRIES, New York JOHN RATCLIFFE, Texas
DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island MARTHA ROBY, Alabama
ERIC SWALWELL, California MATT GAETZ, Florida
TED LIEU, California MIKE JOHNSON, Louisiana
JAMIE RASKIN, Maryland ANDY BIGGS, Arizona
PRAMILA JAYAPAL, Washington TOM McCLINTOCK, California
VAL BUTLER DEMINGS, Florida DEBBIE LESKO, Arizona
J. LUIS CORREA, California GUY RESCHENTHALER, Pennsylvania
SYLVIA R. GARCIA, Texas BEN CLINE, Virginia
JOE NEGUSE, Colorado KELLY ARMSTRONG, North Dakota
LUCY McBATH, Georgia W. GREGORY STEUBE, Florida
GREG STANTON, Arizona
MADELEINE DEAN, Pennsylvania
DEBBIE MUCARSEL-POWELL, Florida
VERONICA ESCOBAR, Texas
Perry Apelbaum, Majority Staff Director & Chief Counsel
Christopher Hixon, Minority Staff Director
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C O N T E N T S
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SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
OPENING STATEMENTS
Page
The Honorable Jerrold Nadler, Chairman, Committee on the
Judiciary...................................................... 1
The Honorable Jim Jordan, Ranking Member, Committee on the
Judiciary...................................................... 3
WITNESSES
Erika Alexander, Actor and Director
Oral Testimony............................................... 6
Prepared Testimony........................................... 9
Edward James Olmos, Actor and Producer
Oral Testimony............................................... 13
Prepared Testimony........................................... 15
Daniel Dae Kim, Actor and Producer
Oral Testimony............................................... 21
Prepared Testimony........................................... 23
Joy Villa, Recording Artist, Actor, and Author
Oral Testimony............................................... 26
Prepared Testimony........................................... 28
Jason Whitlock, Sports Journalist
Oral Testimony............................................... 32
Prepared Testimony........................................... 34
Stacy L. Smith, Associate Professor of Communication and Founder
and Director, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Annenberg School
of Communication and Journalism, University of Southern
California
Oral Testimony............................................... 37
Prepared Testimony........................................... 39
Karyn A. Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global
General Counsel, Motion Picture Association, Inc.
Oral Testimony............................................... 59
Prepared Testimony........................................... 61
LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC. SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING
Item for the record submitted by the Honorable Ted Deutch,
Committee on the Judiciary..................................... 78
Items for the record submitted by the Honorable Lou Correa,
Committee on the Judiciary..................................... 102
Item for the record submitted by the Honorable Sylvia Garcia,
Committee on the Judiciary..................................... 120
APPENDIX
Item for the record submitted by the Honorable Jerrold Nadler,
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary........................... 136
Item for the record submitted by the Honorable Sheila Jackson
Lee, Committee on the Judiciary................................ 137
DIVERSITY IN AMERICA: THE REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE
MEDIA
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
House of Representatives
Committee on the Judiciary
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to call, at 2:34 p.m., in Room
2141, Rayburn Office Building, Hon. Jerrold Nadler [chairman of
the committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Nadler, Lofgren, Jackson Lee,
Cohen, Johnson of Georgia, Deutch, Jeffries, Cicilline, Raskin,
Jayapal, Demings, Correa, Scanlon, Garcia, Stanton, Dean,
Murcarsel-Powell, Escobar, Jordan, Biggs, Lesko, Cline, and
Armstrong.
Also Present: Representative Castro.
Staff present: David Greengrass, Senior Counsel; John Doty,
Senior Advisor; Madeline Strasser, Chief Clerk; Moh Sharma,
Member Services and Outreach Advisor; Jordan Dashow,
professional Staff Member; Anthony Valdez, Staff Assistant;
John Williams, Parliamentarian; James Park, Chief Counsel,
Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee;
Will Emmons, Professional Staff Member, Constitution, Civil
Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee; Chris Hixon, Minority
Staff Director; David Brewer, Minority Deputy Staff Director,
Betsy Ferguson, Minority Senior Counsel; Caroline Nabity,
Minority Counsel; and Kiley Bidelman, Minority Clerk.
Chairman Nadler [presiding]. The House Committee on the
Judiciary will come to order.
Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare
recesses of the committee at any time.
We welcome everyone to this afternoon's hearing on
Diversity in America: The Representation of People of Color in
the Media.
Before we begin, I would like to remind members that we
have established an email address and distribution list
dedicated to circulating exhibits, motions, or other written
materials that members might want to offer as part of our
hearing today. If you would like to submit materials, please
send them to the email address that has been previously
distributed to your offices, and we will circulate the
materials to members and staff as quickly as we can.
I would also remind all members that guidance from the
Office of Attending Physician states that face coverings are
required at all meetings and in closed spaces, such as
committee meetings. Everybody attending this hearing is
required to follow this guidance except while speaking, and I
will not recognize members to speak who are not in compliance
with these rules. If you do not wish to put on a mask, you have
the option to participate in this hearing remotely.
Finally, I would ask all members, both those in person and
those appearing remotely, to mute your microphones when you are
not speaking. This will help prevent feedback and other
technical issues. You may unmute yourself any time you seek
recognition.
I will now recognize myself for an opening statement.
In recent months, our country has engaged in a much-needed
reflection on the role that race and ethnicity play in our
society. This reckoning is echoing in the halls of Congress, in
our streets, and in board rooms. As with so many industries
across the country, it has also generated self-reflection in
the entertainment industry. Today the committee continues its
examination of race in America with a focus on the
representation of people of color in the media.
I am fortunate to represent a district that touches nearly
every aspect of the entertainment industry in some way. I have
seen firsthand many economic and cultural benefits that the
performing arts deliver to communities across the country, and
I hope that today's discussion will help further our shared
goal of fully representing the rich diversity of American
society both on screen and behind the camera.
The media plays a particularly important role in our
society. Movies, television, and, increasingly, content
available through streaming services are the mediums by which
Americans are inspired and entertained. Motion pictures and
television programs are also the means by which Americans are
exposed to representations of life different from their own.
When the entertainment industry has diverse faces in front of
the camera, the viewing public sees stories that resonate with
their lives and understand that these stories and experiences
are valued and appreciated.
It is important, however, that we are also mindful of the
power that visual media has to reinforce negative images of
racial and ethnic minorities when there is inadequate
representation. To be clear, it would be wrong to draw a direct
connection between what is portrayed on screen and the racial
divide that is reflected in society. After 250 years of
slavery, 100 more years of Jim Crow, and 50 more years and
counting of structural racism in our country, there is plenty
of blame to go around, plenty of work to be done in all levels
of government, in the board rooms, in our schools, and in our
criminal justice system. And there is no doubt that the
divisive rhetoric and fearmongering that emanates from the
White House every day is making things worse, not better. But
without accurate representation of racial and ethnic minorities
in the media, negative stereotypes and tropes may be
perpetuated in society, which could ultimately lead to
dehumanization and demonization.
Unfortunately, studies that have reviewed diversity in the
media highlight the challenges we face. In 2019, people of
color accounted for only 27 percent of actors in lead roles in
nearly 150 major films. While this number has almost tripled
from 10-and-a-half percent in 2011, representing a significant
improvement on the part of the industry, it does not match the
40 percent that minorities represent in the U.S. populations
overall, which should be seen as a floor, not a ceiling. The
entertainment industry can and should do better. Talent has no
race or gender. Creativity is a gift that, when matched with
hard work, can lead to enormous economic and social impacts. It
is incumbent on the entertainment industry to ensure that
opportunities are afforded to all who wish to pursue their
talents.
Studies show that the best way to improve representation in
front of the camera is to have diversity behind the camera, but
sufficient diversity is lacking off screen as well. Ultimately,
it is the directors, writers, producers, and executive who
determine what stories are told and who is featured in these
stories. A lack of adequate minority representation is an
industry-wide phenomenon, and there should be a collective
effort to make improvements.
I appreciate that the industry is aware of the problem and
now it is focused on fixing it. A number of industry leaders
and groups are working together to address basic pipeline
problems, and they are also focused on further diversifying the
industry. For example, just earlier in this month in a positive
development, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
announced new criteria that will require, beginning in 2024,
that films hoping to qualify for the Best Picture Oscars
category meet specific diversity standards in front of and
behind the camera. Hopefully these actions by the Academy will
help set a standard going forward for all films to prioritize
diversity throughout all aspects of a production.
I recognize that our discussion today comes at a time when
the entertainment industry is facing an existential threat,
COVID-19, which is challenging and threatening every element of
its business. This disease has had a devastating economic
impact across the Nation, not to mention the human toil of
hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Within the entertainment
industry, they have shut down theater productions in my
district indefinitely, and it has dramatically curtailed film
productions throughout the country. It is impacting all those
who work in the motion picture industry. Particularly of
concern, the pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on
people of color who work in the industry and who do not have
jobs that can be easily transposed to a laptop. Moreover, the
pandemic is particularly impacting people of color who are
women, LGBTQ, and/or disabled. Their already limited
participation in jobs in the film industry has been hampered
now even more.
As I have made clear throughout this crisis, I am committed
to working in partnership with the entertainment industry to
ensure that its economic revival is stronger than ever. As
productions return to work, however, I hope the industry will
take the opportunity to renew its commitment to diversity, on
screen and off. I want to thank the Congressional Tri-Caucus--
the Hispanic Caucus, the Black Caucus, and the Asian Pacific
American Caucus--for their leadership in bringing attention to
this important issue and for spurring action to address it. I
look forward to hearing from our witnesses about their personal
experiences and about how we can best move forward together.
I now recognize the ranking member of the Judiciary
Committee, the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Jordan, for his opening
statement.
Mr. Jordan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Even the media is not
woke enough for the Democrats. Hollywood is not woke enough for
the Democrats. Ninety-six percent of media, their political
contributions in 2016 went to Democrats, almost all of
Hollywood. We will hear from a witness today who will talk
about this. Almost all of Hollywood supports the Democrats, but
that is not good enough. This hearing proves no one is safe
from the cancel culture. No one is safe from the mob. They will
come after you.
Look no further than Bari Weiss, former editor at the New
York Times. Had to resign because she was engaged, as she said
in her piece when she resigned, in wrongthink. Bari Weiss said
this. She said this in that resignation letter: ``You say
something the mob doesn't like, get ready for `the digital
thunderdome.' '' I don't know anyone who could say it better
than that. That is what happens. You disagree with the mob,
they come after you. They will come after you, and their goal
is silence.
Recent survey: 62 percent of Americans say they are afraid
to freely express themselves. This is the Judiciary Committee.
We should remember this. You don't have a First Amendment when
people are afraid to speak. You don't have free speech when
only one side is allowed to talk. Think about the sports world,
a subject one of our witnesses knows a little bit about. Drew
Brees said stand for the Anthem. Oh my goodness, did he get
attacked. James Harden wears a mask that says ``Back the
Blue,'' appropriate thing to do. Frankly, something that should
have been mentioned at the outset of this hearing. Last night,
two officers were shot. This is the second full hearing we have
had following a tragedy where police officers are attacked, and
the chairman says nothing. We should be thinking and praying
for those families.
James Harden wears a ``Back the Blue'' mask, he gets
attacked. My favorite, this is how crazy the mob gets. Mike
Gundy, football coach at Oklahoma State, 15-year coach, played
at Oklahoma State, goes fishing with his kids, fishing with his
family, and wears the wrong tee shirt according to the mob.
Wears a tee shirt that has a conservative news outlet on the
front, the name of one. Oh my goodness, how dare he do that?
For all we know he picked the top tee shirt on the pile that
day. He has gone fishing with his family. He almost lost his
job for fishing in the wrong tee shirt. That is what the mob
will do. The mob never stops, political correctness has no end,
and now the Democrats are pursuing this so much, they are even
going after their best friends in the world, the media and
Hollywood.
2019. This gets bigger. Speaking of Hollywood. 2019. China
pressured the film industry to remove images of the Japanese
and Taiwanese flags from a trailer for the Top Gun sequel. MGM,
involved with the remake of the film, Red Dawn, altered the
identities of the invading military. I am so old, I remember
the first one where it was the Soviet Union. And they did this
post-production, said no, no, no, can't be invading military
from China. It has got to be North Korea.
The Attorney General has pointed out that many scripts
likely never see the light of day because writers and producers
know that they can't even test the limits. They are going to be
attacked again by the mob, and today, obviously, by the
Democrats, but this isn't the worst. This isn't the worst of
it. Silence is not enough for the mob. This is the scariest
part. It is not enough that you be quiet. It is not enough that
you can't exercise your free speech rights, your First
Amendment liberties. That is not enough. They want you to agree
with them. They want to force you to agree with them. You don't
believe me? Go watch the videotape. Come into a restaurant.
Harass you if you don't raise your fist. Harass you if you
don't bend your knee. This is scary, and the idea this
committee is having a hearing to foster more of it instead of
to speak out against it is even more scary.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. I hope
the Judiciary Committee, as I have said so many times, with a
storied history of protecting the Constitution, the rule of
law, and the Bill of Rights will say this has got to stop. This
has got to stop. And, frankly, you all had a chance. A few
weeks ago, 8 weeks ago, when the Attorney General was here, he
asked the chairman and the Democrats on this committee why
won't you speak out against the violence, why won't you speak
out against the mob, and guess what he got? Total silence.
Let's speak out now. Let's speak out now. Let's say the First
Amendment is sacrosanct. What is going on is wrong, plain
wrong, and I think, well, certainly 62 percent of Americans
understand it. It is wrong, and we shouldn't be promoting it. I
yield back.
Chairman Nadler. The gentleman yields back. Without
objection, all other opening statements will be included in the
record.
I will now introduce today's witnesses. Erika Alexander is
an actress, writer, director, producer, and entrepreneur. She
is also the co-founder of Color Farm Media, an entertainment
innovation and social impact company. Edward James Olmos is an
Emmy Award-winning actor, producer, and director, who has
appeared in a number of films and television shows throughout
his distinguished career. Daniel Dae Kim is an actor, producer,
and director. He is also founder and CEO of 3AD Media, a
production company. Joy Villa is a songwriter, recording
artist, actress, and author, who has toured the world
extensively performing music. Jason Whitlock is a sportswriter,
TV personality, radio host, and podcaster, currently working at
OutKick Sports and Culture website. He previously worked at the
Kansas City Star and Fox Sports, and founded ESPN's website,
The Undefeated.
Dr. Stacy Smith is an associate professor of communications
and the founder and director of the Annenberg Inclusion
Initiative at the Annenberg School for Communication and
Journalism at the University of Southern California. She
received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa
Barbara. Karyn Temple is senior executive vice president and
global general counsel at the Motion Picture Association. Prior
to joining MPA, she served more than 8 years in the U.S.
Copyright Office, most recently as the register of copyrights.
She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her
J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, a wonderful School
in my district.
We welcome all of our distinguished witnesses, and we thank
them for their participation. Now, if you would please rise, I
will begin by swearing you in.
Do you swear or affirm under penalty of perjury that the
testimony you are about to give is true and correct to the best
of your knowledge, information, and belief, so help you God?
