The Good News: That teen 80′s cult super show “21 Jump Street” is being made into a movie. The Bad News: There’s not one Black woman in site.
Things may change, but currently the only cast members confirmed are: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and …wait for it… Julianne Hough. Um, yeah…
Granted, casting for a remake isn’t always true to the original (that is, characters change, new characters are added, and old characters are eliminated all together), but what a slap in the face to take the Black woman role away for the remake. (Yes, I can hear the cogs turning back progress on hiring actresses of color –for anything.)
If anyone remembers “21 Jump Street,” it was a true bit of teen pop angst, 80′s-style.
Big hair, neon colors and mullets-du jour, every teeny bopper tuned into the series. Holly Robinson-Peete (then just Holly Robinson), was the perfect complement to co-stars Johnnie Depp and Peter DeLuise. She was hip, trendy-looking (with big curly hair and denim jackets) and never appeared to be a “token” cast member… she just was. Her presence was natural and expected.
Hopefully the producers of the “21 Jump Street” movie will get a clue that Americans are used to seeing Black women in the workplace, so why isn’t she working on the big screen?









