This week Back2Reality with Jarrett Hill included two interviews about some of the biggest stories in the country right now: one dealing with a police killing of an unarmed black teenager, the other with the cast of a new show that’s sparking renewed conversation on being a Black face in a very white space.
S. Lee Merritt updated us on the family of Jordan Edwards, informing us that the family has planned private services to remember their son. Merritt says Edwards’ brothers should be considered as well, as their horrific experience included not only witnessing their brother’s killing, but also being mistreated and mocked by Balch Springs police officers.
The Balch Springs Police Department has fired the officer that shot Edwards, Roy Oliver, citing he’d violated various policies of the force. Merritt says that Oliver isn’t the only officer that needs to be reprimanded, two others were involved as well. BSPD didn’t respond to our request for comment.
Then came “Dear White People.”
The cast and creator of the series talked Obama taking big checks, Black-ish’s potential spin-off in the vein of “A Different World,” and more before diving into the behind the scenes of the show, the backlash they’ve received in the first week since the show’s release and how the series tackles some of the most difficult topics of race, injustice, and difficult conversations… in comedy on a college campus.
Justin Simien, the show’s creator, says feedback has been overwhelmingly positive but the negative feedback makes him want to work on season two.
Marque Richardson, who plays Reggie Green, discussed the scene where his character is staring down the barrel of a police officer’s gun and the real life situation that influenced his performance.
“I felt like I couldn't not go there,” Simien said of the moment that was a decided “tonal shift” in the show.