[A chorus of ayes.]
Chairman Nadler. Let the record show the witnesses answered
in the affirmative. Thank you and please be seated.
Please note that each of your written statements will be
entered into the record in its entirety. Accordingly, I ask
that you summarize your testimony in 5 minutes. To help you
stay within that time, there is a timing light on the witness
table. When the light switches from green to yellow, you have 1
minute to conclude your testimony. When the light turns red, it
signals your 5 minutes have expired. For our witnesses
appearing virtually, there is a timer on your screen to help
you keep track of time.
I want to note that we are joined in the room by
Representative Castro, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus, who has been a leader on the issues we are discussing
today. Ms. Alexander, you may begin.
TESTIMONIES OF ERIKA ALEXANDER, ACTOR/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER AND CO
FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, COLOR FARM MEDIA; EDWARD
JAMES OLMOS, ACTOR AND PRODUCER; DANIEL DAE KIM, ACTOR AND
PRODUCER; JOY VILLA, RECORDING ARTIST, ACTOR, AND AUTHOR; JASON
WHITLOCK, SPORTS JOURNALIST; STACY L. SMITH, PH.D., ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, ANNENBERG
INCLUSION INITIATIVE, ANNENBERG SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND
JOURNALISM, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA; AND KARYN A.
TEMPLE, SENIOR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GLOBAL GENERAL
COUNSEL, MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION, INC.
TESTIMONY OF ERIKA ALEXANDER
Ms. Alexander. Thank you. I have been a card-carrying union
member and a professional in show business for 37 years, so I'm
uniquely qualified to have this discussion. I'll talk about the
core tenet that guides my life and progress, that
representation matters and how one's character can impact the
lives and psychology of today's viewers. I'll address the big
picture, and like Deep Throat, I'll tell you to follow the
money.
Now, I'm a girl from Flagstaff, Arizona. My mother was a
teacher. My father was an itinerant preacher. They were both
orphans. They had six kids. We lived in the Twilight Hotel, a
two-bedroom shack off of Route 66. Perhaps some of you know me
for my television and film work on The Cosby Show, Living
Single, and Get Out. I am a 2-time NAACP Best Actress winner,
and I've done six plays at the Public Theater in New York City.
You may know me as the producer of the recent John Lewis
documentary, Good Trouble. I'm proud to be a working actor,
proud to have made my living in entertainment, but I'm one of
the lucky ones. For too long, people of color, women, LGBTQ
people, people with disabilities were not represented in
mainstream media, and if they were, it was through harmful
stereotypes.
Media images have power, power to shape opinion and lives
for good or ill. I know firsthand that representation matters
because of what I call the Maxine Shaw effect. The character of
Maxine Shaw, the lawyer that I portrayed on the hit television
series, Living Single, has inspired thousands of people to
pursue education and careers in law and politics. The character
even inspired Stacey Abrams and your esteemed colleague,
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. Maxine Shaw, a groundbreaking
fictional black character, inspired trailblazing, real-life
black achievers. And when we say representation matters, we
don't just mean on screen, but behind the camera, in the
trades, in the departments, and most importantly, in the room
where it happens, where decisions are made.
Let's talk about the big picture for a second. I've seen
and experienced structural racism and discrimination that is
part of the unwritten fabric of Hollywood when a television
show can have only so many black characters before it becomes a
black show and is relegated to the cultural ghetto. That's
structural racism. When executives' presumed prejudices lead to
the casting of only white or light-skinned black actresses in
shows or films that need to make part of their profits
overseas, that's structural racism, even though we live in an
increasingly diverse world.
Here's my experience as a dark-skinned black actress.
Certain doors would never be open to me, no matter my
accomplishments. When I was young, I would never be cast as an
ingenue like my white age peers when I starred for 5 years on
the hit network comedy, Living Single. My pay and that of my
co-stars was only a small fraction of what our white
counterparts were making on Friends from the same studio. My
friend, Viola Davis, put it well in a 2008 interview with
Porter Magazine: ``If Caucasian women are getting 50 percent of
what men are being paid, we're not even getting a quarter of
what white women are getting paid.''
Frustrated with the opportunities available, I expanded my
skill set and taught myself how to write and to create my own
entertainment properties, but here, too, I encountered
structural racism. I created a science fiction film and pitched
it around town. I was dismayed and disheartened when a white
male studio head told me I was wasting my time, that black
people don't like science fiction because they don't see
themselves in the future. He's saying this to me, a daughter of
the people who created jazz, rock and roll, and hip-hop. We are
the original futurists in American culture, but this well-paid
white gatekeeper was telling me he knew better.
And I meet those same people in talent agencies and
management companies that set the tone for the town and set the
value and the price of my work. If you want to see what and who
Hollywood values, follow the money. Yes, there's been some
change. Yes, Black Panther, Hamilton, and Crazy Rich Asians
made a lot of money. Talk about one of the lucky ones. But for
every extraordinary exception like that, there are hundreds
more mediocre films with white casts that get greenlit, filmed,
marketed, and awarded each year. The lack of diversity in the
executive suite leads to this ongoing pandemic of exclusion on
the cultural stage.
Well, the one super villain Black Panther would not defeat
is the racist infrastructure of this industry, so the hero we
need is us, we the people, and to address this complex issue,
it will take more than a village. It will take a Nation. The
government should incentivize companies to support and fund
marginalized content creators, though artists and entertainers
have been vilified as everything from radicals to spoiled
babies. What we really are small businesspeople who make
America's number one export and key soft power in the world,
entertainment. I say support minority small businesses.
What we've done, I created Color Farm Media, a company
dedicated to finding new voices. We call ourselves the Motown
of film, television, and tech. Our goal is to rebrand
blackness. It's why we made the John Lewis documentary, Good
Trouble, why I'm making a film about the legendary Boys Choir
of Harlem, and why I'm directing a documentary about
reparations. The seeds of the future are planted in the stories
of today where only certain stories are told, only certain
lives matter. Going forward, diversity and true representation
in our stories, in our entertainment will ensure that black
lives matter, too. Thank you very much.
[The statement of Ms. Alexander follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Nadler. Thank you. Mr. Olmos.
[No response.]
Chairman Nadler. Mr. Olmos, you may want to unmute.
Mr. Olmos. I am on mute. I am waiting for the video.
Chairman Nadler. You got it. You are okay now.
Mr. Olmos. Yes. Can you please play the video?
Chairman Nadler. Oh.
TESTIMONY OF EDWARD JAMES OLMOS
[Video shown.]
Mr. Olmos. Self-esteem, self-respect, and self-worth is
what we're talking about here today. I think Ernesto said it
best: it's not the answer that illuminates, it's the question.
The question is diversity in America, the representation of
people of color in the media. It still does not exist. You got
to remember, we're talking about the single most important art
form that humans have ever created. Nothing attacks the
subconscious mind more. You sit down in front of a theater
screen with a dark room and you sit with stereo sound around
you with no peripheral vision, everything goes into the
subconscious, everything, and it stays there. And I'll tell you
right now, if you don't think it affects you, try going out
after seeing Jaws and jump in the water on the beach.
Now, the situation is this. I played this because
collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity
is what makes us who we are and builds self-esteem and self-
respect. So do the images that we see. Now, the problem with
the United States film industry and the industry in general is
that it has a habit of not allowing certain stories to be told
because they don't make enough money they say. But really, in
essence, they are trying to do things that are actually
stifling the diversity in this country.
For instance, I ask anybody in this room, especially you
congressmen here, listen. Name me one American of Mexican
descent, Medal of Honor winner that you have ever seen
portrayed on the screen in the United States of America on a
film. You can't. Why? Because there's never been one. The
closest we ever got really was a Silver Star recipient, Guy
Gabaldon. All I can tell you is this: Guy, what he did, he was
called the pied piper of Saipan. Now, what he did, he brought
in 1,500 Japanese to surrender during the attack on Saipan. He
brought them in by himself without any weapons. He talked them
in and brought him in. He got a Silver Star. Now, the funny
thing is, Sergeant Alvin York in World War I did 10 times less
than what he did in bringing in a surrendering enemy, and he
got a Medal of Honor. You start to see what I'm talking about.
But guess what? A Guy Gabaldon movie was made in 1960, and
the person who played him was Jeffrey Hunter. We got hit again
just most recently with Argo when one of our great, great
heroes, CIA agent Tony Mendez, was portrayed. And guess what?
No one even knew that he was Latino because the actor/director,
great actor, great director, decided that I guess he could get
more money to make the movie if he used himself as the actor,
even though I think the director and the fact that he was using
one of the great, great script writers, ended up saying to him
flat out. I mean, they ended up making this movie, and what
ended up happening is they had the best film of the year. But
why couldn't he have put in someone like Michael Pena, Andy
Garcia, Jimmy Smits, Benjamin Bratt, one of the many, many
great artists that we have, in the leading role and allowed
that situation to happen?
I got to say right now, we have a future, and the future is
understanding that diversity is the key, and we're not doing
it.
[The statement of Mr. Olmos follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Nadler. Thank you very much. We will now hear from
Daniel Dae Kim.
TESTIMONY OF DANIEL DAE KIM
Mr. Kim. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Jordan,
and members of the Judiciary Committee. It is a pleasure to be
here with you today, but to be honest, when I was approached to
be a part of this hearing, I initially declined. I thought, why
do we need to have a hearing about the importance of diversity
in media? It seems self-evident that from its creation, America
as we know it has been built on the principles of freedom:
freedom of religion, freedom from tyranny, freedom of speech.
In fact, the very words inscribed at the base of the Statue
of Liberty echo the resounding power of these ideas: ``Give me
your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe
free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these,
the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me. I lift my lamp beside the
golden door.'' Now, these words signify freedom and safe harbor
to all who have suffered, regardless of from where they came.
Nowhere does it specify that these ideals only apply to those
who are white, or male, or Catholic, or heterosexual.
Almost by definition, they are an invitation to diversity:
diversity of thought and diversity of people. So I thought, why
would Congress need to hear from me on this subject? And then I
remembered House Resolution 908, passed just this past Friday.
I'm sure you all recall it. It was a bill that simply asked you
to condemn and denounce anti-Asian sentiment, racism,
discrimination, and religious intolerance related to COVID-19.
To me, that was a no-brainer. Who wouldn't support condemning
racism in 2020, a full 50 years after the Civil Rights
Movement? But as I looked at the roll call, I saw that 164
representatives in the House voted against it. That's more than
a third of the members of Congress, and more than 80 percent of
the Republican members of the House, including some of you
watching right now, that could not simply say that anti-Asian
sentiment is wrong and should be condemned.
Now, you may ask yourself, what does anti-Asian sentiment
have to do with representation and diversity in media? Well, as
one of my favorite artists, Jenny Holzer says, ``All things are
delicately interconnected.'' The media has always been a
reflection of our values and culture. From the early days of
television and the popularity of shows like Dick Van Dyke, The
Ed Sullivan Show, and Leave it to Beaver, we got a glimpse into
what it meant to be American in the 50s. They were clean-cut
times when the biggest problem for our hero was being the only
boy invited to a girl's birthday party. Now, that's an actual
storyline, by the way. Now, one look at how different
programming is today is a simple reminder of how much our
society has changed. A show like Breaking Bad or Atlanta or
Ramy would hardly make sense in the context of America in the
50s.
Now, another way that our storytelling has changed is the
perspective from which our stories are told. In the 60s, all we
had to say was, ``Look, up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a
plane,'' to know that our hero was coming to save the day, a
hero that was inevitably white. In fact, he was so white that
even though he was actually an alien from a planet 27 light
years away, he was able to fool everyone into thinking he was
actually from Kansas. But things are changing, and now one of
the growing number of exceptions to that rule also happens to
be America's highest-grossing superhero film of all time, Black
Panther, a film with African-American leads, African-American
heroes.
Rethinking the paradigm to encourage diversity is one of
the primary reasons I created my own production company. I
believe that we as creators and producers must work to create
fully-realized characters from all places and backgrounds, and
showcase them in stories where they can lead, be heroes, be
complex or, in some cases, just be simple slice-of-life folks,
like the Cleavers. It's my belief that the diversity that has
made this country great can and should be reflected in our
entertainment in front of and behind the camera.
I do have a confession to make, though. Like Ranking Member
Jordan, I can't wait for the day that we no longer have to have
hearings like this about diversity. I can't wait for the day
that people can say, can you believe there was a time where
people thought all Latino-Americans were illegal immigrants, or
that all Muslims are terrorists, or that black lives didn't
matter; to have so many different portrayals of races that as
Martin Luther King so eloquently put it, ``People can be judged
by the content of their character and not the color of their
skin.'' I would also add to that, not who they love, not which
God they worship, or what disability may have. Perhaps then
when a bill like 908 comes up, our elected representatives can
unanimously show empathy and support for Asian-Americans, who,
according to a recent report, had been victims of more than
2,800 acts of discrimination just since March.
I look forward to the future when hate crimes and racism
become nothing more than a relic from a shameful past. Proper
representation in the media is one of the most powerful ways we
can make that future a reality. Thank you.
[The statement of Mr. Kim follows:]
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Chairman Nadler. Thank you. Ms. Villa.
TESTIMONY OF JOY VILLA
Ms. Villa. Mr. Chairman, ranking members, and members of
this committee, thank you for inviting me to speak. My name is
Joy Villa. I'm a number-one Billboard artist, actress, and
conservative actress. I've lived with and dealt with this topic
for my entire life. I've never taken a day off from being a
woman of color. I'm the author of Kickass Conservative. I
produced it and starred in a new film. I've toured over 35
countries, and I proudly support President Donald J. Trump and
the sovereignty of the American people. I'm mixed race. I'm
black, Choctaw Native-American on my mother's side, and I'm
Italian and Argentinian on my father's side. I'm extremely
proud of my diverse background. I strongly believe in and have
fought for diversity. Many of my peers in Hollywood and media
proudly promote diversity of race, background, heritage,
sexuality, religion, and culture, as they should.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wants to
mandate diversity in the Oscars nomination process. This is
wrong. I would like to be hired for the role because I'm the
best person for the job, not because my color or gender checks
a mandated box. That's tokenism. Until I came out as a Trump
supporter by wearing a fabulous Make America Great Again dress
to the Grammys 4 years ago, I'd never been blacklisted. Back in
2015, talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, talked favorably with Kelly
Osbourne about one of my red carpet gowns. This was before I
was a conservative. In 2018, Ava DuVernay, the celebrated black
filmmaker who said she wants to use more black actresses in her
films and have more diversity, blocked me on Twitter. I was
blacklisted from industry events. I was not welcome on talk
shows. I was not included in pop culture magazines or
publications unless as the butt of a joke.
Rolling Stone magazine told my publicist they would not
write about me because of my politics. One casting director
called me ``that Trump bitch.'' I've been called a race traitor
and Uncle Tom, Aunt Jemima, house nigger, slave, been told to
go back to Africa, told to straighten my nappy hair, called a
puta Negra--that is ``black bitch''--that I should be deported.
And even worse, I've had threats against my life and my
family's lives. These remarks come only from the so-called
tolerant left, who preach that they want diversity. To be
clear, this did not happen because I'm black, or because I'm
Latina, or because I'm a woman. It happened because I'm openly
conservative.
