Smithsonian Channel and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions are partnering for an upcoming documentary, The Color of Care.
The doc will chronicle how people of color are affected by systemically substandard healthcare in the United States and how COVID-19 helped expose the dire consequences of these inequities. It will launch a comprehensive campaign that will seek to advance solutions toward health equity by activating policymakers, nurses, doctors, and community leaders. The campaign will be reaching out to HBCUs to empower young people and their communities to raise awareness of this national health crisis and take actions toward ending it.
Here is the official description of the upcoming doc from The Smithsonian Channel and Oprah's Harpo Productions:
The Color of Care traces the origins of racial health disparities to practices that began during slavery in the U.S. and continue today. Using moving testimony from those who lost loved ones to COVID-19 and frontline medical workers in overwhelmed hospitals, expert interviews and powerful data, the film exposes the devastating toll of racism that is embedded in our healthcare system.
“People of color have long endured the fatal consequences of racial health disparities and the COVID-19 pandemic made these inequalities plain for all to see,” said James Blue, Head, Smithsonian Channel. “I hope our documentary event, ‘The Color of Care’, will be a catalyst for action. I am delighted to partner with Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Productions on this vital project.”
Oprah Winfrey made a statement regarding the importance of the film, saying, “At the height of the pandemic, I read something that stopped me in my tracks. I read a story about Gary Fowler, a Black man that died in his home because no hospital would treat him despite his COVID-19 symptoms. As we continued to hear how the racial disparities in our country were exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, I felt something needed to be done. This film is my way of doing something, with the intention that the stories we share serve as both a warning and foster a deeper understanding of what changes need to take place to better serve us all.”
The film premieres on May 1 on the Smithsonian Channel
It is produced by Harpo Productions with executive producers Oprah Winfrey, Terry Wood, and Catherine Cyr.
The film is directed by Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director Yance Ford. Kate Bolger is producing. James Blue and Tim Evans are executive producers for Smithsonian Channel, along with producer Najma Nurridin.
The film will also premiere simultaneously on Smithsonian Channel Selects on Pluto TV for free. The Color of Care film and impact campaign are components of Paramount’s Content for Change initiative which seeks to transform the entire creative ecosystem by supporting inclusive creators and content.
