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Black America Web
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Op-Ed: Trump Wants To Make Hollywood Great Again, Tariffs Won't Help
Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE Source: Mario Tama / Getty As so often the story goes, our deranged president made an online proclamation that is either completely meaningless or a measure that will decimate an entire industry. Still, for all the other fires attributed to the current administration, the prospect of the reality TV president killing what's left of Hollywood is too painful a scenario to ignore. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social last weekend to announce a plan to impose a 100% tariff on 'any and all' movies produced in 'foreign lands.' Trump wrote: 'The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!' The blame for this terrifying outburst belongs to Angelina Jolie's estranged daddy, actor Jon Voight, who, along with his manager, recently submitted a proposal to Trump that included the idea of imposing tariffs on films produced outside the United States. Voight, along with Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson, serves as one of Trump's 'Ambassadors to Hollywood.' (Note: Gibson is currently shooting a sequel to The Passion of the Christ in Italy, a foreign land.) Source: MANDEL NGAN / Getty Trump did not detail how those tariffs would be implemented because, unsurprisingly, experts have concluded that such a tariff would likely be impermissible and impractical to implement. Yet because we live in tyranny where every stupid, self-sabotaging can be tried – laws be damned – his announcement sparked panic and confusion across Hollywood studios and streaming services. The best response I've read from the industry to Trump's plan is from a nameless British producer who told Variety : 'Even unemployed Americans are saying this is nuts — these are people who have genuinely had their careers shattered because of production moving to Europe.' In response to the widespread freakout, Trump and the White House retracted the tariff talk on Monday. Trump said he would ask Hollywood studios if 'they're happy' with his proposal to impose tariffs on films made outside of the U.S. 'I'm not looking to hurt the industry, I want to help the industry,' Trump told reporters at the White House. 'So we're going to meet with the industry,' he added. 'I want to make sure they're happy with it because we're all about jobs.' Separately, White House spokesman Kush Desai said: 'The Administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump's directive to safeguard our country's national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again.' Much as I try to avoid aligning with evil, Trump was not wrong when he told reporters that the American film industry 'has been decimated by other countries taking them out.' I am in Los Angeles and have experienced the aftermath of the contraction in Hollywood in a post-strike, post 'peak TV' era from a writer's vantage point, but for others I have know working in entertainment, I can attest to how in 2025, a studio lot 20 minutes from me will sit empty as the network finds it cheaper to fly 300 Americans from SoCal to Ireland to film an entire season of a game show for a week and a half. I like that my friends get to travel and can tell me where to find good wings and West Coast rap in Dublin, should I find myself out that way, but we all contemplate what happens to LA if this pattern continues. So it pains me to add that Sweet Potato Saddam is not totally wrong for highlighting that this has happened 'by incompetence, like in Los Angeles, the governor [Gavin Newsom] is a grossly incompetent man, he's just allowed it to be taken away from.' Newsom may have tried more recently to boost tax credits, but plenty across the industry have criticized him for not doing more sooner to prevent the fleeing of Hollywood productions in his state and others like Louisiana and Georgia. Those productions and the jobs that come with them are going to the U.K. and elsewhere – non-union jobs for the most part. Newsom, like many Democrats, was complacent with the status quo and wrongly assumed the industry wouldn't leave. In response to Trump, Newsom wrote on X: 'California built the film industry — and we're ready to bring even more jobs home. We've proven what strong state incentives can do. Now it's time for a real federal partnership to Make America Film Again. @POTUS, let's get it done.' Voight's idea for tariffs on foreign-made films is widely unpopular, but a separate suggestion he made — a federal tax credit — aligns with pushes made by Hollywood lobbying outlets, such as the Motion Picture Association, which have argued that the U.S. needs a federal film incentive as a carrot to lure productions back. The idea is that this federal tax credit will encourage states to add their incentives to compete with other countries. If this were to happen and jobs returned, perhaps Donald Trump would be celebrated as a savior of the entertainment industry. It would not absolve him of his other bad policies, corruption, and crimes, but if that demon can help me and mine finally get our stuff made, I'll take it. However, this would require Trump to work with Newsom, whom he seems to hate, along with Senator Adam Schiff, whom he hates even more than Newsom, often referring to him as 'Shifty Schiff' and 'Watermelon Head.' This would also require a change to the tax code, i.e., getting