D.O.C.'s = Dis'ers of Color (Disney Fans of Color)

[sara_s]

So I'm curious to hear opinions on a show like Hamilton, which I saw for the first time today. What do you all think about having a POC play a white historical figure, like Thomas Jefferson for example? I know there's been some controversy lately about having white actors voice Black characters in animated shows. I think that's about not giving the Black voice actors equal opportunity (please correct me if I'm wrong on that) but what about the other way around. If the character was fictional, sure, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about a real person, who we know was white, being played by a POC. I think the show was wonderful and the entire cast did a fantastic job. I'm just wondering how that particular issue is viewed, especially by POC.

I think this tweet encapsulates it perfectly:


It was an intentional choice by the creators. Plus, Broadway is by far a very white-focused industry. How often do you see a mainstream mega hit musical where the majority of the cast is made up of POC?

ETA: I listened to Lin's interview with Terry Gross (Fresh Air) and he made it abundantly clear that he knows casting this one musical this way does NOT solve the representation issue. But hopefully more creators will take it as an opportunity to create pieces that represent what America actually looks like!

 

[sara_s]

Oh and one more thing - I've read criticisms in the past that highlight while the musical is so "revolutionary" in its scope, creative flair, etc....the irony is the only people who could afford to see it (i.e. the audience it may not even be intended for) are majority wealthy white people. When pressed about it, Lin also mentioned this as a challenge to him as a writer and creator. How can you make Hamilton accessible? Well, the good news is Disney+ will now give people the option at a heavily discounted price....but it doesn't solve the issue at hand.

It's a challenge that I would like to see solved but seeing as I have absolutely no business/finances background, how can they do that? The producers seek to recuperate the cost of putting on the production.

I believe Hamilton had a program that would allow schools to come see the show either at discount or for free? Am I recalling that correctly?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Oh and one more thing - I've read criticisms in the past that highlight while the musical is so "revolutionary" in its scope, creative flair, etc....the irony is the only people who could afford to see it (i.e. the audience it may not even be intended for) are majority wealthy white people. When pressed about it, Lin also mentioned this as a challenge to him as a writer and creator. How can you make Hamilton accessible? Well, the good news is Disney+ will now give people the option at a heavily discounted price....but it doesn't solve the issue at hand.

It's a challenge that I would like to see solved but seeing as I have absolutely no business/finances background, how can they do that? The producers seek to recuperate the cost of putting on the production.

I believe Hamilton had a program that would allow schools to come see the show either at discount or for free? Am I recalling that correctly?

I think it would be challenging to not charge as much as you can for the actual Broadway show. May e you could do something like an extra mid day performance that is for tickets to groups from lower income areas, schools from lower income area, etc?

I think the best is things like having it on Disney+ and ramping up touring groups that can provide slightly cheaper access and can maybe specifically target going to areas that are lower income and higher percentage population of BIPOC

I think you need to let the profits from the actual Broadway performance help enable the other avenues

 

[sara_s]

I think it would be challenging to not charge as much as you can for the actual Broadway show. May e you could do something like an extra mid day performance that is for tickets to groups from lower income areas, schools from lower income area, etc?

I think the best is things like having it on Disney+ and ramping up touring groups that can provide slightly cheaper access and can maybe specifically target going to areas that are lower income and higher percentage population of BIPOC

I think you need to let the profits from the actual Broadway performance help enable the other avenues

Good point. Now that it has more than gained back what it put out, you would think they could stand to sell discounted tickets. But then there's the demand....

The worst part? Broadway is shut down until January. So who knows what will happen now. :-(

 

[mamaofsix]

Wow, haven't read through this thread yet, but just wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to @AKL Ranger for starting this initiative.

I truly hope the request is honored by the DIS content team. I also hope that Pete and the team will seriously consider adding more POC to their staff - especially their vlogs and podcasts.

4 of my children are Indigenous (Cree Nation), and I can't wait to see more conversation happening on these topics.

 

[kylenne]

May e you could do something like an extra mid day performance that is for tickets to groups from lower income areas, schools from lower income area, etc?

They did this with the Ham4Ham performances.

