Riverdale star Vanessa Morgan is using his platform to speak about the injustice that surrounds the representation of Black characters in Hollywood. Known for her role as Toni Topaz in the drama of Netflix, Morgan is the only Black of the regular series, but notes that she is paid the least. In the wake of George Floyd’s death and the subsequent ongoing protests, Morgan recently shared a string of tweets on Twitter, opening up about his experiences as a Black woman in a mainstream TELEVISION series.
“Tired of how Black people are portrayed in the media, tired of us being portrayed as thugs, dangerous, or anger, fear of people,” Morgan said in a tweet on May 31. “Tired of us being used as a side kick dimensionless [sic] characters to our white leads. Or only used in the advertising of diversity, but not in the show. It starts with the media. I’m not [quiet] already . . . Usually all the world is false listen to. I really hope that a change is coming.”
Since then pledged to only accept the future roles that adequately represent the Black community and says that she only approves of Black designers during the red carpet appearances. “My Black fans, I have achieved my goal of fighting for us,” Morgan wrote in a tweet on June 3. “At six years of age [sic] I, that had no model that looked like me on TELEVISION. This is for you. We are not the token black dimensionless characters. This is a black in Hollywood. I’m going to fight for YOU.” Morgan is also now advocating for Hollywood as a whole to put the voices and experiences of the Black community, front and center.
Keep reading to see all of Morgan’s tweets to advocate for a positive change, and to find out more about the ways in which you can protest against the unfair treatment of the Black community.
