Karen Malina White Discusses the Colorism Controversy in The Proud Family (EXCLUSIVE)
Dijonay Jones Voice Actress Karen Malina White on Accusations of Colorism in 'The Proud Family' (EXCLUSIVE)
By Pretty HonoreFeb. 22 2022, Published 10:03 a.m. ET
Penny Proud (voiced by Kyla Pratt) stole our hearts in overdue 2001 when The Proud Family made its community debut. The sequence made historical past as Disney’s first Black animated collection and ran for 4 years earlier than it went off air.
In the many years since the series premiered, the display has won backlash for perpetuating racist stereotypes. Now that the collection has been revived, showrunners face pressure from viewers who counsel that The Proud Family has a history of being problematic.
In an exclusive interview with Distractify, actress Karen Malina White, who plays Dijonay Jones, addressed the controversy and accusations of colorism surrounding The Proud Family reboot.
‘Proud Family’ actress Karina Malina White addresses the controversy surrounding Dijonay Jones.
When you discuss Black tradition, it's a must to mention Karen Malina White.
Before she made her big-screen debut in the Morgan Freeman-led movie Lean on Me, Karen used to be crowned Miss Howard University. Later, she appeared as a visitor big name in vintage Black television presentations like The Cosby Show, A Different World, The Fresh Prince, and Living Single.
But Karen’s role as Dijonay on The Proud Family hit in a different way for her. “There was once no animation cool animated film the place the entire forged was once black and brown people,” she instructed Distractify. “That used to be pivotal then, and it's nonetheless pivotal as of late.”
Growing up, it was rare that Karen noticed somebody that gave the look of her on-screen. It's because of this, she said, that the collection reboot is so vital. However, now not everybody has offered certain feedback about The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Ahead of the sequence premiere, some are already calling for the display to be canceled.
‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’ has been accused of colorism.
Colorism runs deep in the entertainment trade, and some imagine that Proud Family showrunners are guilty of exactly that.
Dijonay — the simplest dark-skinned character in Penny’s pal workforce — has a complete of 8 siblings and a tendency of being a troublemaker. A petition with more than 17,000 signatures on Change.org cites these characteristics, among others, as explanation why The Proud Family is probably problematic.
According to the petition, "The Proud Family has always had issues with colorism." The petition's creator writes, "Dijonay Jones is depicted as a dark-skinned [girl] with a terrible attitude," also noting the persona's "aggressive" and "impulsive behavior," which are adverse tropes which are often related to Black women.
"I, therefore, call upon [the Walt Disney Company] to cancel The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder," the petition reads, "or at least redesign the role of Dijonay."
Though the collection has a cult following, others on Reddit agree that Disney may have "dropped the ball" in the case of the portrayal of dark-skinned women on the series. "As a kid, I didn't see [many] black girls on TV, so I scoured every episode of Proud Family hoping Dijonay would shine or get her affections reciprocated, and that rarely happened," one user wrote.
Karen can empathize with their enjoy and is conscious in their complaint.
“I no doubt understand what persons are saying,” she shared. “But I believe we need to ask ourselves — through what lens are we having a look at Dijonay?” Often, dark-skinned, curvy Black women are regarded as less beautiful than their petite, light-skinned counterparts. When it involves Dijonay, Karen encouraged viewers to rethink their “paradigm of lovely.” She requested, “How can we get started to have a look at and redefine what attractiveness is?”
“I believe Dijonay stands in her authenticity. She's a tender woman who loves herself. She's outspoken, and he or she's unapologetically herself,” she added. It’s safe to mention that all of us hope to be like Dijonay once we develop up.
The premiere of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder shall be to be had to movement on Disney Plus on Feb. 23, 2022.
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