Courtesy of Guardians of the Peace, here is an excerpt from an email written by a Sony employee and directed to Sony Pictures Entertainment executives.
The employee recounted experiences of racial discrimination in job promotion, specifically in comparison to a white female colleague who received more favorable treatment, though the white female colleague possessed less education and experience.
Troubling, yes.
Though I hope I am not the first to say that racism and harassment, though I certainly don’t condone them, are not at all that surprising from an enormous media conglomerate.
At this venture, we should all be aware that racial inequality is alive and thriving all over the United States.
White privilege and the devaluation of black life have been a constant topic as of late.
But really, is this treatment of blacks in America at the hands of whites all that horrific? Or is it expected?
Certainly we are well-versed on the hundreds of years of slavery, lynchings, beatings, murders, assassinations, all at the hands of whites against blacks.
Yet, each time we hear of a news story about white racism against blacks, in employment nonetheless, we pretend as if we are shocked and appalled that white studio executives could conduct themselves in such a despicable manner. We are found pining from disappointment, as if we expected the apple to fall far from the tree, for successive generations to have learned absolutely nothing from their ancestors.
The experiences of racial/ethnic minorities in predominantly white organizations, we are learning more and more with reveals like these, very closely resemble an exchange between partners in an unstable and volatile relationship.
Like somebody getting abused in a relationship, the victim can voice complaints, day and day out. But if the abuser is not willing to stop, at some point, the victim has to make the decision to get out of the disparaging situation, leave the relationship, join people who are uplifting rather than damaging, and never return to the oppressor.
But in order to leave, there has to be something to leave to.
Here, I would say that black Americans, if they have not carefully considered this path before, should now make inroads into forming a real Black Hollywood–one that will support your filmmakers, actors, and movies in all their glory and without the bitter tinge of a production that was only embarked upon for the sake of diversity.
The only tangible way to relegate racism to the past is to build strong black institutions for the future.
Your analogy of the abusive relationship is so true. Just never really thought about it. But this integration relationship we have had with whites in this country continues to be only abuse and abuse and abuse. And the law comes around to abuse some more! Hopefully we can grow up and leave our abusers into Black Institutions.
Black Institutions will be a great thing to go to. Alas, who’s gonna build them? Tyler Perry? He can’t make one good movie! Man, I hate to tell ya but its a dicy situation we have have here in America. As long as we continue to desire to live in white communities, get white jobs, be with white chicks, even date a white president, we will always along the way be abused. And you are right, the white Americans of today have not at all fallen very far from their slave owning ancestors who committed hideous crimes against humanity.
Are you referring to Scandal? Where some black woman want to be with some white president of the USA?
Yeah that one, where that exactly happens, and it is a black woman producer, and black women love it.
Well, what say them about our sons and husbands being shot and killed like animals in the streets?
Chris Rock came under criticism when he talked about Hollywood’s racism. Well, well, well, was he right on the money???
I hope white Americans understand that racism is abusive! They are abusing power! Just so they know.
RACISM = AB– USE. Dear white people you are abusing us! Stop! Stop! Stop!
The weird part is that the Federal Government does not give a damn. Why? They are white people! Its a beautiful abusive government we have here in America!
I here ya! The problem with America is that the Federal Government’s pact to protect minorities from abuse has been a lie. Just a shirking of responsibility. And oh, I now got it. The Federal government is white too. Aha!
Like in all abusive relationships, the abused seems to continue to believe in some unfounded relationship with the abuser. Why don’t we leave white people by themselves? They will never change, so we have to leave them stack in their communities, we have to build our own companies to serve our own needs, we have to build our own film industries, our own law firms etc. and stop holding hands with these abusers when they go bombing and killing innocent people abroad.
Your analogies here are easy to understand. But our presence here in America is much more complicated than being in an abusive relationship. It is abusive, yes! its is painful, yes! But what else is there to do? Where is there to go?
That is what a person in an abusive relationship would say! What else is there to do???? Go??? Anything is better than the violence on Black men. Anywhere is better than jail, do you think?
Every 28 hrs a Black man is shot dead either by a white cop, a white vigilante, or an ordinary white person without consequences. Every 54 hours a Black man is going to jail for a crime he did not commit. Every 36 hours a Black boy is also going to jail for a low level infraction, like having a joint in his pocket!
We call this abuse?
No, this is genocide. White America is sending Black men to prison in the same manner Adolf Hitler shipped in jews to the gas chambers.
So you ask, is anything better? Is anywhere better? Conny, please, yes! Anything! Anywhere!
For a moment I thought, and I just realized how not seriously Black America takes on these issues of murdering, rape and constant abuse. We gotta just stand and say, enough is enough.
“How long shall they kill our prophets, while we stand beside and look? Some say it’s just a part of it, we’ve got to fulfill the book. Won’t you help to sing, these songs of freedom.”
~Bob Marley (Songs of Freedom)
Great songs of freedom.
Chris’ Top Five film is a blast by the way. Now Chris is the most intuitive filmmaker/comedian/actor that I have ever seen.
Agreed!