John Amos on the public reaction to Roots
02:34
John Amos on his experience playing "Kunta Kinte" on Roots and how his background prepared him for it
12:12
John Amos on the effect of Roots on his personal self-esteem
01:00
John Amos on how roles for African-Americans have changed since he started acting
01:39
Sharon Bialy on Dennis Haysbert getting cast on The Unit
00:49
Sharon Bialy on how the diversity of the actors on Star Trek influenced her as a casting director
00:56
Sharon Bialy on the international reach and diversity of actors on The Unit, and on casting veterans
01:35
Sharon Bialy on the large, diverse cast of The Walking Dead
01:42
Sharon Bialy on casting Danai Gurira on The Walking Dead
01:50
Sharon Bialy on colorblind casting, and casting Samira Wiley in The Handmaid's Tale
00:38
Sharon Bialy on how opportunities have changed for actors since she started in the industry -- more inclusion now
00:43
Yvette Lee Bowser on balancing serious subject matter within the context of a comedy on A Different World -- including the episode "If I Should Die Before I Wake"
03:31
Yvette Lee Bowser on her experience of working on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and not feeling valued
03:22
Yvette Lee Bowser on taking two weeks off from Hangin' with Mr. Cooper to write the pilot for Living Single and on several white male writers getting promoted during her absence; on forming her production company, SisterLee Productions
02:19
Yvette Lee Bowser on pitching her idea for Living Single, pushing back on network notes in order to keep "Maxine Shaw", and finalizing the pilot script for the show
03:37
Yvette Lee Bowser on building the visual environment on Living Single
01:28
Yvette Lee Bowser on the tone of Living Single and on socially responsible storytelling
03:46
Yvette Lee Bowser on Living Single fan mail that she received
01:20
Yvette Lee Bowser on the "Maxine Shaw Effect" from Living Single
01:47
Yvette Lee Bowser on being the first Black woman to create, run, and produce her own primetime series in the U.S. -- with Living Single
01:03
Yvette Lee Bowser on the Black-ish episode "Hope"
04:26
Yvette Lee Bowser on discussions with Justin Simien that led to the "Chapter V" episode of Dear White People in which "Reggie" has a gun pulled on him by campus police
05:34
Yvette Lee Bowser on writing a couple episodes of Dear White People, including co-writing "Volume 2: Chapter IX", in which "Sam" returns home after her father's death; on the female friendships on Dear White People
03:20
Yvette Lee Bowser on the legacy of Dear White People
00:24
Yvette Lee Bowser on working with Onyx Collective on UnPrisoned
01:37
LeVar Burton on it being a big deal to see black people on television when he was growing up
01:20
LeVar Burton on being inspired by Nichelle Nichols on Star Trek
00:42
LeVar Burton on the unique perspective shown in Roots - history as told by the African point of view
01:35
LeVar Burton on the impact of Roots
02:16
Thomas Carter on the African-American cast of The White Shadow and fan reaction to the show
02:23
Thomas Carter on addressing racial issues in the series Equal Justice
06:41
Thomas Carter on the portrayal of African-Americans on television in 2013
04:50
Thomas Carter on dealing with racism in his career
03:57
RuPaul Charles on the pressures of being black and gay during the run of The RuPaul Show and on RuPaul's Drag Race
02:06
RuPaul Charles on the legacy and message of RuPaul's Drag Race
01:37
RuPaul Charles on the contestants of RuPaul's Drag Race, and their courage and vulnerability
04:35
RuPaul Charles on his message as a performer
04:13
Margaret Cho on Good Times being her favorite show
01:00
Margaret Cho on the challenge of getting roles on television when there were no parts for Asian Americans
01:32
Margaret Cho on how All-American Girl came about -- successful comedians got their own sitcoms in the '90s and she had a unique viewpoint as a young Asian American woman
02:49
Margaret Cho on the groundbreaking aspects of All-American Girl -- the first representation of a Korean American family on U.S. primetime television
03:10
Margaret Cho on Eddie Huang approaching her to discuss Fresh Off the Boat since she had previously navigated a show starring an Asian American family on U.S. primetime television, and on what had changed in the culture between the time of All-American Girl and Fresh Off the Boat
02:00
Margaret Cho on the legacy of All-American Girl
00:45
Margaret Cho on the progress television has made in Asian American representation in front of and behind the camera
01:09
Louis Gossett, Jr. on appearing with James Garner in the feature film "Skin Game," and on appearing in socially-conscious projects
02:07
Louis Gossett, Jr. on the impact producer Norman Lear had on opportunities for African-American actors in television
00:24
Louis Gossett, Jr. on doing research to play "Fiddler" in Roots, and why the character was a breakthrough for him in terms of his acting process
04:06
Louis Gossett, Jr. on filming the "my name is Toby" scene in Roots, and on using the line "there's gonna be another day" (which he improvised) with Alex Haley's permission
03:06
Louis Gossett, Jr. on the legacy of Roots
03:12
Louis Gossett, Jr. on the role of the actor in society, and how the arts can help or harm
04:37