When I was in high school there was an initiative where we could get cheap matinee tickets to different arts and theater performances. Being a theater kid we had a lot of group outings at the Met, different Broadway shows, etc. Not sure if these programs still exist since this is going back 20 something years ago but it was one of the many benefits to growing up in NYC. I went to a STEM focused specialized public high school (it was the basis for Peter’s HS in the MCU Spidey movies) but we still had access to a lot of arts education.

I have mixed feelings about Hamilton and tbh “how do POC feel about __” questions rub me the wrong way. We’re not a monolith and when it comes to Hamilton specifically there is a wide ranging diversity of views. A lot of black folks take serious umbrage with the way a distinctly Black American art form (hip hop) is used to prop up slaveholders and make them seem more progressive than they really were. Ishmael Reed wrote a play called The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda that serves as a scathing critique of the show

I didn’t see it until last night, mainly because I didn’t want to go through the Herculean effort and expense to get tickets to something I felt ambivalent about and I didn’t listen to the album beforehand (I don’t listen to soundtracks before I see a thing, as a rule). I enjoyed it despite the frenetic pacing and thought all the performances were stellar (except LMM hilariously enough, who gets blown off the stage every time he shared it with Daveed Diggs. And I like LMM for the record).

That said, I do agree with the critiques even though I loved it and deeply appreciate how it shook up the Broadway establishment and created opportunities for actors of color. I wish there was more room for nuanced discussion about the show, but everything kind of descends into arguments about the casting, where either you stan the show uncritically or you think it’s “reverse racist“.

 

[sara_s]

They did this with the Ham4Ham performances.

When I was in high school there was an initiative where we could get cheap matinee tickets to different arts and theater performances. Being a theater kid we had a lot of group outings at the Met, different Broadway shows, etc. Not sure if these programs still exist since this is going back 20 something years ago but it was one of the many benefits to growing up in NYC. I went to a STEM focused specialized public high school (it was the basis for Peter’s HS in the MCU Spidey movies) but we still had access to a lot of arts education.

I have mixed feelings about Hamilton and tbh “how do POC feel about __” questions rub me the wrong way. We’re not a monolith and when it comes to Hamilton specifically there is a wide ranging diversity of views. A lot of black folks take serious umbrage with the way a distinctly Black American art form (hip hop) is used to prop up slaveholders and make them seem more progressive than they really were. Ishmael Reed wrote a play called The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda that serves as a scathing critique of the show

I didn’t see it until last night, mainly because I didn’t want to go through the Herculean effort and expense to get tickets to something I felt ambivalent about and I didn’t listen to the album beforehand (I don’t listen to soundtracks before I see a thing, as a rule). I enjoyed it despite the frenetic pacing and thought all the performances were stellar (except LMM hilariously enough, who gets blown off the stage every time he shared it with Daveed Diggs. And I like LMM for the record).

That said, I do agree with the critiques even though I loved it and deeply appreciate how it shook up the Broadway establishment and created opportunities for actors of color. I wish there was more room for nuanced discussion about the show, but everything kind of descends into arguments about the casting, where either you stan the show uncritically or you think it’s “reverse racist“.

I would love to have those conversations! But I’m also a theater nerd and a lot of what blows me away about the show is the physical act of putting it on. I get it though, I can easily see it getting off topic which is not the point of this thread.

 

[JacknSally]

They did this with the Ham4Ham performances.

When I was in high school there was an initiative where we could get cheap matinee tickets to different arts and theater performances. Being a theater kid we had a lot of group outings at the Met, different Broadway shows, etc. Not sure if these programs still exist since this is going back 20 something years ago but it was one of the many benefits to growing up in NYC. I went to a STEM focused specialized public high school (it was the basis for Peter’s HS in the MCU Spidey movies) but we still had access to a lot of arts education.

