i
In the 1989 movie Field of
Dreams with Kevin Costner, a
voice whispers to him saying,
“If you build it, he will come.”
“He” refers to the first base-
ball player that shows up to
the baseball field Costner’s char-
acter Ray builds in the middle of his
cornfield. The phrase then morphs:
“If you build it, they will come.” Not
long after, more players began show-
ing up. Since the movie, this saying
has been used in business for years,
insinuating that when you create
something for people to consume,
eventually they will come. You just
have to build it!
We have seen this demonstrated in
our current media and entertainment
space. Television and film have creat-
ed decades of media showing us their
version of characters that has shaped
the lens we see everyone through. In
recent years, technology has intro-
duced internet-based platforms like
Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, etc.,
as alternatives to traditional cable
television — bringing with them ac-
cess to different creative content by
newcomers and varying viewpoints.
Additionally, we have an oppor-
tunity to reach younger audiences
who look to their mobile devices for
entertainment and new avenues in
which to see ourselves in others via
content from all over the world. Still,
we have work to do in building the
way forward.
Challenge yourself. What do you
think diversity in media should look
like today? To answer this, we must
first consider the question: What
is diversity? Quite simply, diversity
means to show variety and to be dif-
ferent. Although media itself exists
in various forms (from print books
and magazines to radio, TV, and the
internet), we are still lacking in the
diverse representation of people,
new thoughts, and fresh ideas in our
media product. Quite frankly, this is
what is needed to move us forward:
the inclusion of all thoughts, people,
and things reflecting the true diver-
sity present in our world portrayed in
our media as the norm.
When thinking of diversity, I also
think of my love for ice cream. Yes,
ice cream! This delicious treat with
various flavors, textures, colors, and
different brands putting their own
twist on the classic dessert. There are
my favorites like cookies ‘n cream,
butter pecan, Heath crunch, caramel-
infused concoctions, pistachio, sher-
bet, sorbet…you get what I’m saying.
(Are you hungry yet??) And let’s not
forget the hundreds (or maybe thou-
sands) of flavors I haven’t named.
That doesn’t mean those flavors are
not any good — I’m just not aware
of them or haven’t tried them YET!
There are so many talented and var-
ied flavors of people holding tight to
their ideas and stories, just waiting for
someone in media to choose them as
their favorite flavor. We must chal-
lenge ourselves to be open to the dis-
covery of what’s new and the change
that comes with it. When I discover
new flavors of ice cream — whether
I like them or not — it’s important
to realize there are billions of peo-
ple in this world with different taste
buds than mine. These flavors could
be someone else’s top choice, so they
still deserve a chance to be chosen.
Change is necessary. Consider that I,
an American hailing from New Or-
leans, now live in Houston. Hous-
ton is the fourth largest city, and will
likely soon be the third. With about
2.2 million people, more than 145
languages spoken , and all types of
diverse backgrounds and cultures,
Houston easily provides a little slice
of home for many.
So shouldn’t our media reflect the
ever-growing global community,
both here and abroad? iF Magazine
understands the importance of sup-
porting the larger global communi-
ty — they’ve highlighted our trade
partners from all over the world and
the unique contributions of each
country. From the 93 Consul Gen-
iF Magazine | www.iFMagazine.net
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