Dear White People, a Netflix series written and directed by Justin Simien, illustrates a long lived social justice issue through a contemporary point of view. The issue the show addresses is clear from the moment one reads the title: racism. The show, Dear White People, depicts the modern-day issues of racism: ignorance, preconceived stereotypes, and the public’s disbelief to recognize that racism still exists.
The series takes place at the fictitious 9th ivy league college campus. The beginning of the series starts off with a party thrown by a primarily white student run organization; the theme of the party is blackface. This is one of the first acts of racism/ignorance displayed in the series but is the underlying act that causes the rest of the racial tensions to come forth. The major act of racism in the series is when a white student gets into a physical altercation with a black student. The fight is broken up by campus police who say nothing to the white student, but accuse the black student of not attending the school. The black student reacts with a vulgar comment and the police react by pointing a gun at the black student. The issue of discriminatory police enforcement is a recurring issue being seen in the news today, and society has continuously ignores the issue. Throughout the show one is able to see the administration turn a blind eye to many of the prejudiced acts on campus in order to maintain their pristine reputation. The show calls out the current issues of racism through the eyes of intelligent millennials to further show that racism is not dead and, in fact, still thriving. Justin Simien is able to bring to light the contemporary social justice issues present in today’s society through his series.
Dear White People: Reggie Green
The Magdalyn Theory 
It’s frightening to think that discrimination such as this happens on college campuses (even fictitious ones). It makes me wonder what occurs at USC and how the people in power handle it. One thing I am wondering is what the title of this series is attempting to portray. Is it a series focusing solely on the issues of discrimination and racism stemming from white people, or what is the purpose of the title that Jusin Simien had in mind?
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In all honesty, I am not surprised with the outcome of the fight between the two students. Usually, the blame is given to the black person in a situation like that because black men are stereotypically seen as aggressive. I wonder- if the show had the white male get in ‘trouble’ over the black male, what type of message would that have given viewers? Would it be more impactful to ‘do the right thing’ and show the white male getting in trouble (I’m assuming based on your summary he is the one who started it?) or to instead show the racist example of the black male getting in trouble when it was not completely his fault?
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I think this series is pretty accurate in its depiction of the subtle and not so subtle racism that occurs on college campuses. I was also curious about if you knew or saw something in the show that related to an Incident or the racial climate on USC’s campus. I think a lot of campuses and it’s officials turn a blind eye to racial problems because it’s a sensitive topic.
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