I have mixed feelings about Hamilton and tbh “how do POC feel about __” questions rub me the wrong way. We’re not a monolith and when it comes to Hamilton specifically there is a wide ranging diversity of views. A lot of black folks take serious umbrage with the way a distinctly Black American art form (hip hop) is used to prop up slaveholders and make them seem more progressive than they really were. Ishmael Reed wrote a play called The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda that serves as a scathing critique of the show

I didn’t see it until last night, mainly because I didn’t want to go through the Herculean effort and expense to get tickets to something I felt ambivalent about and I didn’t listen to the album beforehand (I don’t listen to soundtracks before I see a thing, as a rule). I enjoyed it despite the frenetic pacing and thought all the performances were stellar (except LMM hilariously enough, who gets blown off the stage every time he shared it with Daveed Diggs. And I like LMM for the record).

That said, I do agree with the critiques even though I loved it and deeply appreciate how it shook up the Broadway establishment and created opportunities for actors of color. I wish there was more room for nuanced discussion about the show, but everything kind of descends into arguments about the casting, where either you stan the show uncritically or you think it’s “reverse racist“.

Thank you for this @kylenne! I’m fascinated by your high school! We don’t have anything like that in my area (or at least we didn’t when I was in high school). I also completely agree with you that LMM was the weakest performance

I was reading through Twitter late last night and saw several people criticizing the show for glorifying slave owners and traders, which I admit is a theme I hadn’t gotten from the show. Not saying those critiques are wrong or invalid, I just hadn’t seen the show as a glorification of the real-life figures. That wasn’t my takeaway.

I saw “The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda” referenced in a Twitter thread and spent some time reading about it. I’d never heard about it before, and it all definitely made me reconsider my own takeaways from Hamilton.

With such varied and passionate opinions on all sides, it seems for a lot of people that the show (not the character or the real-life person) falls into a “Hamilton is all good or Hamilton is all bad” division. Is it that simple?

Speaking as a white woman who is trying to be a better ally, it can be hard to know the “right” position (I guess) on something like this, that is less cut-and-dry than other topics. There may not even be a “right” side here, but it seems to a lot of people that there is. I personally love the show (and realize it’s not perfect), but I see and understand the positions on both sides of the divide, and don’t want to proliferate more harmful things. Does Hamilton have a harmful impact?

Can the show exist somewhere in the middle, as something that takes (generous) liberties and is by no means perfect, but is thought-provoking and (hopefully) a research and conversation starter? Can people love the show and recognize the good things it does while recognizing the problems within it?

This got very rambly and I probably worded things terribly. I’m sorry! This is something that was on my mind last night and this morning. I apologize if I said anything inappropriate or centered myself. I also didn’t mean my remarks or questions at any one user in particular, more just positing thoughts out into the atmosphere.

 

[T-i-double-guh-er]

4 of my children are Indigenous (Cree Nation), and I can't wait to see more conversation happening on these topics.

My 3 children and I are Potawatomi. Definitely nice to see these conversations, and definitely some mixed feelings about how Indigenous people are represented by Disney.

 

[mamaofsix]

My 3 children and I are Potawatomi. Definitely nice to see these conversations, and definitely some mixed feelings about how Indigenous people are represented by Disney.

Absolutely. Certain aspects of Peter Pan (both the film and the ride) are especially bothersome to our family. The Jungle Cruise also.

 

[Carol_]

Honestly I have removed myself from social media all together minus here and LinkedIn. I have thought about leaving here a few times as well. Everyone looks at me like I have 3 heads when I say I don’t have Facebook or Twitter and have never been on Instagram. I learned that when something makes me more sad than happy I need to purge it from my life. World needs more love right now. ♥♥♥

I agree COMPLETELY and I hate when “news” programs quote random Twitter users as if they are reliable sources of useful information instead of just people or bots that share their not so hidden bias.

 

[sweetpeama]

Thank you for starting this thread. I've been listening and trying to learn as much as possible about what others experience and what I as a white woman will never experience. I also appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and helping to teach people like me even though you dont and shouldn't have to.

I have to admit that I have yet to have a talk with my kids (son is 6 and daughter is 3) about race. I was under the impression that not pointing out our differences or raising them "to not see color" as some say was the right approach, but is actually not the way to go based off articles and posts I've read. I'm struggling with the right words to bring it up or the best way to explain it in a way they'll understand. My son has described different cartoon characters or people on tv as having brown skin and I just go about the rest of the conversation and don't stop to correct him. He's simply trying to tell me which character he's talking about and there's no malicious intent behind it, but afterwards I always feel like I missed my moment and that I'm part of the problem. I just want to raise kind, empathetic humans who see/judge people for the content of their character and not by their race, sexual orientation, religion, etc.

