Diversity Without Pity #16 | MTV’s Decoded

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Today is Election Day, another election cycle where the country decides who will be our next leader. President Obama isn’t just ending his term as the first black president of the United States of America. He was capable of having a nuanced conversation about race that was simply extraordinary.

Audio: WTF with Marc Maron interview with Pres. Barack Obama

Brotha wasn’t always perfect, especially when talking to and about black people. But he got a lot of good conversations going. No matter who wins it is clear that we cannot expect this kind of candor, nuance, and self-reflection to come from the Oval Office for the next four years. So who can we turn to?

I highly advise MTV’s Decoded. Click the video below to hear more.

Hosted by actress, writer, comedian, graphic designer and Jill-of-all-trades Franchesca Ramsey,  Decoded is quickly becoming the go-to refresher course on our country’s — our world’s — racist history.

Spoken with the same cadence as a Square One video (ask your parents), with the sharp satire of Chappelle’s Show (ask your older friends) the web series also showcases a scrapbook illustrative style that further tells the complex narrative.

A narrative built off well-researched information is often buried in exhaustive doctoral theses that never get past the PDF stage. Making really complex social science information like this accessible to people requires trusting your audience. Unfortunately well-meaning people never really get that. So I’m super-happy MTV gets that.

I’ve known about Franchesca for quite a while, so this is the perfect platform for her many talents. Just like Obama, not everyone can do what Franchesca does.

Diversity Without Pity is a blog series from IDSL, highlighting media that uses smart design, and considers the diversity of it’s casting without selling the viewer or consumer, short. Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this blog post suggested (Hillary) Clinton would become the next president. That was incorrect. The next president will be Donald J. Trump.