June is African American Arts Appreciation Month. As achievements in the Black arts are celebrated, not to be overlooked are Black pioneers in animation, voice acting and storytelling.
One of the earliest and most notable Black animators is Floyd Norman, who worked on classic Disney films such as “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Jungle Book.”
In 2016, Norman spoke on the lack of diversity within Disney and other film studios during his employment in the 1950s.
“I think the thought never occurred to a lot of young Black talent to apply for a job in the film industry,” Norman said. “And it wasn’t just Walt Disney. I’m sure the same thing happened at other film studios as well. There was a perception that opportunities were not available for people of color.”
The Walt Disney Company currently employs nearly 223,000 people. Fifty-seven percent of Disney employees are white; only twelve percent are Black.
Efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry continue.
Matthew Cherry won an Oscar for his animated short film “Hair Love” in 2020. This story about a father learning to do his daughter’s hair has been heralded for its positive expression of Black families.
Taurean Taylor, 33, is an Indianapolis native and Black content creator. Taylor along with his collective, Trapped in Anime, produce content providing comedic reenactments of many animation tropes. The content produced by Trapped in Anime has gained over 300,000 followers on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The collective has over 3.6 million likes on TikTok alone.
Trapped in Anime in partnership with Arts for Lawrence will host a Black content creators workshop in July. The workshop, open to everyone, aimed to help content creators of all colors hone the tools relevant to their craft.
While Taylor understands the history, he sees that the trajectory has improved for Black creators in animation and social media content.
“We’ve come a long way,” Taylor said. “They didn’t allow us in these spaces, so we bum-rushed it. And it turns out people of many backgrounds love what we do.”
Contact multi-media staff writer Noral Parham III (317)-762-7846 or e-mail at NoralP@IndyRecorder.com. Follow him on Twitter @NoralParham.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