I have had plenty of talks about people being discriminated against for various reasons with my 15 year old who still doesn't understand while people insist on saying she's white or he's black when we should be saying she's porceline (sp), he's ivory she's beige he's mahagany she's ebony, he's burnt sienna no matter how many times I try and explain that most people don't have the artistic eye for color that she does so we have to make it simplier for the rest of us if we need to have a discription of someone in case it is needed. OK she is starting to understand but she is not happy about it and regularly tells me so. No I am not an artist by nature though I do enjoy pieces of good art so her early exposure was through books we used in her early schooling years (which had a tendancy to not be on the school shelf half the time becuase someone had it in her room)

My younget who is chronologically 12 but developmentally about 6.5 I have not had as many converstations with due to her being completely non verbal so it seems more like a lecture. She understands when people are nice to her and when other kids include her in their play or when they are mean to her and do things like try and physically remove her from the tire swing at the playground and get their mommy to help them do this instead of just waiting until she is done for their turn or sharing the tire swing when she has patted the seat across from her and smiled at the person. (oh and with this incident she was not even 4 and the other kid trying to remove her was 11 when I was alerted by one of the other kids in the homeschool group we were at the park with celebrating the end of an optional music linga class. The other kids mommy well I have thought many times it's a good thing that 95% of the population around here will either never visit a Disney Park or go only once in their lifetime because she would be one of those demanding that her get have front of the line access because he deserved it).
Lately with my 12 year old we have been reading a chapter or two ok sometimes 3 or 4 at a sitting at night (started as an activity to keep her occupied and not on her ipad when we went to pick up her dad from work in the early hours of the morning and we had to wait a bit) from a book titled Joshua and the Children by Joseph F Girzone. While this book deals with religious differences there is much that can be applied to dealing with racial differences.
I have underlined in pencil many of the lines in this book and one that is standing out so much to me right now is
"Fear comes from not knowing, and hatred comes from fear of being threatened, a willingness to understand is the first step in banishing fear. As understanding grows, fear diminishes, and hatred turns to trust. It can happen if people genuinely want peace. In these troubled times people owe it to their children to take the first step."

Oh my gosh, @Lindsey17,
Thank you so much for your kind words of support. You going to get the waterworks started here in just a moment. When I speak of my hopes and dreams (that in time people will eventually see the Walt Disney World Resort as a peaceful place for families and friends of all colors will enjoy, evoking the call of their inner child. Children are born innocent.) it is my Shaman (Medicine Man) roots shining through.

So far we have only been able to take our children to Disney once when they were just over 2 and 5 years old (hopefully one day finances will allow a return trip but we have been hit by everything you can imagine from medical issues to why in the heck did we get hit by the hail storm and have to replace the siding and the roof less than 3 years after replacing the roof from wind damage and non of the neighbors got a direct hit and more over the past 10 years so guess where the vacation fund savings goes you guessed it to handle the latest emergency because we don't have enough in the main savings to cover it) but my then 5 year old had no problems interacting and playing with kids from all cultures on the playground and at the pool of island we were in at CBR. She and a little black girl about the same age were trying their best to make arrangements to spend the night together in each other's hotel rooms much to the other litel girl's mother and my shock. The answer from both of us was yes they are nice but we don't know them and your not allowed to stay with someone that mommy and daddy don't know very well. I know for me it was nothing against the fact that the other family was black because I have a very short list of people I let my kids stay with and the list of those for overnights is even shorter because I want them with people I know well and I have developed a relationship with over a period of time.

Thank you for your response. I agree that kids need to experience diversity and that's one of the reasons I love Disney so much. People from all over the world come to visit and so not only do kids get to experience the magic and wonder of Disney, but they get to see and hear people from all walks of life and that even though we look and sound different we all have something in common and that's our love of Disney. They're still young so currently their only interest at the parks is rides and popcorn, but I'm hopeful as they get older they'll be more interested in learning about the history and culture of the different countries in Epoct and lands in AK.

