Bridgerton, released in December of 2020, is a popular television series on Netflix created by Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rimes. The show is based on Julia Quinn’s novel series which depicts the Regency-era in London during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The show follows the many romances and dramas of London’s elite and is narrated by an unnamed writer who shares the town’s latest gossip in her weekly column. The series caught the attention of many viewers not only for the dramatic plot line, but for the inclusive and diverse cast, which is uncommon among many historical dramas. Although the series certainly grabs viewers’ attention and has quickly made its way to being one of Netflix’s most viewed shows, it has been met with much criticism about what seems to be a colorblind cast.
Tiffany R. Warren
Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer
Sony Music Group Founder & President, ADCOLOR
As Executive VP, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for Sony Music Group, Tiffany will expand equity and inclusion activities and policies across all Sony Music Group’s (SMG) global recorded music, publishing and corporate divisions, reporting directly to SMG Chairman Rob Stringer. Previously, as the Senior VP, Chief Diversity Officer for Omnicom Group, Tiffany oversaw a team of 25+ Chief Diversity Officers and Directors focused on Omnicom-wide change efforts through the award-winning Omnicom People Engagement Network (OPEN) for the support, advancement and retention of top performing talent inclusive of women, people of color and LGBT professionals.
Words are powerful. And the emotional reactions to certain words can be especially so. Case in point are the likely reactions to the words in the title above, light-skinned, negro. My hunch is that reactions probably ranged from shock, mild surprise to “what’s the big deal,” depending to a large extent on who you are and your experiences along the color line. Which takes us to Senate majority leader Harry Reid. Although the furor simmered down not long after, Reid found himself at the center of a firestorm years back for suggesting that then-presidential candidate Barack Obama had a political advantage over other African-American candidates because he was “light-skinned” and had “no negro” dialect, unless he wanted to have one. Remember that incident folks?
Tiffany R. Warren