Quantcast
RELATED

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. This is especially true for the only female writer of the hit show, Atlanta, Stefani Robinson.


The projects that we've seen over the past few years have proven that the mainstream is interested in and desperate to hear the stories of young black people. Stories of three dimensional characters of color that we see in shows like Insecure and Atlanta prove the importance of inclusion in media.

Now that we've gotten our foot in the door, Stefani says that it's time to hold that door open for even more women of color. She told The Wrap that being the only black female writer in the room had become both a blessing and a curse.

"It's a bummer. It's a really bittersweet thing, I think. I'm so happy to be the woman in the space, because I think that it's so rare in Hollywood for a woman, especially a woman of color, to exist in these spaces. So on the one hand, I'm grateful and I think it's so important and I feel so blessed. But on the other hand, you always wish there was more than one."

The 26-year-old writer got her start working as an assistant at a talent agency. When she decided to try her luck at submitting her own pilot to FX, she had no clue that her step out on faith would create a world of new opportunity.

"About a year-and-a-half out of college, I was working as an assistant at a talent agency, and I had just met my agent. It was just one of those things: I had written an original pilot, got it submitted to FX, and here's a young new writer. It was at the same time they were hiring the 'Atlanta' staff, and they were looking for one more writer, a girl, specifically, and it just so happens that I was actually from Atlanta as well. It was crazy—suddenly I was meeting producers, and then I was staff on the show."

She said that although her newfound career has given her a chance to be a voice for the marginalized, she's burdened by a world of pressure.

"I just see my name get thrown around, like, 'Well she's the only one, so she's responsible. Is that how she thinks of all women?' I become the lightning rod for the female's perspective."

Women like Issa Rae and Stefani Robinson have been given the remarkable task of being the voice for an an entire demographic that's been silenced for generations, and that's no easy feat.

thehollywood360.com

"I'm just one person, and I'm here, and it's a different perspective and I'm championing this and I'm happy to be in this space. But I think when you are the only one of anything you are suddenly the voice for everyone. And it's such a hard place to be in and, I think, not a fair place to be in. There need to be more women everywhere, to be honest."

The only way to create a more diverse playing field in mainstream media is to add more women of color to the roster. Stefani says that although many people associate her writing solely with the development of the female characters, she plays an integral and essential part in developing the show as a whole.

Stefani is among the leaders of the new school who prove that inclusion is lit, and that we need a lot more of it to create a truly leveled platform.

For her full feature in TheWrap, click here.

Featured image by Samantha Annis for TheWrap

 

RELATED

 
ALSO ON XONECOLE
Howard-Homecoming-Style

Outfits were planned, bags were packed, and cameras were ready to capture Howard University's collegiate spirit during its centennial Homecoming celebration. Not only does it hold the number one ranking as the most elite Historically Black College and University or its top performing academics, diversity of students and alumni, but the HBCU also leaves a legacy of style and grace.

KEEP READINGShow less
Message From A Mad Black Woman: Y’all Keep The Blue Bracelets, We’ll Take Our Rest.

Mere hours after the 2024 presidential election results made it clear that the United States would need to gird its loins for a second Trump presidency, a gaggle of women ran over to social media to announce that blue bracelets would serve as a new sign of solidarity. A safe space, if you will.

This declaration came about in response to Black women openly voicing their disappointment in both the election results and exit poll data that showed that not just white people, but Latinos and women of “all other races” had played a surprising role in the now President-Elect, Donald Trump’s reelection.

KEEP READINGShow less
LATEST POSTS