There's an inside joke in the Black community about the way Black people are always the first to die in major Hollywood productions, but sadly, there is a world of truth in those jokes. Need a reminder? In "A Christmas Story," when Ralphie gets his BB gun, he fantasizes about shooting a Black guy. In "Gremlins," a Black teacher is the first to kick the bucket. A Black jogger is the first to go in "Sleepy Hollow." Omar Epps and Jada Pinkett Smith were the first to die in "Scream 2," and even Terrence Howard was the only person to die in "Mr. Holland's Opus." The list goes on.
Black actors know this better than anyone and have spent years building up the mental toughness needed to survive in an industry dedicated to making sure that they don't make it past Act 1. Comedian Jermaine Flower articulated the funny found in this flawed history when I sat down with him on "Salon Talks" to talk about "The Blackening."