Louis Gossett, Jr. on being the second black actor to win an Oscar, and on what it meant to his career
04:18
Louis Gossett, Jr. on how things have changed for African-American actors since he started
01:17
Robert Guillaume on the difficulty of black actors getting on television
02:42
Robert Guillaume on his pursuit to be funny without being a buffoon or playing a part with "dignity" on Soap
03:16
Robert Guillaume on not emphasizing racial issues directly with his character "Benson" on Soap; but finding ways to make a statement his first television role on Julia
03:52
Robert Guillaume on audience response to his character "Benson" on Soap
01:49
Robert Guillaume on how the show Benson and the main character were categorized
04:59
Robert Guillaume on other African-American actors on television in the late 1970s and early 1980s
00:51
Robert Guillaume on multiculturalism
01:19
Winifred Hervey on getting accepted to the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop
02:12
Winifred Hervey on becoming story editor for The New Odd Couple and rewriting original scripts from The Odd Couple to tailor them to African-American performers
01:19
Winifred Hervey on efforts made to diversify the writing staff of Benson
00:20
Winifred Hervey on not loving to do "issues shows" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
02:59
Winifred Hervey on her biggest challenge in the business - being female and a minority
02:07
Winifred Hervey on the representation of African-Americans on television
01:51
Winifred Hervey on opportunities for women and minorities in writing
00:40
Ellen Holly on how typecasting boxes in actors, particularly African Americans
08:56
Ellen Holly on the difficulties faced by an African American actress who is considered "too light"
04:02
Ellen Holly on writing The New York Times article "How Black Do You Have to Be?" and on the reaction to it
06:55
Ellen Holly on guest-starring on Dr. Kildare, and on having to wear makeup to make her skin appear darker for the show
02:27
Ellen Holly on her groundbreaking early storyline on One Life to Live, where she was the first Black actress to play a central character on a daytime drama, and on working with the crew of the show and show creator Agnes Nixon
11:18
Ellen Holly on her difficulties renewing her One Life to Live contract after the first year
10:19
Ellen Holly on going to bat for One Life to Live producer Doris Quinlan
15:24
Ellen Holly on the fallout from her going to bat for One Life to Live producer Doris Quinlan
02:07
Ellen Holly on her difficulties playing opposite the actor who portrayed "Dr. Jack Scott" on One Life to Live, which led to her first exit from the show
07:47
Ellen Holly on her and Lillian Hayman being fired from One Life to Live by producer Paul Rauch
06:42
Ellen Holly on coming to a late realization about One Life to Live and about Agnes Nixon
07:03
Ellen Holly on finally learning why she was chosen to be on One Life to Live by producer Agnes Nixon and ABC executive Brandon Stoddard
06:47
Ellen Holly on having been the focus of the first year of One Life to Live, and on the producers' fears of it becoming a "black show"
05:47
Charles Floyd Johnson on being the sole, or one of very few, associate producers of color when he accepted the job on The Rockford Files
00:22
Charles Floyd Johnson on how opportunities for African Americans have changed since he first started in the industry
03:18
Charles Floyd Johnson on addressing a racist comment made to him early in his career
02:46
Kim Kimble on doing the hair for Hallmark's 2024 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and the challenge of recreating Regency hairstyles, particularly for women of color
05:06
Kim Kimble on being underestimated as a Black woman working as a hair stylist in the entertainment industry, especially early in her career
04:52
Kim Kimble on the representation of women of color, as portrayed on her reality show, L.A. Hair
02:32
Sonia Manzano on watching TV as a child and not seeing "herself" depicted in the media
01:48
Sonia Manzano on being cast on Sesame Street
04:13
Sonia Manzano on writing Sesame Street stories on cultural change
03:04
Sonia Manzano on the difficulty for an Hispanic actor to find non-stereotypical roles
01:13
Sonia Manzano on watching TV as a child and not seeing "herself" depicted in the media
01:48
Sonia Manzano on writing Sesame Street stories on cultural change
03:04
Garry Marshall on network censorship experienced writing the I Spy episode "No Exchange on Damaged Merchandise" (airdate: November 10, 1965)
02:04
Garry Marshall on The New Odd Couple, which used the original series' scripts with an African-American cast
03:03
Garry Marshall on the lack of African-American characters on Happy Days
01:11
Carlos Mencia on doing Latino-based humor, and on listening to accents
04:07
Carlos Mencia on the controversy surrounding his use of the term "beaner"
02:03
Carlos Mencia on how different groups react to his act, and Mind of Mencia
05:43
S. Epatha Merkerson on experiencing racism as a college student in Indiana
00:49
S. Epatha Merkerson on the excitement of seeing black people on television when she was young
01:42
S. Epatha Merkerson on wearing a wig to cover her natural hair when portraying her Law & Order character "Lt. Anita Van Buren"
02:57
