Education

‘Friends’ lack of diversity ‘embarrassed’ its co-creator. So she made a $4-million decision

From Los Angeles Times: “Marta Kauffman remembers being bothered: Why were so many people picking on ‘Friends’? … Despite its success, though, the comedy was repeatedly criticized for its lack of diversity, with numerous observers wondering how the characters existed in a predominantly white environment even though the series was set in New York City. … The series’ failure to be more inclusive, Kauffman says, was a symptom of her internalization of the systemic racism that plagues our society … That reckoning was the catalyst for her decision to pledge $4 million to her alma mater, the Boston area’s Brandeis University, to establish an endowed professorship in the school’s African and African American studies department.”

View the full article from Los Angeles Times.