Hollywood is a monopoly right now. There are six major
studios, and none to my knowledge are committed to diversity of
thought. The big six are comprised of motion picture
conglomerates 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Warner
Brothers, Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Walt
Disney Studios, and they account for over 83 percent of the
North American market share, bringing in billions of dollars of
revenue each year. What happened to me is discrimination. They
don't like pro-Trumpers, pro-America, pro-life, or pro-God.
They want to shut down, keep out, and crush any type of
diversity because it makes them uncomfortable. They're taking
that discomfort and actively, openly discriminating against
people in the workplace.
This hearing is meaningless and benign if it doesn't also
address the active canceling of diverse voices going on right
now. Yes, we need racial and ethnic diversity, and
representation matters, but diversity is not only about color,
gender, or how able bodied someone is or isn't. We need to stop
the discrimination against political affiliation. It's
dangerous, it's destructive, and it's grounded in emotion and
fear, not facts. Just as we have protected classes in our
country under Federal law for race, color, national origin,
religion, sex, age, sexuality, and disability, it's time to
include political affiliations.
Congress has an opportunity to be a watchdog and to set the
tone. I'm an American first and foremost. I'm proud of our
country, and I want to see it thrive. I want to see it
protected for future generations as well. I implore Congress to
act now by expanding the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include
political affiliation as a protected class. Media companies
that agree in writing not to discriminate based on political
leanings could be offered certain advantages such as tax
breaks. This is about protecting all Americans, no matter who
they are, where they live, or what kind of work they do, and no
matter how loud or quiet their voices are.
The First Amendment gives us the freedom of association. I
strongly believe that that includes the right to freely
associate with the political party of one's choosing. Political
bigotry is silencing the voices of Americans. Thank you.
[The statement of Ms. Villa follows:]
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Chairman Nadler. Thank you. Mr. Whitlock.
TESTIMONY OF JASON WHITLOCK
Mr. Whitlock. Good afternoon. I'd like to begin by thanking
Representative Jim Jordan and his staff for the opportunity to
speak today on a topic central to my life's work and mission:
diversity in the media. My name is Jason Whitlock. I'm a
partner and content creator at OutKick.com, a media platform
with the mission of creating a fearless culture in support of
sports, masculinity, and free speech.
Before taking an ownership stake in OutKick, I was a well-
known sports columnist for the Kansas City Star and a
personality and host at ESPN and Fox Sports. My written work
has also been published at Playboy magazine, the Huffington
Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and at Fox
News. In the last decade, I was involved in a journalism
project, ESPN's The Undefeated, and a television project, Fox
Sports talk show, Speak for Yourself, designed to elevate,
develop, and support black content creators. Today's topic is
not an issue I've paid lip service to. I've lived it. I'm
humbled and honored to have a voice worthy of being heard
before this audience at this time in American history.
Thomas Jefferson rightly argued that he would rather have
newspapers without government than government without
newspapers. Jefferson made clear in our Declaration of
Independence that he believed in the power of self-evident
truth, and he knew that journalism was a primary tool to make
truth self-evident. A journalistic search for truth forced
America to deal with the founding principle Jefferson spelled
out: ``All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights.'' Today, across this country,
we hear protesters, rioters, and anarchists in our streets
chanting, ``No justice, no peace.'' They say they are doing
this on behalf of black lives. They have aligned justice with
the threat of violence. Justice's true ally is truth, not war.
Truth precedes justice. No truth, no justice.
The racial justice so many people say they're clamoring for
cannot be one absent of truth. The healthy diversity that so
many people say they want reflected in the media cannot be
built on false narratives and outright lies. We are here today
to discuss diversity and its ability to make our Union more
perfect. We can't get there without first discussing our
abandonment of truth. No truth, no justice. What is standing in
the way of truth and, therefore, standing in the way of
holistic diversity? Big Tech and Silicon Valley's hijacking of
journalism. Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
made race clickbait the gold standard of American journalism.
They are the stewards of fake news.
When I graduated from Ball State University in 1990, the
journalism industry catered to New York liberalism. Thirty
years later, the industry caters to Northern California
radicalism and groupthink. Producing work that triggers
algorithms that lead to likes, retweets, and follows is the
mandate enforced by media executives. Social media has
transformed the mainstream media, turning seekers of truth into
seekers of influence. It's had the same impact on athletes.
They are no longer role models. They're influence peddlers.
LeBron James, a basketball prodigy with more than 80 million
social media followers, has more influence over news coverage
than any single journalist. He is our Walter Cronkite. Colin
Kaepernick and athletes across professional sports have forced
the NFL and NBA to promote the false narrative that there is a
pandemic of police brutality sweeping America's black
communities. Facts do not support this narrative.
I say that having lost a cousin that I helped raise to what
me and my family believed was an abuse of force by law
enforcement in 2012. The outrage and pain that so many claim
they feel over Breonna Taylor's tragic death in Louisville, I
know firsthand. A picture of my cousin sits in my living room.
Every day I look at Anton Butler's face. Indianapolis sheriffs
tasered him to death in the rain. There will be no justice for
my cousin or anyone until the American media refocuses on a
search for truth, and the truth is, as it relates to the
mainstream media, the diversity we're lacking right now isn't
racial. We lack the resolve to follow the truth, wherever it
leads.
Big Tech eliminated the search for truth. Big Tech
installed athletes, celebrities, and rigged algorithms as
journalists. The media has always leaned left. It's the
disregard for truth that is killing America, though. Slapping
black faces on Silicon Valley lies won't improve America. No
truth, no justice.
[The statement of Mr. Whitlock follows:]
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Chairman Nadler. Thank you, Mr. Whitlock. I want to note
that we are in the middle of a long series of votes on the
floor. We wanted to start the hearing on time to respect the
time of our witnesses, but I and the other members will be
filtering in and out so that we can vote. Please do not take
any offense if you see some of our members leaving the room.
And we will call on Dr. Smith now.
TESTIMONY OF STACY L. SMITH, PH.D.
Ms. Smith. Mr. Chairman and members of the House Judiciary
Committee, since 2005, I've conducted more than 50 studies on
diversity and inclusion on screen and behind the camera in
entertainment. Much of my work has focused on identity groups
that have been historically marginalized in the industry. Using
this body of research, I will illuminate here the exclusion of
the BIPOC community in fictional films whereas my written
remarks include TV and streaming content.
Three major claims can be made about the BIPOC community in
film. First, progress has been paltry for BIPOC characters in
feature films. Across 1,300 top films from 2007 to 2019, only
17 percent of all leads and co-leads were from underrepresented
racial ethnic groups. To illuminate the disconnect between
Hollywood films and reality, only two movies depicted a
Hispanic or Latino lead in 2019, despite the fact that 18.5
percent of the U.S. population is Hispanic/Latino, as are 21
percent of moviegoers. Moving from speaking characters, only 34
percent of all speaking characters across the 100 top movies of
2019 were from an underrepresented racial ethnic group.
However, no meaningful change, no meaningful change, has been
observed in the percentage of black, Latino, or Asian
characters on screen since 2007.
The epidemic of invisibility on screen, particularly for
women of color, is problematic. Across 100 movies last year, a
full 33 erased black girls and women, 55 deleted Asian females,
71 movies were devoid of Hispanic Latinas, 92 excised Middle
Eastern and North African girls and women. Indigenous females
were virtually missing in every top movie. And to illustrate
the breadth of exclusionary casting practices, 598 of the top
600 movies across the last 6 years did not show a single
transgender woman of color on screen. Besides invisibility, far
too many roles played by black, Latino, Asian, or Mina actors
still focus on crime and violence. This can perpetuate
stereotyping, particularly among those who have little direct
experience with individuals from these groups.
The reason for these trends becomes apparent once you look
behind the camera. The second major claim is that few BIPOC
directors own top films. Across 1,300 movies, people of color
filled only 14 percent of all directing jobs, and the vast
majority of these jobs were held by BIPOC men. Only 13 women of
color have worked as directors across 1,300 films. This
translates into a ratio of 92 white male directors to every one
woman of color. Why is inclusion behind the camera so
important? Because BIPOC directors are more likely than their
white counterparts to tell stories that feature
underrepresented actors on screen, and BIPOC crew are hired
below the line.
The third claim is that mythologizing drives hiring
practices. My qualitative work has shown that industry
decisionmakers perceive that BIPOC talent and stories are not a
box office draw. However, this myth is so far from reality.
When a variety of production distribution and exhibition
factors were statistically controlled across 1,200 movies, the
underrepresented status of leads and co-leads was positively
associated with box office revenue in the U.S. What does this
mean? BIPOC leads sell. Internationally, the underrepresented
status of leads was not associated with box office performance,
suggesting that international audiences are drawn to good
stories with white or BIPOC protagonists.
There are real consequences to this industry mythologizing.
Production budgets and marketing resources for film starring
BIPOC leads are lower than those for white leads. Films
starring women of color are particularly disadvantaged in terms
of resource allocation. These results, along with the reality
that underrepresented audiences buy 46 percent of the tickets
at the box office, demonstrate that biases detrimentally impact
the lives and careers of BIPOC creators.
So given these claims, what can be done? Entertainment
companies must create and adopt inclusion policies immediately,
setting target inclusion goals, using objective and
quantifiable criteria to eliminate bias hiring, and enacting
these policies throughout their entire supply chain. These
policies must be transparent so that consumers and stakeholders
can hold them publicly accountable. Government intervention in
the form of tax incentives that reward inclusion, not just
quotas, are one way to improve participation of BIPOC
communities in the production process. Last, providing
increased governmental funding for storytelling is a crucial
way to change the status quo. These and other solutions will
ensure that qualified and talented individuals from all
backgrounds receive opportunities and access throughout the
entire entertainment industry. Thank you.
[The statement of Ms. Smith follows:]
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Ms. Scanlon [presiding]. Thank you very much. And now we
will hear from Karyn Temple.
TESTIMONY OF KARYN A. TEMPLE, ESQUIRE
Ms. Temple. Thank you, Chairman Nadler, Ranking Member
Jordan, and members of the committee. Thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today to testify on behalf of
the Motion Picture Association and our member studios on the
important issue of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the
motion picture and television industry. Although I just
recently joined the MPA as global general counsel, I have
worked in and with the entertainment industry for most of my
legal career. So the issue before the committee is not just an
abstract position for me. It is one that I care about deeply
and personally as an African-American woman, mother, American
citizen, and a human being.
I grew up at a time when there were no movie fairytale
princesses who looked like me, no leading franchise
superheroes, no kids TV series that reflected my reality, so
I'm not here to sugarcoat things for you today. While our
industry has made some significant progress and I will
highlight many of those initiatives for you, let me be clear:
the entertainment industry still has a long way to go before we
reflect the true diversity of this country, both in front of
and behind the camera. From the top executives and A-list
actors, to writers and producers on down to below the line
crew, our industry and the stories we tell often do not
represent the full spectrum of society. That must change.
The first step to actually solving any problem is to
acknowledge and own it, so I readily concede that there is a
problem of diversity and inclusion in Hollywood, but today I'd
like to focus on how we and our member studios have mobilized
to fix it. We at the MPA are committed to great storytelling
that reflects the viewpoints and experiences of all creators
and audiences, which is why we are working hard with our member
studios to collectively address diversity, gender parity,
authentic cultural representation, and pipeline recruitment
opportunities from underrepresented communities in our
industry. By establishing programs that promote a diverse
talent pipeline, creating new partnerships, and sharing what we
learn, we are leading by example.
Eight years ago, we established our own Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion Program because our members proactively supported
the MPA playing a constructive role in making sure our industry
is open and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. We're proud
of our track record since. Through our DE&I Program, we have
supported increasingly robust efforts by the industry to
enhance the diversity of the creative pipeline, including via
outreach to film schools and groups representing African-
American, Latinx, Asian-American and Pacific Islander, Native-
American women, and LGBTQ creators. We're grateful for the
opportunity to partner with many such organizations, including
the entertainment industry, college outreach programs, the
Georgia Latino Film Alliance, and the Ghetto Film School, a
nonprofit whose groundbreaking Roster Program trains 4,000
aspiring young creators annually for careers in creative
industries, the vast majority of which are from
underrepresented groups. And, most recently, MPA was proud to
announce a partnership with the Native-American Media Alliance,
focused on promoting Native-American writers in the
entertainment industry.
We also collaborate with many of the leading multicultural
creative organizations and film festivals, including the
American Black Film Festival, the Georgia Latino Film Festival,
and the New York Latino Film Festival. Beginning in January of
2019, we also proactively reached out to the Tri-Caucus to
educate members about MPA's and our member studios' efforts,
and to foster opportunities for Congress to hear directly from
multicultural creator organizations working on the front lines
of fostering change. Indeed, we've initiated many such
important dialogue schools in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.,
and continue to do so despite COVID-19.
But, of course, what matters most is what our member
studios are doing in this area. I am gratified that today there
are movie fairytale princesses that look like girls in my
community, television shows that feature dynamic, strong black,
Asian, and Hispanic girls, and movies with black superheroes
that touch the world. We're proud that each studio in the MPA
has its own robust corporate policies, senior-level diversity
and inclusion-focused personnel, and other programs. Our
members have established a large number of mentorship and other
programs specifically designed to give members of
underrepresented groups the necessary training and relationship
building necessary to gain a foothold in the industry.
I'll refer you to my written test of testimony for most of
the details, but I did want to just mention two examples. Sony
Pictures' Diverse Directors Program, which is now in its 7th
year, has enabled the studio to identify emerging women and
directors of color, and has resulted in numerous program alums
actively directing for Sony Pictures and throughout the
industry. The Walt Disney Company has many programs and
policies to address these issues, including the U.S. Hispanic
Initiative, a company-wide effort focused on growing relevancy
to and engagement with U.S. Hispanics, and a longstanding
Creative Talent Development Program to diversify the creative
pipeline that has helped launch the careers of many industry
professionals, including Peter Murrieta and Zetna Fuentes.
I want to thank the committee for the opportunity to be
part of the discussion on these important issues, and we remain
committed to working with you until our shared goals of a
fully-diverse, equitable, and inclusive motion picture and
television industry becomes a reality. I welcome your
questions. Thank you.
[The statement of Ms. Temple follows:]
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Ms. Scanlon. Thank you to all of our witnesses. We will now
proceed under the 5-minute rule with questions, and I will
recognize Ms. Lofgren for 5 minutes.
Ms. Lofgren. Thank you very much, and thanks to each and
every one of our witnesses. You know, Hispanic Heritage Month
is an appropriate time to be discussing underrepresentation in
media, especially when the traditional home of the industry,
California, my home, is almost 40 percent Hispanic, and even
higher in Los Angeles, about half Hispanic, and yet that only
accounts for 3 percent of directors and 4 percent of producers.
You know, like all for-profit businesses, movie and TV studios
and other media companies are ultimately driven by their
financial bottom line and [inaudible] short sighted to reflect
biases. But, in the end, including racial and ethnic
representation should be good business given the audience, and
we have had some examples mentioned here by our witnesses
today.
