They Cast Whom?! Actor Choices To Offend Every Racial Sensibility
http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/03/22/292548038/they-cast-whom-actor-choices-to-offend-every-racial-sensibility?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=npr&utm_campaign=nprnews&utm_content=03222014
Click the link to read an interesting article. One thing that is NOT highlighted is the following difference. When the dominant group (white, when talking about race) makes space for a historically marginalized group to play a particular role, that creates equity. When a marginalized group is not portrayed by a person from their group (even if they are portrayed by someone from another marginalized group), then the marginalized group is still marginalized and the group that is dominant is still dominant. It's not the same thing. Racism does not "work" both ways.
Folks have strong opinions about how the race of actors should or
shouldn't relate to the characters they play, but regardless of the
position you take on this front, let us count the various ways that
certain actors getting cast in certain roles might make you squirm
