Keke Palmer and screenwriter Nakia Stephens have joined forces to convey a brand new authentic sequence, Southern Fried Rice, to Palmer’s KeyTV platform, a digital media community devoted to uplifting Black tales and creatives. However for the reason that present’s launch, social media customers have been divided over its distinctive plotline, which facilities on an Asian American character.
Premiering its first two episodes on Oct. 22, Southern Fried Rice follows an Asian American girl, Koko Johnson, performed by Web page Yang, as she explores her identification and tradition whereas rising up with Southern Black dad and mom. The themes collide when Koko attends Wright College, a prestigious fictional HBCU in Atlanta, and her late father’s alma mater. There, she faces questions of belonging and self-discovery, in response to Advanced. The forged additionally contains Kordell Beckham, Choyce Brown, Ashley India, Jada Lewis, and Shaun Rose.
Palmer described the undertaking as embodying her community’s mission— a narrative that celebrates “numerous realities whereas nonetheless being filled with humor, love, and coronary heart.” But, not everybody on-line agreed with the actress’s ethos.
Reactions to Southern Fried Rice have been combined.
After the trailer and first two episodes dropped, some social media customers voiced frustration. On X, one person wrote that the present’s lead ought to have been a Black actress, given its HBCU setting and KeyTV’s mission to middle Black tales.
“Black ladies aren’t a monolith; they may’ve simply made it concerning the transformation you undergo experiencing an HBCU. Esp if stated BW went to a PWI. This simply appears like a sloppy try to pressure range in a present when black folks must beg for one supp-role elsewhere,” the person penned.
One other added:
“I feel the plain subject is, there’s actually no want for the principle character at an HBCU to be asian???”
Some customers stated the present pulled affect from the real-life story of Cindy Wilson.
Some customers additionally identified similarities between Stephens’ present and the real-life story of author Cindy Wilson, a Korean-born girl adopted by a Black household in Mississippi. Wilson, who detailed her journey in her 2018 memoir Too A lot Soul, wrote about rising up in Jackson, Mississippi, after being adopted from Seoul, South Korea. “See how she fights and loves her approach by life as she searches for her identification and discovers her place on the earth regardless of the strongholds that society tries to put on her,” the e-book’s description reads.
A number of folks on-line accused Stephens of failing to present Wilson correct credit score.
Nonetheless, different viewers embraced the sequence’ unconventional storyline. One individual on X wrote:
“I do know loads of non POC that went to HBCUs that acquired scholarships for being a minority, so I’m thinking about seeing how this seems.”
One other viewer appreciated the present’s strategy to cultural illustration, saying:
“Am I the one one open to the thought of this? I watched the trailer and the principle character is tastefully written (w/o a Blaccent) and there are many Black men and women inside the present.”
Keke Palmer and Nakia Stephens chimed in on the discourse.
Because the controversy unfold, each Palmer and Stephens addressed the dialog instantly. In a video shared on Oct. 23, Palmer spoke out to make clear the intentions behind Southern Fried Rice and to highlight the Black creatives concerned within the undertaking, together with Stephens, whom she has invested nearly half one million {dollars} in over time for earlier exhibits on KeyTV.
“I needed to cut it up actual fast about this sequence referred to as ‘Southern Fried Rice’ that’s premiering on KeyTV, which is receiving some controversial suggestions. Now, Southern Fried Rice was created by Nakia Stephens. Whereas I can’t communicate to her inspiration for the present, I can communicate to her dedication as a artistic,” Palmer stated in a video posted on social media. “Nakia has written, showran, and produced 4 exhibits alongside her Rattling Write Originals workforce with KeyTV, and KeyTV has proudly invested over half one million {dollars} in her creations. And I say that as a result of it’s not straightforward to acquire that type of funding.”
She continued:
“[At] KeyTV, that’s the ethos of the corporate. It’s a community, not simply because it has stars and exhibits or has expertise, however as a result of it’s concerning the individuals who create the exhibits and connecting them.”
Keke Palmer went on to call different Black creatives KeyTV has supported, together with Antwan Lawshe, Eric & Rosero McCoy, and Chelsea Sanders, including:
“Look, what you want is subjective, however the assist of Black creatives will not be, and it’s a job that KeyTV takes on with pleasure. As a result of if you wish to be a artistic, you might have to have the ability to create, and that takes cash, and it’s KeyTV’s mission to search out the funds so that you can be in observe, so that you can expertise trial and error, and to take your initiatives off the web page and get a couple of probability to do it in motion. So, whether or not you prefer it all or some or none, I say, give these creators an opportunity to develop as we proceed to develop in supporting them.”
Stephens additionally spoke up, posting a message on Instagram that very same day.
“I welcome dialog. I welcome curiosity,” she shared. “Our final purpose was to spark dialog round tradition, round belonging and identification, and in order that’s what I feel I’ve executed.”
She added that the present had been a decade within the making and was deeply private:
“Southern Fried Rice is 10-plus years within the making, and it was impressed by my very own HBCU expertise and observations as a scholar at Savannah State College, the primary public HBCU in Georgia,” she defined. “I had buddies at Savannah State College. And other people in my orbit who have been non-Black and needed to navigate a traditionally Black house, and I noticed how arduous and difficult and enjoyable and delightful it was for them to take action, and that sparked my curiosity and truthfully planted the seed for Southern Fried Rice.”
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