In 1906 on the campus of Cornell University, seven Black men created Alpha Phi Alpha Inc., the first African-American Greek Letter Organization. After being faced with the inequalities of the fraternal world, they wanted to create a safe space for Black men to come together in unity. In 1909, the NAACP was created, one of the earliest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. In 1951, there was Jet magazine (initially The Weekly Negro News Magazine), and in 1979 Robert and Sheila Johnson created BET, our own television network.
For years, African-Americans have struggled to have their voices heard on all platforms, which is why we seek out opportunities to create spaces for us, by us. When others won’t do right by us, it’s the hope that at least we will. This is why I wasn’t the least bit surprised by the error written by playbill.com when announcing the actress/singer stepping into those silver slippers as Dorothy for NBC’s The Wiz Live. Playbill.com incorrectly reported that Grammy-nominated R&B songwriter Shanice (Wilson) had been cast as Dorothy. While on the surface this may not seem like a problem, it’s actually adding to a larger problem that African-Americans face: erasure. Not only is it problematic that it was published before it being fact-checked or edited for errors, but it’s an insult to 18-year-old Shanice Williams, who rightfully earned her debut role.
Mistakes are common and human error is possible, but when your entire website deals with content pertaining to all things Broadway and theatre and you’ve been covering the story for months, a little more attention to detail is crucial. It’s times like this that we gravitate towards those that are actually in our corner, like Broadway Black.
Created in 2011 with one goal in mind, Broadway Black prides itself on being dedicated to highlighting the achievements and successes of African-American theatre artists on and off the Broadway stage. That’s why I was interested in becoming a Contributing Writer. As an artist, I love coming to Broadway Black to read what is happening on the Black theatre scene. It is enlightening, it is refreshing and it is about time. Errors like that of Playbill have no room in our space because this is our mission. Our articles require thorough research to do the show and/or actor justice. During a time when we are facing pain as a community, I tend to view Broadway Black as a sliver of hope. Seeing this young, fresh-faced 18-year-old Black girl from New Jersey live out her dreams in such a big way is monumental. Her story deserves to be told accurately by people who are wholeheartedly invested, not just because it was another assignment.
That’s why I ALWAYS choose Broadway Black.
