62.9 F
Memphis
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Buy now

spot_img

A Comedy That Takes A Deeper Look Into Gentrification

The Neighborhood appears on CBS Network Television. (Photo by Bill Onashita)

Actor Sheaun Mckinney all smiles on the set of The Neighborhood. (Photo by Bill Onashita)Photo by Bill Onashita
Actor Sheaun Mckinney all smiles on the set of The Neighborhood.

Mckinney, who plays Cedric The Entertainers son Malcolm, explained the deeper messages behind The Neighborhood. Though the show explores gentrification, it also tackles microaggressions that are often prompted against black people. The pilot episode had numerous statements many black people often hear daily especially when confronted with racial injustice.

“I wanted my character to be authentic. That’s what I do with any character I play.  Though we obviously talk about how gentrification affects neighborhoods, we go inside why those microaggressions are important to talk about,” said Mckinney.

When asked about how The Neighborhood will explore black men, Mckinney offered a poignant response about Black men being vulnerable.

“We don’t see a lot of black men being vulnerable on television. My character’s relationship with his father will show the dynamics of why that’s important,” said Mckinney.

“Hopefully we can change that conversation and show us in a different light.”

Miami native and actor Sheaun Mckinney holds The Neighborhood sign. (Photo by Timothy Kuratek)Photo by Timothy Kuratek
Miami native and actor Sheaun Mckinney holds The Neighborhood sign.

Recently, there have been instances where artists are shunned for speaking out about societal flaws. Artists are usually told to shut up and not inject themselves into politics. Mckinney disagrees.

“It is the artists duty to speak up,” Mckinney told us.

“Anyone telling an artists to shut up about politics doesn’t understand what we do. Artists need to be political.“

We ended our conversation with a simple question: “What do you want a young black boy who is watching you to learn from the show?”

Mckinney responded with, “I want them to know they are great. I want them to know they are worthy. They can be anything they want to be.”

The Neighborhood appears 8:00-8:30 PM Eastern and Pacific times weekly on the CBS Television Network.

This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Sentinel

Related Articles

Stay Connected

21,507FansLike
2,634FollowersFollow
17,200SubscribersSubscribe
- Advertisement -spot_img

Latest Articles