Brooke Obie, the managing editor of Shadow And Act, has been named to The Root’s annual The Root 100 list for 2019.
The official description of the honor calls it an annual list of “the most influential African Americans, ages 25 to 45. It’s our way of honoring the innovators, the leaders, the public figures and game changers whose work from the past year is breaking down barriers and paving the way for the next generation. This year’s list of honorees is a reminder of the beauty and brilliance of blackness, at a time when the political and cultural landscape has grown even more hostile to the idea of black achievement.”
In 2018, Obie started a national conversation about future-Best Picture Oscar winner, Green Book.
Green Book tells the story of Tony Lip, a racist white man played by Viggo Mortensen, who is hired to drive Dr. Donald Shirley, an exceptional, queer Black musician, played by Mahershala Ali, on a concert tour through the Jim Crow south.
Her Shadow And Act review, titled ‘Green Book Is A Poorly Titled White Savior Film,’ was one of the first critiques of the film. After appearing on NPR’s 1A Movie Club to discuss the film with Shirley’s family members, she authored and published an investigative piece, ‘How ‘Green Book’ And The Hollywood Machine Swallowed Donald Shirley Whole,’ on Shadow And Act which included extensive research interviews with members of the Shirley family, who dispute the narrative presented in Green Book.
And though the movie went on to receive the Oscar for Best Picture, Obie’s piece on the film for Shadow And Act led to awareness of the film’s inaccuracies, and as her The Root 100 profile states, opened up “a larger convo about Hollywood’s enduring love of centering whiteness in stories about Black people.”
Since at Shadow And Act, Obie has also implemented numerous initiatives, including the first-ever Shadow And Act RISING Awards.
READ MORE:
How ‘Green Book’ And The Hollywood Machine Swallowed Donald Shirley Whole
‘Green Book’ Is ‘Full of Lies’: Dr. Don Shirley’s Family Speaks Out