My oldest was 5 when we went and while the rides were of interest there was just as much if not more in spending time listening to the cultural hosts at a number of the kidkot stations. Much to the grandparents dismay she was perfectly content to sit and color a bit while spending mos to the time asking questions about what life was like in Morocco or in Japan, or in China.
I think part of the interest in other cultures that my kids especially my oldest has is from the curiculum that my DH and I choose to use with them. We went with Sonlight in part because it doesn't spend all it's time on US history only once history is started at 3rd or 4th grade and you get a year of Western World History sometime between 6-8 grade and again in high school. Instead when we started the first 4 years (preschool-2nd grade was spent on learning about other cultures and world history, 2 years of american history and in total only 4 years was spent on Ameican history and the other years were on a wide variety of world history including a year spent on the Easten Hemisphere. We have read a number of great books from other cultures and collections of stories from various cultures over the years.

View attachment 506040
If anyone is willing to offer suggestions for alternate movies in place of Hamilton, I am all ears.

If we focus on content from the Disney Plus platform, we can surely find a few things we can all agree on to watch.
Can everyone post two (2) movies for our watch party list?

The Bears and I
Cheetah

There are some more non Western feature length films on my list but let's keep in chronological order of release so I don't forget which ones I have shared.

 

[joanjett1976]

Thank you for this thread\initiative AKL Ranger

 

[AKL Ranger]

I think the voting choices are limited and biased. It makes it sound like “are you for us or against us”.
A bit divisive IMHO.

ETA: It seems a like a divisive tone for the forum in general.

Thank you @Maistre Gracey
for sharing your point of view and opinion. Everyone is welcomed, with the understanding we are creating a safe, positive space for Disney fans of color and our Allies of all colors. The Dis Boards feature a number of different forums for a diverse group. If you were not a member of the LGBTQ community or did not consider yourself a LGBTQ Allie, would you consider the LGBTQ Forum to be divisive?
If LGBTQ points of view were of no interest, surely there are other topics/forums that you would feel comfortable contributing.
Although you dis not ask “why there might be a reason for a forum for Disney Fans of Color and their Allies?” I will be happy to tell you.
This thread came out of responses to a question regarding the experiences of Disney fans of color (negative & positive) while visiting Disney parks.
While it might be news to you mang Disney guests of color have both good amd bad experiences that are different from White guests (surprise). There is nothing divisive in asking the question, Disney sends out surveys all the time. This thread is an opportunity for People of all colors to share, learn and grow together in this era of greater understanding of Brothers & Sisters of color.

@Maistre Gracey , I am inviting you to return to this thread learn from our stories and experiences, and maybe you will gain new levels of appreciation for Disney from a different point of view. If you have no interest, so be it.
Through positive content this forum can be fun. As for the poll. Asking people If they have anything positive contribute is not divisive. If people are looking to contribute negative, mean spirited or racist comments there maybe a forum out there some where to accommodate those views. Just not in this thread/forum.
All we ask from all visitors, is to be kind, be respectful and to be loving.

In spirit of universal Brotherhood (& Sisterhood )
Wishing you and Disney fans everywhere
Peace, Love & Light.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Thank you @Maistre Gracey
for sharing your point of view and opinion. Everyone is welcomed, with the understanding we are creating a safe, positive space for Disney fans of color and our Allies of all colors. The Dis Boards feature a number of different forums for a diverse group. If you were not a member of the LGBTQ community or did not consider yourself a LGBTQ Allie, would you consider the LGBTQ Forum to be divisive?
If LGBTQ points of view were of no interest, surely there are other topics/forums that you would feel comfortable contributing.
Although you dis not ask “why there might be a reason for a forum for Disney Fans of Color and their Allies?” I will be happy to tell you.
This thread came out of responses to a question regarding the experiences of Disney fans of color (negative & positive) while visiting Disney parks.
While it might be news to you mang Disney guests of color have both good amd bad experiences that are different from White guests (surprise). There is nothing divisive in asking the question, Disney sends out surveys all the time. This thread is an opportunity for People of all colors to share, learn and grow together in this era of greater understanding of Brothers & Sisters of color.

