Hidden in Plain Sight: Black Actors Missing in Action

Please welcome back guest blogger @Brotherfuture94! The article originally on his blog FilmSwag, and follows up on this week's post How to Get To Sesame Street by City Athena:

It appears even the most prominent of black actors have a hard time getting recognized for their roles in TV and film. Such was the case for Taraji P. Henson of the new CBS show Person of Interest, who took her beef to Facebook and let the world know what was up:

"WOW!!!! TV Guide is NOT including me on the cover with my cast members….....I am the female lead of a 3 member cast and I’m not included on the cover!!!!!! Do you see the shit I have to deal with in this business…..I cram to understand!!!!"

We cram to understand too, Taraji. The fact that Taraji P. Henson has not been prominently featured in the ad campaign for this show is puzzling indeed. Clearly it can't be her credentials. After all, Ms. Henson has been nominated for an Academy Award and an Emmy. Also, as she notes, she is the lead female actress in a show that revolves around three people. Take a look at some of the posters for Person of Interest::

While Taraji does appear in one of the posters, it's worth noting that the middle poster is the one CBS chose to promote the most. 

Here are two versions of the trailer. The 1 minute trailer and the 30 second trailer that was shortened for TV purposes:

In the first trailer we get a 'blink and you might miss her' glance at Taraji, and in the second/shorter trailer Taraji is nowhere to be found. People of color being left out of promos is nothing new, but the fact that it continues to happen -and to an Academy Award nominated actresses no less- is just a shame.

See Also:

How to Get to Sesame Street

Dorothy Dandridge
Red Tails: Using Privilege for Good?