So I am struggling to understand why this economic
imperative has not been successful in moving Hollywood into
more into more diversity. And I am wondering--it was so
wonderful to listen to you, Mr. Olmos--about why this matters,
sitting in the movie theater, having these things go directly
into your consciousness. It matters who is represented and how
people understand our society, and movies play such a role in
that. Talk to me about why the bottom line hasn't moved us to
where we need to be, Mr. Olmos.
Mr. Olmos. The bottom line comes from the understanding
that they don't have to. If they put out a movie with a person
that is ``Latino'' in a secondary role or third role, we go to
the theaters, and we make up 32 to 37 percent of all the box
office on opening weekend. We always put a lot of money into
the situation. I think what is happening and why I presented
the video, is that we have to turn around and understand that
we have a responsibility for ourselves. The only way it is
going to change is if we change.
We need to have the writers. We need to have in front of
camera and behind the camera people organized and ready to go.
That is why the Youth Cinema Project is way beyond anybody's
imagination. Over the last 6 years, we have actually put
together over 1,400 children in 13 different school districts
that take this program twice a week for 90 minutes with mentors
in the classroom. We are creating over 130 feature films or
films by these students from 4th grade through high school, all
the way through high school, every year. We produce more film
than anyone.
Now, I will tell you this. It will take another 10 or 15
years, but it is going to change. Scorsese, Coppola, all of the
great directors that we have ever known did not have in the 4th
grade someone mentoring them to become filmmakers and
understand themselves. And we are not trying to make
filmmakers, by the way. We are trying to make lifelong
learners.
Ms. Lofgren. It was wonderful to see the film of what you
are doing, and I thank you for that. It is a wonderful
contribution to American society. Dr. Smith, I am wondering if
you might also jump in on the question of why the profit
incentive hasn't actually moved to Hollywood to where we would
hope they would be.
Ms. Smith. Well, I think there are a few things that are
operating, and I addressed some of them in my remarks. There is
a lot of mythologizing about decision making. If you look in my
written remarks, we surveyed or conducted in-depth interviews
with over 20 underrepresented directors and asked them about
the impediments that they face, and market forces that are
politicized seems to be one of the major factors. Individuals
in greenlighting positions have perceptions about what sells
and what doesn't sell, and resource allocation is very
problematic, particularly for women of color. They are given
lower production costs, lower marketing budgets, their films
are released in fewer theaters, and so they have less support
for their films to do as well as their counterparts. Some of
this is true with films led by men of color as well.
So that adage of you have to work twice as hard to get half
as far is actually quite true. Yet our economic reality of the
data and the analysis that we did on 1,200 films suggest that
there is a viable market for BIPOC leads and co-leads. So the
executive ranks feature very few people of color. There are few
directors of color to ensure that their stories are being told,
and without a change in how the industry hires and crews up,
this inequality will keep perpetuating over time.
Ms. Lofgren. Well, that is why I was focusing on directors
and producers. Obviously, there is an issue throughout the
industry. My time has expired. Before I yield back, I had
questions for Karyn Temple, but I do want to just thank her for
her service to our country when she was in the Copyright
Office. You have moved on to, you know, bigger fields, but we
do appreciate the work that you did there, and thank you so
much for your service. And I yield back, Madam Chair.
Ms. Scanlon. Thank you. The chair now recognizes Mr. Biggs
for 5 minutes.
Mr. Biggs. Thank you, Madam Chair. Ms. Villa, it is good to
see you again. Thanks for being here today. Thanks to all the
witnesses for being here today. Ms. Villa, I really want to pay
tribute to you. Thank you for your advocacy for the unborn.
Ms. Villa. Thank you.
Mr. Biggs. Talk to us about the negative backlash that you
have received from Hollywood for supporting President Trump,
his pro-life policies, and defunding organizations like Planned
Parenthood, please.
Ms. Villa. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Being a proud
pro-life woman, having given a child up for adoption, and
having experienced the pressure of the nurse who gave me a
pregnancy test to abort my child when I was 20 years old, was
incredibly traumatic. There is a pressurization for women,
especially women of color, to get an abortion no matter what.
There is nothing talked about saying, you know, you are strong,
you are proud, you are Latina, you are black, you can raise the
baby or you can choose adoption, and I would rather our tax
dollars go to adoption than abortion. But as far as my attacks,
there have been rape threats and death threats on my life
simply for being pro-life, and in Hollywood, it is something
that is the unspoken secret that you cannot celebrate life. You
cannot celebrate God. You cannot say ``I'm a proud pro-life
Christian'' in Hollywood and achieve the same success that many
A-listers do.
In fact, many actresses brag about on the way up to their
golden statuettes that they gave their children up so that they
could achieve their dreams. And as someone who hopes to become
a mother one day, I implore all mothers and fathers do not co-
sign this narrative. It's incredibly dangerous to young girls
to tell them you can do anything you want except have a career
and also be a mother.
Abortion is not the option. Choosing life is the most
important fight, and I'm proud that our President approves of
this and is defunding Planned Parenthood. And Hollywood needs
to open up and stop discrimination against pro-life women and
men. Because if we are truly going to talk about diversity and
supporting women, we need to talk about the unborn, the most
vulnerable.
Mr. Biggs. Thank you for your testimony. Thank you for
speaking out.
Mr. Whitlock, you have written extensively about Black
Lives Matter and how they have corrupted the minds of many
young athletes, and you recently wrote that boycotting sports
leagues for supporting BLM would be ineffective in causing
change. You go on to state that your ``alternative to
boycotting major league sports is a holistic approach of
educating the athletes on what they are actually supporting.
BLM is Marxist, anti-religion, anti-nuclear family, and
racially divisive.''
Big sports media companies tend to drive home the deal in
narrative on behalf of athletes. Can you elaborate on how you
are going about educating athletes on BLM, please?
Mr. Whitlock. Yeah. I'm just trying to write about it on
Outkick and talk about it on our YouTube page because I believe
many of the athletes--I know many athletes. They have Christian
values. They were raised in Christian homes. And I don't think
they truly understand Marxism. I don't think they know that the
women who founded Black Lives Matter are trained Marxists. I
don't think they realize that if you went to Black Lives
Matter's own Web page, the ``what we believe'' section of their
Web page was just an expression of Marxist theory.
And so--and they've scrubbed some of that ``what we
believe'' because there has been a lot of pushback. Athletes
over in Europe, the European soccer leagues, they're backing
away from Black Lives Matter because they realize how divisive
it is, how anti-Western civilization it is.
And so, you know, I don't--I used to be--I was a college
athlete. That's how I made it from poverty to a good life was a
football scholarship. I don't want to demean athletes in any
way. But a lot of times when you're a great athlete, you work
on developing your body because it's a smart thing to do.
There's a big payday if you do it. And there are some things
that you kind of skip over.
And I can say that when I was in my 20s, there were a lot
of things I didn't understand. And I think a lot of these
athletes, when you say the word ``Marxism,'' I don't think they
understand the threat of Karl Marx and his political theory.
The threat it poses to Christian values. The threat it poses to
people that believe in a nuclear family.
And so I'm just trying to point these things out to
athletes, trying to educate them on, you know, what Black Lives
Matter's real agenda is, and I legitimately think that Black
Lives Matter is one of the most racist organizations we've ever
seen in the history of America. Bigots love Marxism.
And Marxism--it's a great marketing scheme, Black Lives
Matter. It's a great slogan. But if you look at the truth of
what it truly represents and the agenda it's working toward, it
will lead to the destruction not just of America, but in
particular black America. The things that allowed us to
overcome slavery and make it to where we had a President
elected twice in Barack Obama, the things that allowed us this
incredible journey, our faith, is under attack through BLM.
As I listen to Joy Villa talk about Hollywood, I lived in
Los Angeles for a decade. It is hostile towards Christian
values. We've just gone way too secular, and this thing is
driven by Silicon Valley and their social media apps. Twitter
has got to be the most secular place on Earth. If you express
any type of religious faith, you're ostracized and criticized.
So I just want to take a long-term approach and just try to
engage athletes in a positive way and explain to them what the
organization truly represents and hope that some of them wake
up.
Ms. Scanlon. Thank you. The gentleman's time has expired.
Mr. Biggs. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Whitlock.
Ms. Scanlon. Next, the chair will recognize a longstanding
leader in diversity issues, the gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. Jackson Lee. Madam Chair, thank you so very much.
And let me thank Mr. Nadler and Mr. Jordan for providing us
with such a rich diversity of thought. That is clearly, I
think, an important element of this, and I am delighted that
the witnesses, who are of varying opinions, have had their
opportunity to raise their voices.
I do want to take just a moment and say that the young
people that I have worked with in my own constituency, Black
Lives Matter are true young Americans. They are college
students. They are empowered young athletes, brilliant. They
are thoughtful. They love this country, and they just want to
see a life led by young people maybe less fortunate than
themselves that would be in a nation that re-imagines policing
and has a just response to justice for all.
I have had the privilege of working with them since the
tragedy of the killing of Trayvon Martin. I know his mother to
be a patriot, and the mothers of the movement, from Eric Garner
to Tamir Rice to the mother of Michael Brown, and now as we
watch the tragedies that have occurred just recently of Breonna
Taylor and, of course, George Floyd and Jacob Blake.
I also think it is important to note that yesterday a
coalition of players--athletes, pro ball--of various leagues
endorsed H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop
Reparation Proposals. Young men, recognizing the history of not
only their people, but their neighborhoods, thoughtful young
men.
So let me indicate, first of all, to Erika Alexander and
then to Mr. Kim, if I can quickly, and speak to how hurtful the
decades have been because you are not decades, but you are a
historian, when people of color were blackballed for several
reasons--their looks, their hair, but also the studios were not
interested because they didn't make money.
Can you answer that question? I have a question for Mr.
Kim, and I am going to try to get in these outstanding, all of
you outstanding actors, but this great historian and actor
Edward Olmos.
Ms. Alexander.
Ms. Alexander. Yes, ma'am. Thank you----
Ms. Jackson Lee. Did you hear the----
Ms. Alexander. Could you please say that question again?
Ms. Jackson Lee. How has the question of race--your looks,
your hair, and studios' lack of interest because of money,
meaning these are not profitable films--impacted black artists.
Ms. Alexander. It's impacted them greatly. It's limited
their--not only their earning power, but the potential for
progress.
You know, when we talk about diversity, we really should be
saying ``racial justice'' because that's exactly what it is.
Inside of all these issues, inside of saying people who I may
not even agree with, we're talking about expanding the human
experience. But when you stop any one person for the way they
look, for the way they present, you're stopping not only the
human story, you're stopping the American story, which is one
of greatness and power because of e pluribus unum, ``from many,
one.''
So once we start telling the story, the people who are most
marginalized, we expand the vision of ourselves, and more
importantly, we innovate inside of it. And since our best and
most powerful export is creativity and culture, we can't--we
will know that when we're doing that, we limit the power of the
United States. And that's how important it is.
And the years that they've done that has stopped the United
States from being its most powerful self.
Ms. Jackson Lee. Mr. Olmos--thank you so very much. Mr.
Olmos and Mr. Kim, I am going to ask you this. So, hopefully,
you will get in your comments.
Mr. Olmos, culture reflects the Nation. The Nation reflects
culture. What someone says, politics is intertwined. Public
service, public leaders' words mean something. What does it
mean when you have the leading officer in the Nation, the
President, describe Latinx people as drug dealers?
Mr. Kim, what does it mean when COVID-19 that has hit
minorities harder than any other population is described as the
``China virus'' for culture, for people understanding, which is
what art is all about, making sure people understand difference
or tell stories differently, whether it is fiction or not.
Mr. Olmos, your comments, please.
Mr. Olmos. It's devastating to my children, to myself, to
people of Latino descent. It only can be said that anyone that
speaks like this about another culture has the right to do that
in this country, but they don't have the right to tell lies,
and that's what's happening.
Not every single person--they encompass so much. I'm not
going to say that we don't have people that are doing things
that are against the law, but so are all the cultures. What
makes me sad is that we haven't gotten to the point of where we
understand who we are as people.
What we've got to understand is that there's only one race,
the human race. That's it. There's no African or indigenous or
Asian or Latino or Caucasian race. There's only one race, the
human race. And inside of that, there are cultures.
But you cannot tell me that English, the English looked
like or act or feel like the Irish--go ahead.
Ms. Scanlon. I am sorry, Mr. Olmos. The gentlewoman's time
has expired.
Ms. Jackson Lee. Thank you.
Ms. Scanlon. Mr. Kim, could you answer very, very briefly?
Ms. Jackson Lee. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Mr. Kim.
Mr. Kim. Sure. I will say--I will say that when the leader
of our country refers to a virus as--as coming from a
particular country, he may have his own reasons for doing that
that are political and a statement against maybe the leadership
of that country. But the virus does have a scientific name, and
that is COVID-19.
And when the ramifications of the words he uses not only
affects Chinese people, but Chinese Americans and all Asian
Americans to the tune of 2,800 hate crimes or acts of violence
against them in several months, that's something that needs to
get examined because words do matter. And so, and our
leadership sets the tone.
Ms. Jackson Lee. Thank you. That means diversity is crucial
in the arts.
Thank you so very much, Madam Chair, for your courtesy. I
yield back.
Ms. Scanlon. Thank you. The gentlewoman from Arizona is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Lesko. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
And I want to thank all of the people that are testifying,
and I appreciate your success and applaud you for your
successes.
First of all, I want to say that I agree. All people should
be treated equally, and they should not be discriminated
against. And so I call on my Democratic colleagues and some of
the testifiers to stand up for people that have diversity in
thought as well. As we have heard from Joy Villa today that she
has been discriminated against because of her beliefs, because
she is pro-life, because she supports Donald Trump.
And I hope that you will realize and think about it that if
the discrimination that you have witnessed and you have
experienced because of your race or sex that you have told us
about, I hope you realize the same thing is happening about
people's beliefs. For instance, I am a pro-life woman, and I
stood up against Government funding of abortions. And national
Planned Parenthood put my phone number, my home phone number
out for the whole world to see.
And I got the most vile calls. People telling me I should
stick things in different places that you don't want to know.
This is not right.
So I agree with you. We should not discriminate. But
please, tell your coworkers, tell your coproducers, tell your
other people you should not discriminate based on what people
believe.
There is too much cancel culture going on right now. People
are afraid. Workers are afraid to speak up for fear they are
going to get fired. This is happening in all different sectors.
So I do not have questions today, but I want you to think
about this. When you have seen discrimination because of race,
because of sex, or you have experienced it, please know that
people right now are being discriminated against because of
what they believe.
There is an instance right in Arizona State University--I
am from Arizona. There is a young woman who is a student
employee, who was the manager of a student radio station. All
she did was retweet out something. It wasn't even bad. And all
of a sudden, she is fired. This is outrageous.
And so I hope that you will understand that no one should
be discriminated against, not only because of--not just because
of their race, not just because of their sex, but also because
of what we believe. Because our country was founded on people
having different opinions, and if we squelch the opinions of
one side just because we don't agree with them, the future of
our Nation is at risk.