@Maistre Gracey , I am inviting you to return to this thread learn from our stories and experiences, and maybe you will gain new levels of appreciation for Disney from a different point of view. If you have no interest, so be it.
Through positive content this forum can be fun. As for the poll. Asking people If they have anything positive contribute is not divisive. If people are looking to contribute negative, mean spirited or racist comments there maybe a forum out there some where to accommodate those views. Just not in this thread/forum.
All we ask from all visitors, is to be kind, be respectful and to be loving.

In spirit of universal Brotherhood (& Sisterhood )
Wishing you and Disney fans everywhere
Peace, Love & Light.

The problem as I see it, is when someone disagrees with a POC’s viewpoint, or the viewpoint of many in the forum, they will be chastised and shouted down. This happens EVERY DAY in real life. If I had the nuts to say “All Lives Matter” instead of “BLM”, in many circles I would be toast. It’s just an unfair set-up IMO. While I believe there should be a dialog on the subject, it’s also my firm belief that many believe “it’s my way or your a racist”. I hate that. (Not saying that’s you’re mindset)
I get tired of people thinking I’m some sort of bigoted racist because I dare speak out against affirmative action. To be absolutely clear, I want the best person for the job. I don’t care if it’s a black transvestite midget in a wheelchair. I do not like any group being favored. Somehow that doesn’t hold water in today’s world. I get so tired of everything revolving around race. I sort of wish the future has everyone inter-breeding (is that a word?) so that everyone is the same color.

 

[AKL Ranger]

Wow, haven't read through this thread yet, but just wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to @AKL Ranger for starting this initiative.

I truly hope the request is honored by the DIS content team. I also hope that Pete and the team will seriously consider adding more POC to their staff - especially their vlogs and podcasts.

4 of my children are Indigenous (Cree Nation), and I can't wait to see more conversation happening on these topics.

Greetings and Blessings to you @mamaofsix
Welcome to D.O.C.'s
I am very humbled and never dreamed of this thread devoted to Disney Fandom from People of Color's point of view, would last more than a day. I never realized we had so many members of the Dis community that are people of color or our Allies.
I am glad this thread is making a meaning full connection to First Nation people by way of your children.

Please feel free to suggest topics you would like to explore. The topics do not always have to be a heavy thought-provoking. After all, we are fans of Disney so let us have fun.

Wishing you and our fellow Dis'ers Peace, Love & Light.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Thank you @Maistre Gracey
for sharing your point of view and opinion. Everyone is welcomed, with the understanding we are creating a safe, positive space for Disney fans of color and our Allies of all colors. The Dis Boards feature a number of different forums for a diverse group. If you were not a member of the LGBTQ community or did not consider yourself a LGBTQ Allie, would you consider the LGBTQ Forum to be divisive?
If LGBTQ points of view were of no interest, surely there are other topics/forums that you would feel comfortable contributing.
Although you dis not ask “why there might be a reason for a forum for Disney Fans of Color and their Allies?” I will be happy to tell you.
This thread came out of responses to a question regarding the experiences of Disney fans of color (negative & positive) while visiting Disney parks.
While it might be news to you mang Disney guests of color have both good amd bad experiences that are different from White guests (surprise). There is nothing divisive in asking the question, Disney sends out surveys all the time. This thread is an opportunity for People of all colors to share, learn and grow together in this era of greater understanding of Brothers & Sisters of color.

@Maistre Gracey , I am inviting you to return to this thread learn from our stories and experiences, and maybe you will gain new levels of appreciation for Disney from a different point of view. If you have no interest, so be it.
Through positive content this forum can be fun. As for the poll. Asking people If they have anything positive contribute is not divisive. If people are looking to contribute negative, mean spirited or racist comments there maybe a forum out there some where to accommodate those views. Just not in this thread/forum.
All we ask from all visitors, is to be kind, be respectful and to be loving.

