Black Enterprise magazine's Derek Dingle talked about why the fight for diversity in media is important with mentions of Dwayne McDuffie and Milestone Media along the way:
Efforts to diversify media must reach beyond broadcast news though. The second event I attended was a powerfully uplifting memorial service. I was one of the speakers who paid tribute to the late Dwayne McDuffie, a pioneer of comic books and animation, as well as my long-time friend and business partner at Milestone Media Inc., which became the largest Black-owned comic book company in the 1990s. Besides creating a universe of multicultural superheroes featured as part of our imprint, Dwayne was best known for his work as writer and story editor of the Static Shock animated series based on our most popular character. The adventures of a geeky teenager who has electromagnetic powers became the first cartoon focused on a Black superhero. Dwayne also wrote Justice League Unlimited and Ben-10: Ultimate Alien series and the recently-released All-Star Superman movie. Due to the dearth of Black writers, I was told that Dwayne would joke that he "represented the Black caucus in animation.” Until his death, Dwayne was a powerful advocate for industry-wide diversity but at times paid the price for being vocal.
Reginald Hudlin, veteran director of Boomerang and House Party, served as moderator for the ceremony that packed the theater of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood. After the event, I had an opportunity to talk with him about the current state in Hollywood, reminding him of the renaissance of Black filmmakers he was a part of 20 years ago. Why did the movement lack staying power? “The doors are just not open,” he said. “We are going to have to make our own opportunities.”
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[Source: Black Enterprise]