And Mr. Kim, the reason that people voted against the
resolution that you are talking about was because inserted in
that was a political attack specifically designed against the
President of the United States. I have a large Asian-American
community in my district, and I totally appreciate them. And I
try to respect all people, no matter what their race, no matter
what their sex, and certainly, no matter what they believe.
So thank you all for testifying. Please take my words to
heart. And with that, I yield back.
Ms. Scanlon. Thank you. The chair recognizes Mr. Deutch for
5 minutes.
Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Madam Chairman, there are certain fundamentals that
underlie everything that we do here in Congress. We have a
shared faith in our institutions, even when we examine and
challenge them. We have a shared tradition of defending the
right to vote, even when we disagree on how best to accomplish
that. And we have a shared trust that there will be a peaceful
transition of power, regardless of whether we like the outcome
of an election.
President Trump's comments yesterday, his inability to
acknowledge that there will be a peaceful transition of power,
undercut these shared truths. We cannot just continue going
about this committee's business or allow any person to
undermine the bedrock of our democracy that free and fair
elections determine our Government and our leaders.
So I would ask this committee, I would ask my colleagues
that we join together to protect our democracy, protect our
citizens and their right to vote, and to protect America.
Now yesterday, we learned that no one will be charged in
the death of Breonna Taylor. No charges for an officer blindly
firing into Breonna Taylor's apartment, killing her. And that
is because that is how the system that we have works. The
racism that denies Breonna Taylor justice is baked in. That is
how Kimberle Crenshaw, executive director of the African
American Policy Forum, put it yesterday.
I quote her. ``If we thought the problem and the solution
to the tragedy of Breonna Taylor was simply prosecuting these
cops, then we are not understanding the broader systemic
conditions that allow for the kind of policing that
disproportionately imperils black Americans,'' which is to say
we have got a lot of work to do. This committee has a lot of
work to do.
Our Government, law enforcement agencies, courts, schools,
workplaces, and yes, our entertainment and media, too, have a
lot of work to do to address those systemic conditions that
deny Breonna Taylor justice and that deny us all justice as a
result.
Madam Chairman, I would like to enter into the record this
Washington Post article entitled ``Allegations of Racism Have
Marked Trump's Presidency and Become Key Issue as Election
Nears.''
Ms. Scanlon. Without objection.
[The information follows:]
MR. DEUTCH FOR THE OFFICIAL RECORD
=======================================================================
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Deutch. Thank you.
I want to thank all of the witnesses for taking the time to
share their experiences with us. Diversity and representation
in media matters. The stories that we tell and the people we
see telling them are connected to how we see people in our
daily lives.
Ms. Temple, I appreciate your sharing your own experiences
and your proactive agreement, but more needs to be done by your
industry in this regard. And I know that MPA and others in the
industry have begun the process of developing a more diverse
pool of talent in front of and behind the camera. The problem
is by no means limited to the media world. We see a shocking
lack of women and people of color in boardrooms across all
sectors.
But why we are here focusing specifically on media is the
outsized power that film and television have in shaping our
culture and, even more fundamentally, our views about what
doctors look like, what lawyers look like, what a fairytale
princess or a superhero looks like. And yes, what criminals
look like.
Mr. Olmos, I can't help but feel that you have been
sounding the alarm on criminal justice reform, and especially
the intersection of criminal justice reform and minority
representation, for decades, and it is finally getting the
attention that it deserves. And as a long-time activist on
criminal justice reform issues and building off your work, what
are some of the societal changes that are leading to the
disproportionate numbers of minorities in our criminal justice
system, our jails and our prisons?
Mr. Olmos. Education. Education and understanding of our
communities as to what causes this action to happen. Now,
basically, we are all able to understand that there are a lot
of people in jail, but why is it so disproportionate? Why is
that happening? That's always been said, and it is not the
answer that illuminates. It's the question.
And the question always is, is that people have a really
difficult time with people of color. They won't do the things
that they will do for non-people of color. They won't educate
them.
They won't allow them the right to vote even. We have the
right to vote, and yet we're getting slammed right now in the
minority areas, the whole situation with the President of the
United States' standing of using mail-in ballots.
We have a difficulty in criminal law. We have a difficulty
in the way that they use criminal law. The way we use criminal
law is different for the colored people versus the white
people. And I got to tell you right now, it's a disaster.
Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Mr. Olmos.
Thanks to our witnesses, and thank you, Madam Chairman. I
yield back.
Ms. Scanlon. The chair recognizes Mr. Jordan for 5 minutes.
Mr. Jordan. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Whitlock, do we have a functioning First Amendment when
62 percent of Americans feel like they can't express themselves
freely?
Mr. Whitlock. Absolutely not. And I appreciate you not
asking me to make a negative comment about President Trump,
who's not a part of the media. You guys called a meeting to
discuss the media, and somehow--you should have just asked us
to prerecord negative comments about President Trump, and then
we could actually talk about the topic you've asked our time to
speak about, the media.
I'm sorry, Mr. Jordan. Go ahead.
Mr. Jordan. No, no, no. Well said.
Do you have free speech rights when only one side is
allowed to talk, which is exactly what the cancel culture mob
is doing today?
Mr. Whitlock. Absolutely not. I'm going to go on another
rant.
I would wish we could talk about big tech's takeover of
free speech.
Mr. Jordan. Yep.
Mr. Whitlock. Silicon Valley is in control of America. It's
in control of the American media. There's only one strain of
thought allowed. If you do not agree with Silicon Valley and
Northern California's radical point of view, they will cancel
you and silence you on their social media apps and in any other
way possible try to smear your character.
I've been through the whole cancel culture thing driven by
Silicon Valley and the political activists on the left. This
whole thing, I got to be honest with you, Mr. Jordan, I'm glad
you invited me. But it's frustrating.
My parents have always been mad at me because, to be quite
honest, I refuse to vote. I don't like politicians. I just--and
this experience I'm witnessing here today, people grandstanding
and trying to make comments about Trump and whatever, when
we're here to talk about the media, it pisses me off. It's a
clown's--what is my tax dollars going for?
Are we here to conduct business and get at real issues, or
are we here to just put out a commercial about--an anti-Trump
commercial? I don't want any part. I don't participate in any
of this presidential politics. I didn't have anything negative
to say about Barack Obama. I don't got anything negative to say
about President Trump.
Let's talk about the media, and too many of you guys are on
the payroll of big tech.
Mr. Jordan. Let me ask you this. And you reference it in
those comments. Ms. Weiss--and I represented in my opening
statement that Bari Weiss in the New York Times talked about
the digital thunderdome. If you attempt--so most of Americans
are afraid to do it, but if you step out and speak out against
``the mob,'' you think that is the appropriate term, this term
that she used, ``digital thunderdome''? And if so, have you
ever been in the thunderdome? I think you alluded to that.
Mr. Whitlock. I'm in it virtually every day, and Bari Weiss
was 1,000 percent correct. She called Twitter the editor for
the New York Times. And Twitter is the editor for the American
media, and Twitter is a rigged algorithm that imposes a
worldview that is anti-American, anti-religion, anti the values
that we were founded in, anti the values that got us--that made
this country the ideal human experiment that all these people
ranting and raving and complaining about America, you couldn't
get them to leave America with a stick of dynamite and $1
million in cash.
They would not leave. They all allege they hate America,
and America, well, it's the greatest human experiment we've
ever had.
Mr. Jordan. Yes. Well said.
Mr. Whitlock. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But just--ah,
thanks for inviting me.
Mr. Jordan. Let me ask you this, and I want to ask Ms.
Villa this as well. Will the cancel culture mobs just stop with
conservatives and Republicans, or will they come after
Democrats at some point, too?
Ms. Villa, and then we will go back to Mr. Whitlock if we
have time.
Ms. Villa. Absolutely. And I'd like to say Ronda Kennedy is
my counsel here. She's a black woman, mother of six.
And cancel culture is an infection. They're going after
everybody. They're going after Democrats. They're going after
longstanding celebrities, black, Latino. It doesn't matter.
Cancel culture is a virus that is attacking every single facet.
And I've heard a lot of bashing of the President here. I
want to, you know, join along with Mr. Whitlock. Why can't we
stay on the topic? Why can't we talk about diversity in media
rather than insulting the President?
If you can't have one subject where you talk about
diversity in media, when you have a black woman and Latina
woman right here in front of you and all this diversity behind
us, and you still have to talk about the President, it's sad.
It's pathetic. It's embarrassing, quite honestly. And I am
proud to be here and say that this President has perpetrated
more diversity than any other President.
He's been the most pro-black President, the FIRST STEP Act.
You want to talk about disproportionate black and brown people,
and you want to talk about in criminal justice reform. Not one
Democrat has done anything for criminal justice reform.
You want to talk about Joe Biden's character, but I'm not
going to bring that up. I'm going to go back to what we're
talking about here and representation in media matters, but we
must have diversity of thought. Big tech needs to be held
accountable. The big studios need to be held accountable, and
every single celebrity that wants to talk about only what
they're doing is ignoring the fact that Black Lives Matter in
the name of diversity is saying black lives only matter, and
they're killing police officers every day.
That is not diversity. That's violence.
Mr. Jordan. Ms. Villa, Mr. Whitlock, there were four
Members of Congress shadowbanned by Twitter two summers ago.
Any guess as to whether they were four Republicans? Of the same
party, you think they were Republicans or Democrats?
Ms. Villa. Republicans.
Mr. Jordan. Yes. [Laughter.]
Gaetz, Meadows, Nunes, Jordan. We know, as Mr. Whitlock
said, big tech is out to get conservatives. That is why we need
to be looking at Section 230, how we fix that, make sure that
the platform is, in fact, neutral and not censoring people.
When Twitter can let the Ayatollah of Iran put out a
statement, say they will strike a blow against American
citizens, and that is fine. But then they will censor the
President's tweets, I think it proves Mr. Whitlock's point.
I yield back, and I apologize to our witnesses. I have to
run to another vote, and we are back and forth. But I will be
back.
Chairman Nadler [presiding]. The gentleman yields back. I
will yield myself a chance to ask questions.
First of all, for Mr. Olmos, it is, of course, not
universal and strides have surely been made, but it still
appears that actors who are either women or people of color are
too often given only supporting roles or token roles with few
lines and little character development on film and TV. We want
to see less of that and more leading roles.
How do you think we can break down the barriers that people
of color face so that actors from underrepresented groups can
take center stage just as often as white male actors?
Mr. Olmos. Well, first of all and foremost, the industry
has to really want to do stories about minorities. Indigenous
people deserve their stories being told, and we should see
them, and we'd love them. And they could be commercial.
African Americans are doing a great job. Latinos, who are
20-something percent of the population, were less than 4
percent of the people who we see on screen.
All I can say is it's up to us. That's why we did and why
we're doing the educational system. We are doing YCP for a
reason. We are really training the future.
Now in 10 or 15 years, you're going to see a huge
difference because the quality of the storytellers will be
diverse. We're not only doing this for Latino children, these
are all the children in California that are in the system right
now that are getting this. They're so fortunate to be able to
do this because it builds their self-esteem, self-respect, and
their self-worth and makes them collaborate, communicate, use
their critical thinking and creativity.
And that, to me, is the essence of how one becomes all that
they can be. And I say to you and all of us, let the children
get educated.
Chairman Nadler. And Ms. Temple, it is good to see you
again in your new role. What change can we expect to see from
studios in the next 5 years to improve diversity, do you think?
Ms. Temple. Well, I think what you will see is an expansion
of the positive gains that we've talked about a little bit in
terms of representation both in front of and behind the camera.
As I mentioned earlier in my opening remarks, there have been
gains. Even the Hollywood Diversity Report noted that there
were gains in some of the major areas that they had looked at
in terms of, you know, film roles, film directors, and others
participating in the industry. So those are all positive steps.
Obviously, as I said earlier, those gains are not enough,
and more needs to be done. I think you will see an expansion
because, again, I think that this is obviously a long-term
process, and there are number of programs and initiatives that
I've talked about that really did just get started over the
last few years.
So I think as those programs and initiatives at every
single one of our companies, our member studios, has those
types of programs, as those programs continue to grow and
expand, I think that you will see increased numbers of
representation both in front of and behind the camera. And we
recognize that there have been, you know, somewhat broader
gains in front of the camera than behind the camera, and you
need both.
And so I think you will actually see that commitment
continue and expanding and really, hopefully, the numbers
expanding as well.
Chairman Nadler. Thank you. Now we are currently in the
midst of a pandemic and recession that are disproportionately
impacting people of color, especially black and Latino people.
Economic inequality has long disproportionately impacted people
of color. This recession could further exacerbate it.
The pandemic offers television and film production
companies an opportunity to reset and reassess what shows or
films continue in the development pipeline.
Let me ask you, Mr. Kim, what are concrete steps the
industry can take to ensure that the content pipeline includes
shows and films that will employ people of color in front of
and behind the camera?
Mr. Kim. Thanks for the question. It's a good one.
I think it's a multi-pronged approach. You know, I happen
to be the executive producer of a show called ``The Good
Doctor'' on ABC, and I can tell you that one of the things that
the network is actually doing is setting an aggressive set of
goals for diversity in front of and behind the camera.
Obviously, these kinds of goals are not specifically
mandates, and they require time for them to be implemented. But
I think it's important. I think it's important that those goals
exist from the most powerful places, the distributors. I think
it's also important that content creators are very aware of the
kinds of projects that we are making, with an eye toward
representing the world we'd like to see.
And I also think what's really important is to create a
pipeline of writers, actors, and directors the way that Mr.
Olmos is doing to foster the next generation of people who will
be sitting in those seats of power. So it's a number of
different things.
And COVID in some ways has accelerated trends that are
already existing in the industry, such as the trend towards
streaming and the trend towards different kinds of
storytelling. So it's important to listen to what's going on in
society as well as trying----
Chairman Nadler. Well, thank you. Ms. Alexander, can you
add anything to that as to what concrete steps the industry can
take?
Ms. Alexander. Yes, sir. I think that we need to make sure
that the power of the purse to make production companies more
racially diverse and their teams should be used, and we should
definitely work on training programs. Training programs, and
also there are very few people who are on these teams that are
able to have hiring authority. So to make sure that we can get
writers and directors and producers and casting directors that
usually have that type of power and empowered.
Thank you.
Chairman Nadler. Thank you. Mr. Cicilline.
Mr. Cicilline. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to first thank my friend and colleague from Florida,
Mr. Deutch, for raising a very important issue that I think
everyone has a responsibility to speak to directly.
The President yesterday refused to say that he would accept
the results of the election if he lost and accept a peaceful
transfer of power. And worse than that, he said the problem is
ballots. Oh, too many ballots.
Of course, ballots and the right to vote are the
cornerstone of our democracy and the most powerful expression
of that democracy, and it was a sad day to hear the President
say that he would not accept a peaceful transition of power.
The problem is people are going to vote and to hear so much
silence on the other side of the aisle.
I also want to say that before I get to my first question I
think the truth matters. Mr. Whitlock said, oh, Black Lives
Matter has on its website it is a Marxist organization. So let
me be clear. Black Lives Matter--and I am reading from the
website--was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of
Trayvon Martin's murderer. It is an organization whose mission
is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to
intervene in violence inflicted on black communities.