In spirit of universal Brotherhood (& Sisterhood )
Wishing you and Disney fans everywhere
Peace, Love & Light.

Just to follow up.... the LGBTQ forum...
Just try to post an opposing viewpoint. You will be lambasted.

 

[AKL Ranger]

My 3 children and I are Potawatomi. Definitely nice to see these conversations, and definitely some mixed feelings about how Indigenous people are represented by Disney.

Hello Brother Joshua @T-i-double-guh-er ,
Welcome to D.O.C.'s,
I am glad you shared your Native heritage. I hope you will feel welcomed and will add to our conversation.
I am descended from Creek & Cherokee (eastern band) on my father's side and Caribe Indian on my mother's side, along with ancient ancestry going back to Scottland.
One of my Scottish American cousins and I have even worn our Kilts drinking our way around Epcot Centre-World Showcase.

Wishing Peace, Love & Light.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

My 3 children and I are Potawatomi. Definitely nice to see these conversations, and definitely some mixed feelings about how Indigenous people are represented by Disney.

I discovered today, through a John Cleese twitter post that another word was derogatory and racist. Apparently this is well known in Canada and North America but in the U.K., or at least here in Wales, I had no idea, I thought that it just meant ‘wife’ or ‘girl/woman. Thank goodness for threads like this. Please keep calling us out for using offensive terms and phrases and please forgive our ignorance.

 

[AKL Ranger]

You do not have to "love" people of color, but at least have sincere respect for people of color.
Of course in my very humble opinion (don't you just love that phrase?)
I do not see anything wrong with everyone loving each other regardless of skin color.
Now if we are talking the difference of which theme park is better Disney World vs. Universal studio Orlando, that could be a problem. Just kidding here.

Once again we are defining the reason for this thread, as some people do not understand everything is not meant to appeal to their tastes or interests. Be assured discussions that include respectful inclusion of race/ethnicity are not political or religious. This Thread is meant to create a safe place for People of Color and their Allies (of many colors) to share our love for all things Disney from the point of View of People of Color. A safe place where People of Color can share unique insights without the distraction of negative comments meant to silence or distract us from sharing our love of Disney in a way that is meaningful to our community and with our Allies.
A view that many of our Allies are here to contribute and support in a positive manner as we share and learning from each other.

If you don't have an interest in points of view from Disney fans who are people of color; Black, Brown, Native American, First Nation, Latino, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific/Asian Islander, then you might find this thread to be boring.
If you are looking for a forum specifically for Dis'ers over the age of 97 who crochet scenes from the Disney animated film "Treasure Planet", ok.

Rather than getting distracted by mean spirited posts (no matter how subtle) being traded back and forth, this will be the last entry in this thread/ forum that acknowledges or responds to negative posts that distract from the positive loving messages of support, learning posted so far.

There are too many positive/fun topics the members of this forum are looking to discuss. We can all be much happier without the mean spirited negative energy.

Did anyone ever experience an African American Family Reunion group experience planned by Disney? I ask because there were attempts early in Disney's Animal Kingdom Park to teach and immerse all guests (no matter their ethnicity) in authentic African experiences, including language. For example, the Swahili language along with English is what is spoken in Kenya, African, and the Port Town of "Harambe."
Considering how broad the African diaspora is, Disney made great efforts to expand international college program participants from many African nations to staff both Animal Kingdom Park and the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Here is a question for the D.O.C.'s & Allies has anyone traced their ancestry to a specific region and met an international cast member from that ancestral homeland?
For many African Americans, this task can be almost impossible, without extensive Genealogy research or DNA ancestral testing.
Is anyone aware of resources within Disney that provide access to more in-depth cultural experiences?

I found an interesting video linked below from an Allie who discusses acknowledging the difficulty of knowing that struggle of ancestral culture connection. I want to keep Disney in our discussions, when possible. In keeping with that promise, the included video has a brief positive Disney/ Marvel mention, you will have to listen for it 2/3 of the way into the video.

Wishing all my Brothers & Sisters a happy Sunday, Happy July 5th, or whatever fun positive thing you wish to celebrate today.
Please remember to wear a mask, wash hands often.
Peace, Love & Light.