S. Epatha Merkerson on whether opportunities for black women on television have changed over the years
02:26
Ricardo Montalban on the portrayal of Mexicans in film and television
04:09
Ricardo Montalban on Gene Lockhart's advice to him about maintaining an acting career
01:51
Ricardo Montalban on his Emmy-winning performance as an American Indian in How the West was Won
03:54
Ricardo Montalban on playing his characters with dignity
01:12
Ricardo Montalban on the founding of Nosotros
10:36
Donald A. Morgan on lighting different skin tones for television in the 1970s
04:12
Donald A. Morgan on his work on Benson and on lighting Robert Guillaume properly
04:31
Donald A. Morgan on his work as director of photography on the initial episodes of the Netflix series The Upshaws -- requesting changes to the set and lighting different skin tones of cast members
03:52
Donald A. Morgan on how cinematography for television has changed since he first started in the business -- becoming more diverse
00:39
Michael Moye on the not-so-diverse writing staff of Good Times
05:24
Michael Moye on whether or not he experienced racism in the television industry
02:03
Michael Moye on hiring diverse writers
01:56
Michael Moye on some people seeing racism where he does not
04:07
Nichelle Nichols on how African-Americans were portrayed on television while she was growing up
02:27
Nichelle Nichols on almost leaving Star Trek, and then staying at the behest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
11:38
Nichelle Nichols on Gene Roddenberry coming up with the idea for Star Trek, and wanting a diverse cast
11:09
Nichelle Nichols on meeting Coretta Scott King, and discussing Star Trek with her
07:47
Nichelle Nichols on Gene Roddenberry making Star Trek a breakthrough for diversity on television
04:58
Nichelle Nichols on the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" in which she shared television's first interracial kiss with "Captain Kirk" (William Shatner)
15:59
Nichelle Nichols on how things have changed for African-American actors since she began her career
01:21
Nichelle Nichols on fan reaction to the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" in which she shared television's first interracial kiss with "Captain Kirk"
03:12
Soledad O'Brien on the state of journalism in the 1990s, women she worked with at KRON, and whether or not she faced bias and discrimination at that time
04:26
Soledad O'Brien on Jesse Jackson's comments to her after Black in America: "Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination" aired
02:38
Soledad O'Brien on penning "A MeToo Moment for Journalists of Color" for The New York Times in July 2020
04:42
Jorge Ramos on interviewing President Obama and pressing him on immigration reform
03:23
Jorge Ramos on Univision covering presidential politics and its importance to the Latino community
02:31
Jorge Ramos on hosting an English-language show for Fusion
03:30
Jorge Ramos on what he hopes to achieve with his influence
02:03
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on what separates Univision from other news gathering organizations
06:30
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on issues that are important to them personally
03:54
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on Univision's role in the 2008, 2012 and then-upcoming 2016 elections
05:43
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the emergence of Latino candidates in presidential elections
01:55
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on changes they've seen in television journalism and Spanish news
03:45
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the then-future of Spanish-language news and Latino journalists
04:26
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on dream projects or goals in the then-future
03:30
Marian Rees on producing The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
08:22
Marian Rees on executive producing Ruby Bridges
14:48
Marian Rees on the African-American crew on Ruby Bridges and gaining Ruby Bridges' trust
06:16
Marian Rees on the Norman Rockwell painting on which Ruby Bridges was based and recreating it
07:25
Marian Rees on public reaction and the educational benefits of Masterpiece Theatre's American Collection's "Almost a Woman"
14:48
Tim Reid on working with Richard Pryor on The Richard Pryor Show
04:05
Tim Reid on being told he wasn't "Black enough" in his portrayal of a character
01:20
Tim Reid on the impact of WKRP in Cincinnati; on writing the episode "A Family Affair" which dealt with race
06:09
Tim Reid on the representation of a Black couple on Snoops and fighting for the representation he wanted
01:22
Tim Reid on dealing with serious subjects on "The Bridge" and the "Frank Joins the Club" episodes of Frank's Place
04:21
Tim Reid on pitching Frank's Place with Hugh Wilson and doing research for the show; on the quality of the show
01:12
Tim Reid on launching LGCYTV.com, a streaming service designed by and for the African diaspora, during the COVID-19 pandemic and on fostering young talent
07:32
Tim Reid on how opportunities in the television industry have changed since he first started in the business
04:55
Paul Rodriguez on the Mexican-American community's reaction to a.k.a. Pablo, and their objections to his act
05:31
Paul Rodriguez on being inspired by Richard Pryor to use his Mexican heritage and identity in his act, and on the language he uses in his act