So it is very clear. That is not Marxist ideology. That, I
hope, is American ideology. That is to stand up against white
supremacy and to empower communities.
So my first question is, Dr. Smith, you have done an
enormous amount of research about the importance of people
seeing themselves in characters both on the small and big
screen. Why is that important? And your research that I have
reviewed in your written testimony shows that
disproportionately communities of color, particularly blacks
and Latinos, are depicted, the number-one category is criminal.
And what is the impact of that?
Ms. Smith. Well, I think the research is really clear.
Particularly when individuals lack direct experience, the media
can play a notable role in shaping attitudes, perceptions, and
beliefs about different groups. There's decades of research to
show that the mass media can play an independent or interactive
role when it comes to media effects, and when it comes
identity, it can shape a whole series of different outcomes.
And I believe it was Mr. Olmos who referred to self-esteem
being one of the key indicators.
I want to take this moment to illustrate that while a lot
of the ideas and commentary here are very interesting to listen
to, the decision-making capabilities of who to hire in
Hollywood has prevented for decades women, people of color,
member of the LGBTQ community, and people with disabilities
from access and opportunity onscreen and behind the camera.
The pipeline is there. The pipeline is there. We need
resources to fund motion pictures and content for people of
color behind the camera to tell their stories. Because if they
are simply given the opportunity to tell their stories like
their white male counterparts, the stories will be there, and
people will see themselves reflected in nuanced, authentic, and
compelling ways.
But we don't see that. We know that people are submitting
to the Sundance Film Festivals from a whole series of different
backgrounds. Please fund the Sundance Institute to make sure
that those storytellers, because there's a relationship between
promoting your film at Sundance and having a film that's a top-
grossing 100 motion picture----
Mr. Cicilline. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Smith. I want to
try to get in one more question, but thank you, Dr. Smith.
Mr. Dae Kim, thank you for changing your mind and agreeing
to testify. Your testimony was compelling and important, and I,
too, was deeply saddened by the fact that that vote against
that resolution was not unanimous. And it just evidences that
we have a lot of work to do.
What I would like to ask you to address is what can we do
and what can we incentivize within your industry to help ensure
that there is better representation in front of the camera and
behind the camera for communities of color, women, LGBTQ
individuals, indigenous people? Because we understand from the
research what the absence of their representation means not
just for those communities, but for the entire country and the
world.
Mr. Kim. So when you say ``we,'' thank you, Representative.
Mr. Cicilline. Congress. Congress and you in the industry.
Mr. Kim. You and me. No, I think it's a great question
because one thing I don't want to dismiss is this idea of being
excellent at your craft. And you know, one of the things about
diversity is that no one is asking to give opportunities that
are not earned.
And so, you know, we talk about ways that the system can
help increase diversity, but what's also important is the way
that we can help ourselves. We must be the best we can be at
what we choose to do, whether it's acting, writing, and
directing--anything in the arts.
And I think the way that Congress can help us is, one,
through hearings such as this because I think it's important to
hear the perspectives of people like everyone on this panel,
you know, both left and right. And I think what--what--I think
what they say builds character is thoughts that lead to words
that lead to actions that lead to habits that lead to
character.
What we're doing here today is we are planting new
thoughts. We're planting new seeds that we hope will blossom
into a new way of thinking and building character. And to bring
it back to how it relates to media, media is a way to implant
thoughts, just as Mr. Olmos said. When we first saw ``Jaws,''
you know, we were terrified of sharks. I was afraid to go into
my bathtub after I saw ``Jaws.''
You know, when we were young playing cowboys and Indians,
how many of us thought that the Indians were the bad guys? And
that's because we were taught through all of the cowboy
westerns that that was the way it was supposed to be. How many
of us thought that when we saw--first saw Bruce Lee that all
Asian-American people knew kung fu?
So these are the ways that talking about these things and
highlighting these issues affect the way we think. And I think,
to answer your question more succinctly, when we talk about
pipelines, when we talk about people in positions of power,
that's you. I mean, look at this room. These are--you are the
people who effect change in this country as much as anyone
else.
And so when we see people like yourself being influenced
and understanding the issue in new ways, that is already a way
that we can change things. So there are a number of ways that
we can--that you and I and----
Chairman Nadler. The time of the----
Mr. Kim [continuing]. All of us in this room can help with
progress.
Mr. Cicilline. Thank you so much.
Chairman Nadler. The time of the gentleman is expired.
Mr. Cicilline. I thought he was going to make reference to
my being a member of the Screen Actors Guild. [Laughter.]
I am. You know, when he was talking about the craft, you
know?
Chairman Nadler. Ms. Jayapal.
Ms. Jayapal. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our
witnesses for being here today.
You know, it must be--it must be very nice to be able to
look at the screen or to go to a movie and see yourself
reflected in every show, to know that whatever you choose to
do, you will get the same opportunity, to know that our stories
are reflected when we switch on that TV or go to the movies. I
don't understand how a conversation about diversity and
appropriate representation in the media has turned into a
conversation about the cancel culture.
When I was growing up in India and Indonesia, we only used
to get one American television show a day on our TV, and our
family would rush to see those shows. And I loved them all, but
I noticed something. There was only one of those shows that
actually had any actors that were people of color, and it was
``Hawaii Five-O,'' the original one, that is. And it quickly
became our favorite show, and I have stayed a fan, Mr. Kim,
with this version as well. Watching it sometimes, I will admit,
is my guilty pleasure when I am supposed to be doing other
things.
Our stories matter because what we see on the screen
creates the landscape for our society. They tell young people
what is possible for them to have in the same way that having
more women and people of color in Congress matters. And they
help to shape our views, positive and negative. That is why Ava
Duvernay's ``When They See Us'' or ``Pose'' or even
``Atypical,'' which tells the story of a teenager with autism,
matter.
After the September 11th attacks, I founded and led the
largest immigrant rights organization in Washington State, and
we initially started our work responding to the backlash, hate
crimes, and discrimination against Muslims, Arab Americans,
East Africans, and South Asians. The threat of hate violence
after 9/11 was paralyzing for our communities, and it did not
help that Hollywood too often presented Muslims as terrorists.
And frankly, we are still fighting stereotypes against our
community, a fight that is made far more difficult when we
can't tell our own stories and people can't see us in the media
as the beautiful, complex, and full people that we are.
So, Ms. Smith, in the 19 years since the September 11th
attacks, we have seen Hollywood start to include Muslims and
Sikhs and South Asians in stories, but often as side characters
and often as terrorists, not as regular people. And meanwhile,
assaults and hate crimes against Muslims have been on the rise
since 2001, peaking in 2016 with 127 anti-Muslim assaults.
Is there a connection here between the way a community is
portrayed on the screen and how they are seen and treated in
their own communities?
Ms. Smith. I think when you look at the research,
definitely there's an impact that the media can play on shaping
the attitudes, perceptions, and the beliefs of different
groups, particularly in the absence of direct contact with
members of that community. And this is why in my written
testimony, we do reference the negative stereotypes that are
far too often the series of different groups, whether it's
based on race/ethnicity, LGBTQ, or faith. When they're
conjoined with images of crime and violence, there can be
detrimental and harmful effects.
I'm happy to report that we are actually looking into
Muslim representation at the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative,
and I would like to follow up with you in the future about the
results of that investigation and efforts that we're pursuing
in that vein.
Ms. Jayapal. Wonderful. And just very quickly because I
have another question for Mr. Kim, I know that your institute
performed an analysis on race, gender, and ethnicity of
directors for the top 10 fictional films. And among the 1,300
films, you found only 3 percent of directors were Asian, and
that included only 2 Asian women directors. Quickly, why is the
director role so crucial to the work to diversify the industry?
Ms. Smith. More leads behind the--more leads on screen that
are from racial/ethnic groups, more speaking characters from
racial/ethnic groups, more likely to hire below the line crew
that are from diverse backgrounds. And if the audience is over
45 percent people of color, it connects with audiences not only
in the United States, but communicates an image globally about
the world in which we live.
And so the director identity, as the top leadership
position in or on a production team, really matters for all of
those hiring positions being associated with increases,
particularly for marginalized communities.
Ms. Jayapal. Thank you so much.
Mr. Kim, you know I am a fan. You talked about in your
testimony that media is a value delivery system. Can you speak
to that a little bit more, what it means to be a groundbreaking
bilingual Asian actor in an industry where there were very few
people who look like you and very few parts that reflect the
values and real lives of Asian folks like us?
Mr. Kim. Well, thank you for the question, and I have to
say I'm a fan of yours, Representative. You're incredibly
articulate, and thank you for participating.
I would say that like cigarettes are a nicotine delivery
system, television and film and media is also a value delivery
system of sorts. We shape what is acceptable in society by what
we see on television and vice versa, you know? What we see on
television, in other words, is a reflection of society. So they
are intertwined.
And so when we see that it's acceptable to put people of
color in secondary roles and constantly have the white leads of
every show save the day, we are subconsciously or consciously
making a correlation between their abilities and what we see on
screen. And so it's incredibly important that we have people of
all shapes and sizes doing every different thing.
It's not that--it's not that people of color are asking
only to be leads or only to be heroes. I think what people of
color are asking for is a diversity of representation so that
when we see someone who looks like you or me, we don't
automatically have preconceived notions of what they can or
cannot do based solely on our skin color.
So I think that's really an important thing. A lot of the
testimony here has focused on the fact----
Chairman Nadler. The time of the--the time of the gentleman
has expired.
I now recognize Mrs. Demings, who has been a leader on
media diversity for many years.
Ms. Jayapal. Thank you, Mr. Kim.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mrs. Demings. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
And thank you to all of our witnesses for joining us today
as we have this very important discussion.
Because this discussion has taken so many different forms,
I was a little confused at one time about what hearing I was
in. For the record, I will just say that I am a black woman. I
know everybody can see that. I am a former police chief, a
career law enforcement officer, and I am a Christian.
And Ms. Villa, I can tell you, I don't--I don't know about
anybody else. I don't care about you being a conservative. But
I do care about how black and brown people have been treated in
this country for 400 years. I do care about that.
I am a black woman. I know what discrimination feels like.
I know what name-calling--the first time I was called the N-
word, I was 4 years old. So I can talk about this issue because
I have lived it myself.
And we talked about a woman's right to choose here. We have
talked about the police. We have gone into some areas that I am
not really sure why. And you know, as we talk about diversity
in the entertainment field, I know that is why we are here, we
also need to get to a discussion where we talk about it in the
news media, too.
I know that will be a different hearing, but who tells the
story matters because it brings different perspectives to the
issue. So when the viewer, the listener walks away, they will
have a better opinion.
You know, as we talk about criminal justice, I think the
problem is sometimes is that we want to start at the
beginning--or at the end. We want to start with the police, as
opposed to looking at what has transpired long before the
police were ever called in the first place.
We cannot just hold one system accountable in America if we
are going to make a difference. We have got to hold all systems
accountable that have failed us. We are not here to criticize
the entertainment industry, but doggone it, we ought to be here
to make it better. So that little girls and little boys like me
and from Hispanic and Latino communities can have an equal
opportunity to succeed, to be a part of telling that story.
And Dr. Smith, I do want to thank you so much for giving us
the statistics because we can argue and debate all day long
that we are here to bash the President. That doesn't get
anything done. We know that.
We can talk about why we are here. We are here to make the
world a better place for the people that we represent, and if
that is not your motive, then shame on you. Shame on you.
I don't care what political party you are in that tells the
story, I am just saying that more black and brown people and
people of diversity should be telling the story. Wow. So, with
that, thank you for that moment.
Ms. Temple, and forgive me if you have answered this
question because we went in so many different directions that
we were so busy trying to represent one person, we forgot the
people that we truly represent, the hundreds and thousands in
each of our districts. Can you tell me what steps that studios,
networks, production companies can take to significantly
increase the percentage of people of color with green light
authority on their contact team over the next 5 years?
You know, many times I hear--I remember recruiting at the
police department and being told that, well, there is just
nobody out there that can do the job. I don't believe--we have
very talented people of all colors. But we have to come up with
creative ways, if we really care about our industry, to make
sure that those very creative, very talented people of all
color have an opportunity to participate.
So, Ms. Temple, that is my one question. Thank you so much
for your answer.
Ms. Temple. Thank you.
And I did want to say before I got into that answer that I
really do appreciate hearing from all of the creators who spoke
here today. They really did, you know, eloquently talk about
their personal experiences in the industry, and I think that
that's really important to hear from their perspectives, and
that's part of the way that we can actually jointly figure out
how to do better in the industry. So definitely want to thank
them for participating.
You know, as I mentioned earlier and I alluded to a bit in
my oral testimony and had a few more details in my written
testimony, it's not going to be a one-stop shop. There's not
one easy way to solve some of these issues. I think everybody
here has recognized that these issues are longstanding, and so
they are going to take a multiple-pronged approach.
But I do think that some of the initiatives that I
mentioned earlier that the studios are doing now will make a
difference, will increase representation both in front of and
behind the camera. For example, WarnerMedia just recently
announced a production diversity report where they pledged to
use their best efforts to ensure that they have a diverse cast
and crew.
CBS Studios has announced that its development and writers
rooms by the 2021-2022 season will have 25 percent of the
script development budget will be allocated to diverse creators
and 40 percent to diverse writers. So each--and you know, I
could go on and on.
Each one of the studios has recognized that there is an
issue and has committed in very concrete ways to make sure that
those issues can be addressed. And again, you know, it's not
going to be one program, I don't think, that will solve
everything. But a combination of these types of programs and
conversations, quite frankly, with the creators that are here
today and with you on ways that the industry can work together
to move forward I think will go a long way to making things
better.
Mrs. Demings. We will reach to you. Thank you so much.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Ms. Villa. I'd like to respond to Mrs. Demings calling me
out.
Chairman Nadler. No, no. The gentlelady----
Ms. Villa. Am I able to respond?
Mrs. Demings. I would like to recognize----
Ms. Villa. She did mention my name and call me out. I'd
just like to respond.
Chairman Nadler. The gentlelady--the gentlelady has yielded
back. Mr. Correa is recognized.
Mr. Correa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to ask for unanimous consent to enter into the
record two letters. One by Pepe Serna. It will be published in
the Latin Heat Entertainment, a Latino media industry
publication. And a letter from the National Hispanic Media
Coalition as well.
Chairman Nadler. Without objection.
[The information follows:]
MR. CORREA FOR THE OFFICIAL RECORD
=======================================================================
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Correa. I just want to confirm, Mr. Chairman, that this
is--this hearing is about diversity in the media. Not about the
President, not about other issues. This is about diversity in
the media.
And if I may start with one statement, which is ``one
nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.''
I grew up as a kid believing in that. This great country,
equality. Then after a while, you realize you are a little bit
different than the other kids, where you live, how you live,
poverty, and the things kids tell you day in and day out. Then
you begin to notice the media that molds, affects attitudes,
predisposition on who you are and as a community what your
contributions are to this country.
Mr. Olmos said something very interesting, and it reminded
me of all those World War II veterans in my district, all of
them highly decorated, yet you never read about them anywhere.
