Netflix launches Black Lives Matter collection, removes Chris Lilley shows featuring Blackface characters
There are a couple of big developments over at Netflix today, which has launched a Black Lives Matter collection to showcase film and television shows centering Black voices and experiences. The “More Than A Moment” collection offers over 45 titles and includes Spike Lee’s latest effort, Da 5 Bloods, as well as Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning Moonlight, and the Ava DuVernay miniseries 13th and When They See Us. Netflix released a short statement on Twitter about the new collection and the company’s commitment to “highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience”:
In addition to the launch of this collection, which will hopefully persist beyond the current political moment (as its title implies), Deadline has confirmed that Netflix removed four shows from Australian comedian Chris Lilley due to the inclusion of Blackface characters. The four series—Angry Boys, Summer Heights High, We Can Be Heroes, and Jonah From Tonga—were yanked from Netflix platforms in New Zealand and Lilley’s native Australia. Episodes of the BBC sketch series Little Britain were also pulled due to Blackface content, while Lilley series Ja’mie Private School Girl and Lunatics remain available—though the latter has also received criticism for its inclusion of a South African character named Jana. The BBC also removed the Blackface episodes of Little Britain from its streaming platform, iPlayer, but declined to remove Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes. The former features Lilley wearing brownface to portray a Pacific Islander named Jonah Takalua; in the latter, Lilley plays a Chinese student named Ricky Wong. Clips from Angry Boys, in which Lilley dons Blackface to play a rapper named S.Mouse, also remain available via the BBC Three website.
Looking for ways to advocate for Black lives? Check out this list of resources by our sister site Lifehacker for ways to get involved.