Self-Made and The Banker showcase the power of black-owned businesses

by André Wheeler via https://www.theguardian.com/

The Netflix series and Apple TV movie tell true stories of entrepreneurship at odds with an ongoing Hollywood narrative of black tragedy

While Hollywood has slowly started to embrace a more diverse landscape, inspirational depictions of African Americans prospering remain an unfortunate rarity. This year’s Oscars drove the point home quite clearly, with Cynthia Erivo as the lone black acting nominee, playing runaway slave Harriet Tubman. The same year saw snubs for Lupita Nyong’o in Us and Eddie Murphy in Dolemite is My Name, both playing more contemporary characters with agency. It added credence to the long-held suspicion that in order for a performance by a black actor to break out, there needs to be some form of abuse or subservience to gain recognition. Previous wins by Octavia Spencer in The Help, Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years A Slave and Mahershala Ali in Green Book highlight this. Yes, these experiences form a majority of the black experience …

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