Jose Angel Garibay, the first casualty of war in the Iraq War,
a Dreamer in my district. And every time I quiz kids, people in
my district, veterans, ``Who is this man?'' Nobody knows. And
that is because we choose not to focus on these individuals.
I want to come back to the issue of media in our society.
Heard some folks talking about the role of Government and that
only the best and brightest should get those roles in media.
Only the best and brightest should be there.
And yet let me tell you something that, in my opinion,
media is not totally about free market, free enterprise. Media
is subsidized by the Government. Media is regulated by the
Government. And therefore, we, as elected officials, have a
role on what media is about in our society.
When I was in the California State legislature, every year
Motion Picture Association would come to Sacramento and ask for
hundreds of millions of dollars to make sure that there was no
run-away production from the State of California. You talk
about government, free enterprise, no such distinction.
Yet at the same time, today we are talking about things
like ``the mob.'' This issue is not new. I have been addressing
the Latinos in the media since the early '90s. Hispanic,
Congressional Hispanic Caucus has been meeting with folks like
Jack Valenti for the last 20 years. No change.
So in my limited less than 2 minutes left, I am going to
ask Ms. Smith, Ms. Temple, what is it that we have to do to
change the outcomes, the people in front and the back of the
cameras? What is it that we need to do to change? And I don't
see change coming.
Ms. Smith, what do we have to do to address these
bottlenecks in the media and the way they portray people of
color today in America?
Ms. Smith. That's a great question. And in my written
testimony, I go on at length about solutions for change. Until
you change hiring practices, these numbers will not move. A lot
of the numbers----
Mr. Correa. So what do you do to change the hiring
practices? We have been--you know, we have been at this for 30
years, 40 years.
Ms. Smith. Okay. Two things, sir. One is that these
companies have to set target inclusion goals. They have to make
those publicly accountable. They have to have a strategy for
change, and they have to have objective and quantifiable
criteria on who they're going to hire because that reduces
bias. But I am not aware----
Mr. Correa. And Ms. Smith, I look forward to working with
you on these issues because those are great words, great
objectives, but I want more.
And Mr. Olmos----
Ms. Smith. Can I say something else, sir?
Mr. Correa. Mr. Olmos, I would also--I have got 30 seconds
left. I will talk to you later on off the screen, so to speak.
Mr. Olmos, I just want to thank you very much for investing
in our communities. I represent Santa Ana High School, where
you have donated your own private library and resources to
create a multimedia center under your name. That is what we
need to do to move the ball forward.
And again, Mr. Chairman, I hope we continue to have these
kinds of hearings. Not one every 2 or 3 years, but consistently
to see how we are moving the ball forward.
With that being said, I yield the remainder of my time.
Thank you very much.
Chairman Nadler. The gentleman yields back. Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for
hosting this very important hearing.
And I wanted to ask Mr. Whitlock--and by the way, I want to
commend all of the witnesses for your excellent testimony.
Mr. Whitlock, you are a sports journalist, obviously
dabbling in right-wing Republican politics, I wanted to ask
you, did you have the opportunity to see the Black Panther, the
movie?
Mr. Whitlock. Of course. Of course I saw the movie, yeah.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. What did you think about it?
Mr. Whitlock. I don't dabble in any politics----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. What did you think about it?
Mr. Whitlock [continuing]. Participated or voted in any
politics or----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Well, what did you think about the
movie?
Mr. Whitlock. What did I----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Yeah.
Mr. Whitlock. I thought it was fine.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Did you----
Mr. Whitlock. I thought it was fine. I thought it was a
good movie.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. What was it about the movie that
made it such a grand success?
Mr. Whitlock. Oh, I think they invested a lot of money in
it. You get what you pay for, and, you know, having lived out
in Los Angeles and Hollywood for a long time, the amount of
money invested in a movie a lot of times determines its level
of success. They invested a lot of money. It is America.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Well, I guess it being a black
film, though it didn't get as much money invested in it as some
of the other films that have been blockbusters, would you
agree?
Mr. Whitlock. I have no idea. That would be speculation on
my part.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Well, would you be surprised to
learn that other films that were less of a blockbuster, but
they were majority films directed to a majority audience, lots
of money invested, but they weren't as big as the Black
Panther?
Mr. Whitlock. Mr. Johnson, I am a journalist. I need some
facts to work with.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. I am just trying----
Mr. Whitlock. I hear you offering some opinion. Did you
have----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Oh, I am trying to find out from
you whether or not it was that content of the movie as opposed
to the investment that made it the blockbuster. What do you
think?
Mr. Whitlock. I am not a movie critic. I am a sports
journalist primarily.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Well, you are also dabbling in
right-wing politics, too.
Mr. Whitlock. I don't think I'm dabbling in right-wing
politics.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. I am just asking you about the
movie because we are talking about movies and film production
today.
Mr. Whitlock. Let's say I took your false narrative as
fact. Let's say I took your false narrative as fact that I
dabble in right-wing politics. How does that qualify me to talk
about a movie? I am a sports journalist.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Well, that is why I am wondering
why you are here today----
Mr. Whitlock. Because I----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia [continuing]. Because you apparently
were told that this hearing, the subject was different than the
one that you are here to testify about, and I just wanted to
find out from you whether or not you got anything positive out
of the Black Panther movie or not.
Mr. Whitlock. Is this hearing about the Black Panther?
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Let me go to Ms. Villa----
Mr. Whitlock. Is this hearing about the Black Panther?
Mr. Johnson of Georgia [continuing]. And ask Ms. Villa
whether or not she----
Ms. Villa. Thank you.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. What were your----
Ms. Villa. Of course I was a fan of that movie, and if you
are talking budgets, it shows that you are absolutely not in
the entertainment industry. Budgets are not racist. They are
allocated towards who is starring in the movie, what production
company is behind the movie.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia [continuing]. Okay.
Ms. Villa. The movie was excellent. I am not going to deny
that.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Why was it excellent?
Ms. Villa. It was excellent because it is a superhero
movie.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Okay.
Ms. Villa. It stars an incredible superhero who is a
nationalist, who wants the best for his nation, just like
Donald Trump.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Was there anything about the fact
that it----
Ms. Villa. Do you want me to say because it is a black man
in the movie----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia [continuing]. Black superhero that--
--
Ms. Villa. I loved the movie being about a superhero who
was undeniably black and African and running his nation.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. In fact, we haven't seen that many
black superhero movies----
Ms. Villa. We haven't.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia [continuing]. In this country.
Ms. Villa. But making a mandate----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Isn't it----
Ms. Villa [continuing]. Making it illegal unless you
absolutely have a certain representation is only going to hurt
filmmakers.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia [continuing]. Well, see----
Ms. Villa. I would like to show you some of the films that
I have seen.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Now, hold on. Hold on now. I am not
going to let you----
Ms. Villa. Since 2017, Oscar nominations included----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia [continuing]. Take over the hearing,
ma'am. I am asking a question.
Ms. Villa. You asked me a question. I am answering the
question.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. No, no, no, I am finished.
Ms. Villa. Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Loving----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. I am ready to move on to----
Ms. Villa [continuing]. Fences, Lion, Call Me By Your Name,
Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody, Roma.
Chairman Nadler. The gentleman controls----
Ms. Villa. I am answering the question.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. No, you are not answering the
question.
Chairman Nadler. The gentleman controls the time.
Ms. Villa. These all have people of color.
Chairman Nadler. The gentleman controls the time.
Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman----
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Let me digress----
Ms. Villa. Is this The View, or is this Congress?
Mr. Johnson of Georgia [continuing]. If you will, to Ms.
Alexander. And, Ms. Alexander, what was it about the Black
Panther movie that----
Ms. Villa. Unbelievable.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia [continuing]. That was so profound,
in your view, that made it a blockbuster?
Ms. Alexander. Well, certainly a lot of money was spent to
make it, and that can make the difference sometimes. It was the
content that mattered. It was the fact that for many years when
Jack Kirby and Stan Lee made that movie, it took someone like
Christopher Priest to create the characters to jump off this
stream [inaudible] matter of color to make it the Panther we
saw. And by the way, budgets can be inherently racist. The
amount of money you allocate to something shows what you value.
So I would like to say that one of the reasons why it was so
fantastic is because we hadn't seen that represented before on
screen in that way. And everybody went for it, black, brown,
and otherwise. It was an outstanding example that storytelling
and representation matters.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you, and with that, I yield
back.
Chairman Nadler. The gentleman yields back. Mr. Jeffries.
Mr. Jeffries. I thank the distinguished chair for holding
this very important hearing and for your leadership. I am proud
to represent the 8th Congressional District in Brooklyn and
Queens, and I also was proud to be the lead Democratic co-
sponsor of the First Step Act, which was a bipartisan success,
of course, and exited the House of Representatives as a result
of the efforts of many Democrats on our side of the aisle. So I
am going to resist the temptation to participate in the charade
that some are trying to engage in, and I am going to ask some
serious questions because this is a serious issue that we are
confronting. Ms. Alexander, you have had an extraordinary
career.
Ms. Alexander. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jeffries. And you have seen a lot of changes, I would
assume, that are positive in nature, and also some issues that
remain to be dealt with. And so I would be interested in
hearing, you know, from you in terms of what has improved, but
what remains in desperate need of improvement to this very
moment.
Ms. Alexander. Thank you, sir, for the question. What has
improved is that there are more showrunners who are in
positions of power to make the types of shows that can be full
of diversity, and that matters because we need to train people
to be in those positions. That is not a naturally inherent
skill set that people have. And I have to give a shout out to
people like Yvette Lee Bowser and Katori Hall, Shonda Rhimes.
Those are the showrunners we are talking about. We also should
look and invest in culture early on. That means funding arts
and schools. There is a certain type of discernment to coming
to the arts, how you think, who you think.
We certainly are in favor of diversity of thought, so I
would like to give a shout out and say to anybody that wants to
come into this, that if you have diversity of thought, you
should make a show that shows that. If you see that there is a
real gap in it, please, put forward a TV show or a film or
something to show your point of view, but that is what could
help. We need to train people, and we need to make sure that
showrunners and the people who are in those positions,
including producers, are funded, but not only that, that we
support them.
Mr. Jeffries. Now, to Mrs. Temple, you have acknowledged
that there have been some challenges with the industry, you
know, over time. I think that is no surprise because there have
been challenges here in America in terms of dealing with the
systemic racism, the structural racism, as Ms. Alexander has
put it, that, from my vantage point, has obviously been in the
soil of this country for 401 years. We have come a long way. We
still have a long way to go. But in terms of diversity, it is
not just from my standpoint a feel-good thing. Isn't Black
Panther evidence of the fact that when you reflect diverse
perspectives to capture the gorgeous mosaic of the American
people, that you actually are far more likely to have a
productive success in terms of the financial bottom line?
Ms. Temple. Yeah, that is exactly right. In fact, the
Motion Picture Association is very proud of the fact that, you
know, we do an annual theme report every year which, you know,
assesses demographics and the theatrical market. And it does
show that more diversity in front of the camera is actually a
positive thing, and that it does actually matter to the bottom
line of films. Other studies have shown that less diverse films
actually do less well in the box office, so this is not an
existential issue, so to speak. It is one where there are real-
world benefits to having, you know, films that reflect everyone
because audiences are diverse. Our theme report and other
statistics show that audiences are diverse, that, you know,
Latinos are some of our best consumers of films, and so they
want to be represented in film and should be.
And so I think that, yes, you are exactly right that this
is an issue that really shows how important it is for us to
consider diversity from all perspectives and ensure that our
films reflect the society that goes to see our films.
Mr. Jeffries. Thank you. Now, lastly, in the time that I
have remaining, the death of George Floyd, which he narrated
that murder for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and cried out for his
mother, seems to have created an inflection point for many in
this country in terms of dealing with the challenges of
systemic racism. How has Hollywood responded to that particular
moment?
Ms. Temple. You know, I am really proud of the way that
Hollywood responded to that moment, honestly. All the studios
and the Motion Pictures Association stated unequivocally that
black lives matter. The Motion Picture Association itself is
headquartered on Black Lives Matter Plaza. Our studios have
given millions and millions of dollars on racial and social
justice issues since the events of this summer. We even
supported police reform legislation as well in this very House.
So, you know, I think that this is something that really shows
how important it is and how responsible the studios feel as
well that they are part of making the society as a whole a
better place for everyone.
Mr. Jeffries. Thank you. My time has expired.
Chairman Nadler. The gentleman yields back. Ms. Garcia.
Ms. Garcia. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you so very much. And I can tell you that I was part of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus delegation that did the CODEL to
Hollywood into the studios last November, and since then, this
has been a concern for many of us. And, Mr. Chairman, I really
appreciate that you are holding this hearing because it is not
just an important topic to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus,
but to all our colleagues here in Judiciary and to many
Americans across the Nation.
What we see is important. I can personally tell you that
growing up, I really did think that everybody dressed in a
mariachi outfit, and sang Spanish songs, and had a great time
in a hacienda-looking house, because the only access I had was
a drive-in movie theater that showed Mexican movies. And I
always wondered why I didn't look like them because I am not as
dark or have the brown eyes like many of what I saw. So I know
that what you see, especially for children, is very important.
The film industry is the main narrative-creating an image-
defining institution of American society and a powerful medium
for educating or indoctrinating our citizens. The visual basis
of film gives it a universal power of communication. This
historic hearing comes at a time where studies from major
universities have shown us the lack of diversity in Hollywood,
both in front and behind the camera. And I can tell you that,
unfortunately, Latinos continue to be depicted in very negative
stereotypes by and large, if we are represented at all. We are
either the drug dealers, the illegal immigrants, the aliens,
the criminals, or, if you happen to be a female, you are
probably the maid that comes in to ask if they need anything
else in broken English.
So just last year, Latinos made up 4.6 percent of all film
roles, while black people made up 15.7 percent, in
disproportionate comparison to whites, who made up 67.3 percent
of all films, and you all can see that in the chart. And, Mr.
Chairman I do have a copy for the record if I can please get
that unanimous consent?
Mr. Jeffries [presiding]. Without objection.
Ms. Garcia. Thank you.
MS. GARCIA FOR THE OFFICIAL RECORD
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Ms. Garcia. Further, women made up less than 44 percent of
film leads, less than 50 percent of film directors, and less
than 17 percent of film writers. This is especially important
because how we portray our underrepresented communities really
does matter. Just last week, our Nation suffered a great loss
with the passing of our esteemed Supreme Court justice, the
Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She said it best when she
brilliantly stated, ``Women belong in all places where
decisions are made. It shouldn't be that women are the
exception.'' Women and people of color do belong in every
place, and we should not be an exception, not on the screen,
not behind a camera, and not in the boardrooms of any of these
studios.
We must keep striving for a more perfect Union by not only
discussing concrete steps media companies can take to improve
representation, but also by taking action to address the
stereotypical images long portrayed of people of color. Our
children can't be what they can't see, and we have a
responsibility to ensure that the media helps our youth
envision the world and the world of possibilities of what they
can be.