Congress involved. Source: JIM WATSON / Getty This could happen in theory, but this Congress is full of conspiratorial Republicans who loathe all things 'liberal' and are generally useless in functionality. I won't hold my breath on any of this happening in the short term, but what I can see, however, is the other aspects of Trump's Truth Social post happening that have been covered less. When he cites his basis to impose tariffs on 'national security' and warns of 'messaging and propaganda,' it heightens my concern that, where Trump won't succeed in imposing tariffs on films, he can somehow try to strongarm studios to make it more difficult for certain international films to be seen. Say, those who criticize U.S. policies or those of their allies like Israel, as was the case for No Other Land , which struggled to find an American distributor despite winning Best Documentary this year at the Oscars. Hollywood does not need any assistance from Trump on silencing nonwhite and nontraditional voices, but unfortunately, they do need his help. I don't know how 'happy' Trump can make Hollywood, so though tariffs are not the answer, there needs to be some real effort made to make Hollywood and the rest of the regions supporting it work steadily again. If not, it will just be homegrown productions courtesy of Tyler Perry, Tubi, and presumably, Trump sympathizers exempt from 'tariffs.' Michael Arceneaux is a New York Times bestselling author whose most recent book, 'I Finally Bought Some Jordans,' was published last March. SEE ALSO: The Segregationist Administration: How Trump's Team Is Systematically Dismantling Civil Rights Op-Ed: In America, Calling A Black Child The N-Word Could Make You A Millionaire SEE ALSO Op-Ed: Trump Wants To Make Hollywood Great Again, Tariffs Won't Help was originally published on
Black America Web
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
‘Sinners' Shines History On Chinese Immigrants Living In Mississippi
Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE Source: Warner Bros. Pictures / Warner Bros. Ryan Coogler's supernatural flick Sinners is generating buzz nationwide for its chilling plot and eerie atmosphere. But beyond the scares, the film weaves in some unexpected threads of American history. Set in 1930s Mississippi Delta, near the region where Coogler's own family lived before relocating to California, Sinners delves into the haunting legacy of the era, according to the award-winning director's recent interview with The Guardian . While the supernatural elements take center stage, the story subtly explores the harsh realities of life during the Jim Crow South—touching on the aftershocks of slavery, the struggles of Reconstruction, the trauma of the First World War, and the crushing weight of rural poverty. What makes Sinners especially compelling is its portrayal of how African Americans, Chinese Americans, and many communities of color were forced to navigate—and sometimes survive—systems built on exclusion and racism. 'I've been struggling to tell a story that does the great migration for a while,' Coogler told The Guardian during an interview published April 17. 'It's a personal obsession of mine, this period of time when Black people were considering leaving the south en masse.' As NPR notes, Chinese migrants faced harsh conditions alongside Black Americans in the aftermath of slavery. In the mid-1800s, shortly after Emancipation, Chinese laborers were brought to the United States as part of the so-called 'Coolie trade'—a system of indentured servitude that was often coercive and exploitative. While the trade period is more often associated with the Caribbean or South America today, this brutal form of labor was alive and well in the U.S., particularly in the South and West. In the West, the Central Pacific Railroad Company signed Chinese workers to five-year contracts, assigning them to backbreaking jobs, from laying tracks for the transcontinental railroad to enduring extreme conditions in agriculture. Thousands were sent to the Mississippi Delta, where cotton planters recruited them to replace freed Black laborers during Reconstruction. Source: George Rinhart / Getty According to Southern Foodways Alliance , Chinese laborers played a key role in the Delta's rebuilding, but their journey didn't end on the plantations. As Reconstruction waned in the mid 1870s, many Chinese workers sought more autonomy. Some returned to China, but many stayed, planting roots by opening small grocery stores in Black neighborhoods, often becoming quiet cornerstones of segregated Southern towns as Jim Crow Laws were enforced. It's this history that Coogler honors in Sinners through the characters of Grace and Bo Chow, played with quiet intensity by Singaporean actor Yao and actress Li Chun Li. As local grocers in the haunted Mississippi town, Grace and Bo become a trusted ally of Smoke and Stack, played by Michael B. Jordan, forging solidarity across racial lines in a community fractured by inequality. That unity was solid as a rock down in the Delta. While researching the family history of her husband Baldwin Chiu in Pace, Miss., for a 2021 Los Angeles Times article, writer Larissa Lam spoke with several Black residents who had lived through the Jim Crow era within the small town. Many recalled a quiet but powerful sense of solidarity between Chinese grocers and Black communities during that time, bonds formed in the face of shared hardship and systemic exclusion. 