05:32
Paul Rodriguez on the then-current state of his career, and on his relationship with the Mexican-American community
03:12
Paul Rodriguez on things he has had the opportunity to do in his career, and on the then-current state of Latinos in comedy
02:00
Maria Elena Salinas on how identifying with two cultures informed her news reporting
00:59
Maria Elena Salinas on the state of Hispanic news when she started
03:38
Maria Elena Salinas on appealing to different aspects of the Latino community
Maria Elena Salinas on interviewing then-governor Pete Wilson about his stance on immigration issues for California
02:30
Maria Elena Salinas on covering immigration and doing advocacy journalism
03:37
Maria Elena Salinas on being called "the most recognized and trusted Hispanic newswomen in America"
01:50
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on what separates Univision from other news gathering organizations
06:30
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on issues that are important to them personally
03:54
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on Univision's role in the 2008, 2012 and then-upcoming 2016 elections
05:43
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the emergence of Latino candidates in presidential elections
01:55
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on changes they've seen in television journalism and Spanish news
03:45
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the then-future of Spanish-language news and Latino journalists
04:26
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on dream projects or goals in the then-future
03:30
Nina Shaw on how excited she and other family members would be during her childhood when a Black person would be on television -- memories of seeing Leslie Uggams on Sing Along with Mitch and of Cicely Tyson on East Side/West Side
01:06
Nina Shaw on Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin bringing more Black characters to television and on the number of women who worked for Tandem
01:01
Nina Shaw on negotiating talent deals in the 1970s and '80s and how race and gender affected salaries
01:03
NIna Shaw on female directors often "having to get the one shot to screw up"
02:47
John Singleton on The Arsenio Hall Show being the only variety show that would put on hip hop and R&B artists at that time
00:32
John Singleton on directing Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" music video, and his vision for putting Michael Jackson with "a whole bunch of black people"
03:48
John Singleton on how opportunities for African Americans in entertainment have changed over the course of his career
00:38
Nick Stewart on performing for both black and white audiences on the Vaudeville circuit
02:54
Nick Stewart on black performers and the type of comedy they practiced
02:24
Nick Stewart on the NAACP protests of Amos 'N' Andy
02:45
Nick Stewart on the end of Amos 'N' Andy due to protests from the NAACP (Part 2)
05:16
Nick Stewart on how race relations affected the television industry
03:43
Nick Stewart on the then-current state of African-Americans on television
05:56
George Takei on the dearth of Asian people in the entertainment industry early in his career
01:33
George Takei on Gene Roddenberry envisioning diversity as the strength of the Star Trek crew
01:47
George Takei on being an Asian-American actor
04:24
George Takei on being an Asian-American actor
04:24
Leslie Uggams on appearing on The Paul Whiteman TV Teen Club as a child and not being allowed to win a car on the show because an African American boy had already won one on the show
01:26
Leslie Uggams on getting recognized on the street after appearing on Sing Along with Mitch and the extra pressure she felt as an African American woman in the spotlight
01:01
Leslie Uggams on the pushback from the network to her being on Sing Along with Mitch because she was African American and how Mitch Miller stood up for her
01:32
Leslie Uggams on discrimination she faced early in her career and barriers she broke down by appearing on Sing Along with Mitch
02:14
Leslie Uggams on the role television played in the Civil Rights Movement
01:05
Leslie Uggams on how The Leslie Uggams Show came about and her efforts to have a diverse crew and writing staff
02:24
Leslie Uggams on the success of Roots and what it taught Americans about their own history
01:30
Keenen Ivory Wayans on battling racism with humor at a young age
01:46
Keenen Ivory Wayans on how he handled hot-button issues on In Living Color with his writing staff; on writing about the riots between the Black and Jewish communities in Brooklyn in a takeoff on "West Side Story"
01:34
Keenen Ivory Wayans on an In Living Color sketch about Black men being an endangered species and on dealing with censorship at the network
02:13
Keenen Ivory Wayans on how the portrayal of African Americans has changed on TV
Joseph M. Wilcots on the cinematographers union not being quick to welcome Black members
06:05
Joseph M. Wilcots on being the first African-American in the camera operators union
05:56
Joseph M. Wilcots on how things have changed for Black cinematographers during his career
00:42
Joseph M. Wilcots on becoming the first Black member of the cinematographers union
04:09
