Over the last few months, diversity has been a popular topic on everyone's lips. Whether there is too much or far too little of it, children's shows and modern movies are slowly becoming more diverse and inclusive.
But why is this important, and how can this impact you, even if you don't identify with a particular minority?
Well, as a POC, (Person of colour) I grew up seeing sn all-white cast on my favorite T.V shows and seeing very few people that looked like me. During this period, I was struggling to accept the things about me that made me different and unique because of the lack of positive representation on screen. Currently, according to 2018's On-Screen Diversity Monitoring, ethnic minorities only make up 12.5% of the T.V population on BBC 1 & 2. While this is a big improvement, there is still a lot of work to be done on and off the screen.
For example, My mum and younger brother went to the vet and the vet attending to us just so happened to be a POC. My brother's eyes lit up and he instantly became more focused, concentrating on everything the vet said. After we left, the first thing he said was "I wanna do that when I'm older" clearly demonstrating the positive effect of seeing someone who looked like him in a noble profession.
Not only is diversity crucial for young POC but more representation would also help others become more educated on the thousands of cultures different people celebrate and are a part of. Seeing more minorities portrayed in a positive light could also help break down popular stereotypes and misconceptions about different minorities.
