Hello! As I am still relatively new to blogging, I’m still working out different ways to share pieces. I wanted to try out this .pdf file function! Click the “Read Me!” button to see the piece.

It is a screenplay for a 30-minute television pilot about a white man who believes he is contributing to the Black community by pitching television series concepts to be aired that feature primarily Black casts. This screenplay was produced alongside a college professor I had in which I was challenged to “get Black representation right.”

We both acknowledged that is an impossible task for two crucial reasons. 1: a single individual can never holistically and accurately represent an entire group of people in any form of media and 2: I am white; therefore, in order for anything short of this screenplay to function at all, it would need to be, in the very least, co-created with a Black individual.

With these two caveats in mind, it was still important for me, as a writer, to better understand the importance of reflecting identities in accurate, genuine, and non-harmful ways. The best way to learn how to do this is through practice, and I hope to continue reframing my ability to portray identities on the page in compassionate and true fashion.

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Oh, My Word! is a weekly updated blog featuring fiction, poetry, drama, and essays for the world. #OhMyWordWednesdays

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