Looking at the great impact that films with black leads are having right now (which has been steadily growing since 12 Years a Slave), you say "hmm, this might last a while". This is an opportunity to further reflect ourselves in film/TV, this is progression, other black creatives will have chances now. But I must ask in the mist of this black renaissance, who's progressing from this? Who are the people getting these opportunities? Just from observation, it doesn't appear to be twenty-something black creatives, that's for sure.

Now, this is not to bash any of the black creatives in the film industry beyond their twenties, however the perspective will be established with them in mind. If you were to open Google and type in black screenwriters or black film directors, all the prominent names that we know very well pops up. More importantly, look at their ages. Do you notice that there's no one in their twenties that represents us in the film industry? Does that bother anyone besides me? Some may argue that Ryan Coogler broke out in his twenties with Fruitvale Station (that was in 2013 though), but where were the others? See any now?

Back to all those prominent names you seen if you googled it, why is it that no existence of black twenty-something creatives emerges from their platforms? It's just these people so seem to always have projects, but that's all you hear about. There's a disconnect for me because I hear people preach on more diversity in film/TV (TV is leading that by far) along with opportunities, but the words only follow up half of the actions. Meaning, they're getting more opportunities to make diverse material, but younger black creatives can't get a chance to be a part of this movement.

On behalf of the twenty-something black creatives (I'm a 24-year-old screenwriter), I take issue with this. I don't know what we did to constantly be overlooked, ignored, or turned away. We are very capable, hence the twenty-something Ryan Coogler. Not to say I or anyone else is Ryan Coogler (I'm me and you're you), but there's twenty-something black creatives with that potential. We should seek them out, or answer their emails. But, others are too busy winning to notice, or we're just not taken seriously, or no one wants to take the time to take you seriously. It's already hard to break into this industry, but it's even harder as an African American. Some of the twenty-something black creatives might have got discouraged and quit, some might have just moved on to another career, or maybe some were wrongfully shot and killed by the police (sounds about… you know that one, too).

Again, this is not to throw any shade at the prominent figures that represent us in the film industry. However, that doesn't mean we can't call out our black people when we know they can do better. I say this on behalf of the twenty-something black creatives because we have something to say, too. Our voices matter, too. We are the future, and that's not something you can block (the music industry gets it). Having twenty-something black creatives means more movies with twenty-something black actors and actresses. It also means we have authentic films that reflect our audience, which makes sense, right? This black renaissance movement must be pushed by young and old black creatives, just like the black lives matter movement.