With that in mind, I wanted to start with our friend from
the studios association and ask a question. When we visited
last November, we met with Paramount, Universal, Netflix,
Disney, Warner, and Sony, among others. And one of the things
that really disturbed me was that although they were addressing
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and they knew we were there
for diversity inclusion issues, many of them couldn't tell us
any of the numbers, like the numbers up here. So do you make
any attempt as an association to work with your studios to make
sure that they keep track of the number of films that they make
that address some of our concerns today? How many leads are
minority? How many people are in the studio in front of the
camera and behind the camera? What efforts does your
Association make?
Ms. Temple. Well, I will say that, you know, I mentioned
earlier the same report, which is a report that the Motion
Picture Association puts out. It is more broadly on demographic
information about our theatrical releases, but it does help
make a business case about the importance of diversity because
it shows that----
Ms. Garcia. But do you actually track and file a yearly
report so that the public can see what you all are doing or not
doing?
Ms. Temple. Well, I will say that the studios do
participate and support the Annenberg Diversity Initiative, so
I don't want to speak for the other witness. But that does
actually provide those----
Ms. Garcia. No, but my question was what do you do as the
association for the studios to monitor and keep track and
report?
Mr. Jeffries. The gentlelady's time has expired. The
witness may answer the question.
Ms. Temple. As I said, what we do is the theme report which
goes into the demographic areas of the theatrical releases, and
then we support a number of the initiatives that are
independent reports, which I think people actually want, in
terms of the way that diversity is represented on film. So for
studios, our partners, as I said, with the Annenberg Diversity
Initiative, three executives of our member studios are on
Initiative's advisory board. So this is, you know, something
that we might not do ourselves, but we do support others,
making sure that they have that information to be able to
independently review these issues and provide that information
to the public.
Ms. Garcia. Thank you. Mr. Chairman I know my time is up,
but I do have another unanimous consent request on a statement
from Alma Martinez, who is an accomplished American film,
television, and theatrical actor. She is a voting member of the
Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and longtime mentor to up-
and-coming actors. This is a statement about Latinas in
Hollywood. I ask for unanimous consent.
Mr. Jeffries. Without objection.
[The information follows:]
MS. GARCIA FOR THE OFFICIAL RECORD
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Ms. Garcia. Thank you. I yield back.
Mr. Jeffries. And I will now yield to the distinguished
gentlelady from the great State of Florida, Representative
Mucarsel-Powell.
Ms. Mucarsel-Powell. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and
thank you to all the witnesses for coming and talking about, I
think, a very important issue. You know, we all know how much
the media and the entertainment industry shape our view of the
world. It shapes actually the thoughts of our children and the
Americans that they choose to grow up to be. I am a Latina
mother here in South Florida. I have two kids. And when I go to
a movie theater, when I have them watching shows and they see
the Latino community being portrayed, I want them to see a
Latino community that they are proud of, that they can relate
to, that reflects who they are.
It is the same for all the kids living here in my district.
I represent a district that is 70 percent Hispanic, 12 to 13
percent African American, and yet, when they are watching these
films, it is very difficult for them to relate. And what
happens? They grow up trying to be someone who they are not
because they are just always trying to fit in. You know, here
in Miami, we also have the largest media companies that serve
Latino viewers and listeners in the United States. We have the
headquarters for the Univision, Telemundo, Mega TV. Those are
all Spanish-serving, you know, media that are broadcasting
these shows. And, unfortunately, what we are seeing more than
anything is that they are not portraying the reality of our
diversity of the Latino community.
Here at Florida International University, our university
down here, has the only 100-percent Spanish-language journalism
program in the Nation. I don't know why we only have to have
one, but I am proud to say that it is here in Miami at Florida
International University. The economic and the media production
footprint is enormous, and we understand what so often
Hollywood doesn't seem to understand. We understand the
importance, not just of diversity in the media, but also the
fair and the positive portrayals in the media.
The term ``Latino'' is very broad. It includes a diverse
range of people, cultures, values. We look different. We speak
with different accents. But too often, we see one singular
stereotype that comes across on TV and film, and one study
found that Latinos in the media are primarily portrayed as
laborers, law enforcement, or criminals. Another study our
witness Dr. Smith worked on actually, found that of the top 200
movies in 2017 and 2018, 1 in 4 Latino characters were shown as
criminals, 1 in 8 were shown as poor, and over half of the
Latinos with jobs had one that did not require a college
degree. These are stereotypes that influence a negative
perception among the American people, and our media industries
must take responsibility and recognize the role that they play
in shaping our inclusive landscape.
I know that one group here in Miami is working for the fair
portrayal of Cubans. I recently spoke with Eduardo Garcia of
the organization, Facts About Cuban Exiles. The group was
started in 1982 to defend the image of Cuban exiles and to
promote and improve the reputation and image of people of Cuban
origin and their descendants in the United States, especially
here in Miami. And they began their work after troubling
portrayals in mainstream film and in television of that era, so
organizations like this are so much needed to raise awareness
on these issues.
I wanted to start with Mr. Olmos. I am a big fan of all
your work. I am so glad that to see that you are working on
educating our children. I think that that is so important. Let
me ask you. How do you think we need to combat these
stereotypes? What can we do? Where do we start?
Mr. Olmos. We start by understanding what a stereotype is,
and a stereotype is a fact, a truth, but if it is the only
thing that you see, then it is completely gone to waste. I
mean, it is over for us because, basically, they only see us
one way, and my biggest concern is it our children are
watching. So, for me, how do we change that? By writing,
producing, directing, being behind the camera as well as in
front of the camera, taking over. And like Tyler Perry, we have
to start our own studios and move forward creating our product.
Ms. Garcia. Thank you so much, Mr. Olmos. Quick question to
Ms. Temple. Ms. Temple, bringing diversity to the industry is a
major issue, but how do we act to correct the negative
portrayal of Latinos that we see in film all the time?
Ms. Temple. Yes. You know, as I alluded to earlier, we
agree that, you know, work needs to be done in this area. I
think it is taking a step back and trying to do innovative
initiatives to try to address, you know, each one of these
issues as we see them. So, for example, Universal Studios
recently teamed with the Geena Davis Institute and USC to
launch the Spellcheck for Bias, which is a resource that will
support Latino representation. They will analyze scripts,
manuscripts, and advertising briefs to ensure and check the
representation of characters and the percentage of dialogue. So
innovative, I think, new and proactive initiatives like that
are what we need to think about to try to really address this
problem.
Ms. Garcia. Thank you so much. Mr. Chairman, my time is up.
I yield back.
Chairman Nadler [presiding]. The gentlelady yields back.
Mr. Armstrong.
Mr. Armstrong. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield to the
ranking member.
Mr. Jordan. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I just
wanted to give our witnesses a chance to respond. It was my
understanding when I was at a vote earlier that there were some
points made and questions raised, and no ability for Ms. Villa
and Mr. Whitlock to respond. That is not unusual for this
committee. They did it to the Attorney General. So, Ms. Villa,
I will give you an opportunity. If we can, maybe you go a
couple minutes, then I will give a couple minutes to Mr.
Whitlock to respond anything that was raised earlier that you
would like to respond to.
Ms. Villa. Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Jordan. I want to ask
why has nobody brought up China. So media giants, such as
Disney, are absolutely taking over human rights abuses by
working with China. I mean, they have operated around
internment camps in China. Mulan, the movie, was filmed in
China with gross violations against human rights and abuses.
Their stance on equality as it pertains to the United States is
that they don't care about it. They are bought out by money,
and they are owning an American commodity that should be
something that American voices can be backed by.
And we talk about diversity, but if we don't have diversity
behind the scenes when it comes to making sure American-owned
products are American owned, then it is going to go to foreign
voices, and that is a problem. That is a big issue. As well as
I wanted to respond to Mrs. Demings. We brought up Black Lives
Matter, and then said that, oh, I don't know what this whole
thing is about, and proceeded to keep talking. I wasn't able to
respond, but I am going to respond now. I am going to say that
it is important for representation of thought.
Mrs. Demings. For the record, I did not bring up Black
Lives Matter. We were all over the place in our discussions
as----
Ms. Villa. But your side, the Democrats have been all over
the place.
Mrs. Demings. I can only speak for myself.
Ms. Villa. I spoke about diversity in media.
Mrs. Demings. I can only speak for myself.
Ms. Villa. And Democrats have brought up this President----
Mr. Jordan. Madam Chair.
Ms. Villa [continuing]. And then shut me down when I
attempted to respond.
Ms. Escobar. Mr. Armstrong controls the time.
Mr. Jordan. Madam Chair, it is my time. I would like an
additional 20 seconds added, and Ms. Villa can answer a
question that was posed to her earlier.
Ms. Escobar. Just proceed.
Ms. Villa. Thank you.
Mr. Jordan. And I would like a couple minutes for Mr.
Whitlock.
Ms. Villa. Thank you. So Mrs. Demings, since 2017, Oscar
nominations have included Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Loving,
Fences, Lion, Call Me By Your Name, Green Book, Bohemian
Rhapsody, Roma, If Bill Street Could Talk, Black Panther. In
2017, a black actor was nominated in every acting category.
Hollywood is disproportionately run by Democrats. This a
Democrat-run council here. This event was put on by Democrats.
So why can't you guys get it right with diversity? It is
because you don't have Republican representation there.
Mrs. Demings. God bless you, Ms. Villa.
Ms. Villa. It is because you don't talk about diversity of
thought.
Mrs. Demings. God bless you. God bless you.
Ms. Villa. It is because you just want to put people who
are black and brown under, oh, they are black, so I am going to
agree with them, rather than what products are they bringing to
the table. Diversity of thought is the biggest issue here.
Mr. Jordan. Mr. Whitlock, let me just pose a question to
you. There was a New York Times piece from July of this year,
and the headline read, ``Are Protests Dangerous?'' This is
relative to the COVID-19 concern or pandemic. ``Are Protests
Dangerous,'' and then the headline reads, ``What Experts Say
May Depend on Who's Protesting What.''
Mr. Whitlock. Yeah.
Mr. Jordan. This is how absurd it gets. This is how
politically correct it gets. You can't get COVID if you are
protesting certain left-wing-approved causes, but if you are
protesting conservative causes, oh my goodness, COVID knows the
difference between protesting about not being able to go to
church or a loved one's funeral, or protesting about some other
issue. I mean, this is amazing to me. You have got the last
minute and 20 seconds here, Mr. Whitlock.
Mr. Whitlock. Well, I think my overall point is we can talk
about skin color of diversity, but if everybody has to say the
exact same thing because that is what Silicon Valley and the
social media matrix that they built dictates, what difference
does it make what color you are? It just doesn't. And so I have
sat and listened throughout the day, and we certainly heard
from the Latino community about how they are portrayed in
movies. Who is in control of this? And for me as a black man, I
look at the music industry and how black men are portrayed in
the music industry, particularly in hip-hop. Who is in control
of the music industry? Who is in control of Hollywood?
It is pretty clear that it is the left, and this is how we
are being portrayed in the music and movie industry, and no one
wants to speak out against it. That is where my frustration
comes with talking about the President or things like that.
There are just much bigger issues. And, again, I will just
repeat: when it comes to skin color diversity, there is only
one thing you are allowed to say by Hollywood, by the cancel
culture group.
Ms. Escobar. Mr. Whitlock.
Mr. Whitlock. And so it renders color almost irrelevant.
Mr. Jordan. Thank you.
Ms. Escobar. The gentleman's time has expired. I now yield
myself 5 minutes. I would like to first thank Chairman Nadler
for having this hearing, and I want to recognize and thank the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairman, Joaquin Castro, for
pushing on our committee to have this hearing, this very
important hearing, today. And I also want to thank members of
the Tri-Caucus.
There really should be absolutely no question that we have
seen an increase in racism in our country. In fact, there has
been an increase in hate crimes in our country since 2016. That
is the year that then candidate Donald Trump announced that he
believed Mexicans are rapists and criminals, described
immigrants as an invasion, and he essentially announced to the
world that it was okay for the highest leader in the land to be
a racist. When the person with the biggest bully pulpit and the
loudest voice, who is bolstered by his enablers, portrays black
and brown people in the most negative light, it matters. And
when the media and film industries perpetuate damaging
stereotypes, it matters.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has been working to
expose the connection between both the lack of representation
of Latinos in the industry and the misrepresentation of who we
are with the way that we are perceived by society. And I will
tell you, I love films, and for many of you who are Zooming in,
I have been a big fan for a long time. I love going to the
movies. But growing up, I remember watching Latinos portrayed
as gangsters, maids, or undocumented immigrants. I never saw a
Latino or Latina portrayed as a member of Congress, which I am
so privileged to be today. That portrayal matters.
Now, things have gotten better in the industry, but the
pace is absolutely unacceptable. When we look back over more
than a decade at the data, looking at Latino leads and co-leads
since 2007, Latino representation is still limited. In 2007,
Latinos made up 1 percent of leads and co-leads. Eleven years
later, in 2018, that number is now a whopping 4 percent. Ms.
Temple, based on your testimony today, it seems like you agree
that the industry is in part responsible for societal
misperceptions of Latinos. Would you agree? Historically.
Ms. Temple. I would definitely agree that the portrayal on
screen has not been accurate when it comes to persons of color,
including Latinos and African Americans and others, and that is
something that the studios are definitely aware of and working
against. One of the ways to do that, of course, is to ensure
that you have diversity in the writing rooms, which is a focus,
and I have talked a lot about some of the initiatives that the
studios have to increase diversity in the writers' rooms so
that, again, there are people who will be able to accurately
reflect, you know, those in front of the cameras.
I also mentioned a little bit earlier the fact that a
number of the studios work with consultants and affiliation
groups, again, to address the issue of making sure that
portrayals are not stereotypical, but that they are instead
accurate portrayals----
Ms. Escobar. Thank you, Ms. Temple.
Ms. Temple [continuing]. And they reflect the broadness of
the community.
Ms. Escobar. I appreciate that, and you did a good job
laying out at the beginning of the hearing in your opening
statement the work that the industry is doing. What we have
seen, especially over this past summer, and, in fact, for years
now, is a reckoning, a real reckoning on race. We have seen
people, hundreds of thousands of Americans, marching in the
streets demanding change, demanding action. The changes that
you outlined, while I am so grateful for them, and while they
are long overdue, do you really believe they meet the urgency
of this moment? A simple ``yes'' or ``no,'' please. I am
running out of time.
Ms. Temple. I can't answer ``yes'' or ``no,'' but I can say
that we agree that more needs to be done. And so I don't want
to just narrowly say has everything we have done----
Ms. Escobar. Ms. Temple, I am going to take my time back. I
simply wanted your opinion. I wanted to know if you believe the
industry is meeting the urgency of the moment. I personally do
not believe it is. Do we have your commitment that in addition
to what you have outlined, that you will look at accelerating
the work that needs to be done in order to meet the urgency of
this moment, yes or no?
Ms. Temple. Yes, you have my commitment, and I am happy to
work with all of the studios to continue this dialogue with you
directly.
Ms. Escobar. Thank you, Ms. Temple. We will hold you to
that commitment.
That concludes today's hearing. We thank all of our
witnesses for participating.
Without objection, all members will have 5 legislative days
to submit additional written questions for the witnesses or
additional materials for the record.
Without objection, the hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 5:12 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
APPENDIX
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