STERLING K. BROWN WANTS THE CONVERSATION AROUND DIVERSITY TO SHIFT
For the cover of Entrepreneur magazine’s end of year special issue, I interviewed actor, producer, and entrepreneur Sterling K. Brown about diversity and representation in Hollywood — and what lessons he has for business people around America.
Companies talk a lot about diversity and inclusion, spurred on by plenty of research finding that diverse leadership leads to increased profits. But still, companies rarely seem comfortable with what it actually means to be inclusive. Is it enough to hire a diverse team, only to leave them to do the same job in the same way -- an embrace of inclusion that is color-blind in execution? No, says Brown. “Everyone wants to be seen,” he says from the office of his new production studio in Los Angeles. “I want you to see all of me. Saying that you don’t see color dismisses who I am. I am black. I’m male, cisgendered, heterosexual, and to say that you don’t see any and all of those things is a bit naive and misses the point. The point is not to erase me in order to appreciate me. My point is for you to see all of me, and appreciate me all the more because of who I am.”
Read the full story online.