'Many of the older Black residents, who lived through Jim Crow, told us that they preferred to shop at Chinese grocery stores because they were treated with respect,' Lam penned. 'They could walk through the front door with dignity and not be relegated to a separate 'colored' entrance. Some told me that Chinese grocery stores, like the one Baldwin's family ran, offered goods at a lower price and extended credit to sharecroppers who were paid only once or twice a year.' Much like Black families during segregation in the 1900s, Chinese Americans in the Delta faced housing discrimination and educational exclusion. In cities like Cleveland, Miss., and Greenville, Miss., segregated schools were created specifically for Chinese children, further highlighting how deeply racial boundaries were enforced. As Scholar Ji-Hye Shin highlights in his essay In Between: The Mississippi Chinese and the American Racial Structure , the Chinese in the Delta were excluded from white society, forced to build their own communities as a result. They built their own institutions—churches, cemeteries, and schools— mirroring the same resilience as Black communities during this period, striving for acceptance that was rarely granted. SEE ALSO: Ruth Carter Was The Wardrobe Wizard Behind Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' Michelle Obama's Brother Had Doubts About Her Relationship With Barack SEE ALSO 'Sinners' Shines History On Chinese Immigrants Living In Mississippi was originally published on
Associated Press
29-01-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Nielsen exclusive report: inclusive, digital content drives Black audiences from reach to conversion
NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Black audiences spend 32 hours on apps and websites on their smartphones and tablets—two hours more than the total U.S. population, according to the latest exclusive Nielsen's Diverse Intelligence Series report Connecting with Black America: How brands impact, grow and win with inclusion. As Black consumers continue to be digital trendsetters, brands' must finetune their approach to engaging with this audience in order to drive long-term connections. 'Reaching Black consumers may not be a challenge—but connecting with us can be. Black consumers are leaning into platforms that emphasize conversation and create a sense of connection,' says Charlene Polite Corley, Vice President of Diverse Insights & Partnerships. 'To win with this community who wields $2 trillion in buying power, brands must prioritize engagement strategies that center diverse Black experiences and cultural nuances.' With the growing diversity of audiences and media platforms, Nielsen's approach—big data verified and enhanced by robust panels—helps marketers understand what and where diverse audiences are consuming content. Social media apps have become a haven for Black consumers – Black adults overall spend more time scrolling than their peers. Black millennials (between 18 and 34-years-old) spend the most time on social media among all adults by almost an hour per week. Black adults also have high engagement with radio and podcasts. Radio averages the same as TV in weekly reach with Black adults – each medium reaches 27 million Black adults on average. Black audiences continue to be power TV viewers, spending 46 hours and 13 minutes per week watching TV, compared to almost 35 hours for the total U.S. population. 46% of that time is spent on streaming, which is gaining share year-over-year with Black adults. YouTube is the top platform—where Black audiences spend 13% of their total TV time, compared to 10% for all U.S. viewers. In fact, YouTube reaches 63% of Black adults and 44% report that they have purchased products based on YouTube content. The preference for YouTube as a source outpaces word of mouth, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Other digital platforms also offer the conversations and commentary that influence Black consumers' purchasing decisions. 63% say they're more likely to evaluate a new brand based on a social media ad or content, compared with 58% overall. In addition, podcasts drive powerful connections: 73% of Black listeners were able to recall a brand name after ad exposure compared to 70% overall. Black sports fans offer brands a new opportunity to turn fan loyalty into brand loyalty. For women's basketball, with Black talent like Angel Reese and A'ja Wilson attracting interest, viewership hit record highs. Between 2023 and 2024, Black viewership increased 161% for the WNBA All-Star Game, 227% for the WNBA Draft and 51% for the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. This engagement is likely to drive sales: Black fans are 7% more likely than all sports fans to buy a brand after seeing its sponsorship activations. For more details and insights, download the full report. Join the conversation on LinkedIn. In 2011, Nielsen launched the Diverse Intelligence Series, a robust portfolio of comprehensive reports that focus on diverse audiences and their media preferences, media trends and representation. The series has become an industry resource to help brands better understand and reach diverse customers. To learn more about Nielsen's Diverse Intelligence research series, visit ABOUT NIELSEN Nielsen shapes the world's media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences—now and into the future. Nielsen operates around the world in more than 55 countries. Learn more at and connect with us on social media (X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram).
