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The Sapphires reach out to NAACP over DVD cover
'Sapphires protest 'racist' cover'
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/sapphires-protest-racist-cover-20130804-2r7m7.html
The original Sapphires have reached across the globe to call on race rights advocates to boycott the US DVD version of the movie made about their lives.
The DVD, due for release in the US on Tuesday, carries a cover relegating the four star Aboriginal characters to the background, while Irish actor Chris O'Dowd - who plays their manager - is featured in the foreground.
...They have written to the powerful lobby group, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, asking for support.
..."''The US cover of the DVD completely misses this point, and in fact reinforces precisely the sort of bigotry that Naomi, Beverly, Lois and Laurel fought so hard against,'' Sol Bellear wrote. ''We're hopeful that the NAACP - with its long and proud history of advocating strongly for the interests of people of colour - will add its significant voice to calls for the DVD cover to be changed.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/sapphires-protest-racist-cover-20130804-2r7m7.html#ixzz2bGaPqYvn
The DVD, due for release in the US on Tuesday, carries a cover relegating the four star Aboriginal characters to the background, while Irish actor Chris O'Dowd - who plays their manager - is featured in the foreground.
...They have written to the powerful lobby group, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, asking for support.
..."''The US cover of the DVD completely misses this point, and in fact reinforces precisely the sort of bigotry that Naomi, Beverly, Lois and Laurel fought so hard against,'' Sol Bellear wrote. ''We're hopeful that the NAACP - with its long and proud history of advocating strongly for the interests of people of colour - will add its significant voice to calls for the DVD cover to be changed.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/sapphires-protest-racist-cover-20130804-2r7m7.html#ixzz2bGaPqYvn
Here is the movie poster as it was in Australia:
Here is the DVD cover for US distribution:
The thing that gets me is that not only is this just stupid and insulting, but I am willing to bet that the vast majority of American movie watchers have no clue who Chris O'Dowd (the white guy) is so why not just put the gorgeous Aboriginal women front and center on the damn cover where they belong?
Jezebel's take: http://jezebel.com/the-sapphires-us-dvd-cover-relegates-black-female-stars-1031697027
By the way, if you get a chance to see the Sapphires, I HIGHLY with a Capital H recommend it. It was absolutely wonderful and I loved it. I had trouble believing that black American soldiers would be calling Aboriginal Australian women "sisters" though. Coming from SW Atlanta, I think if four indigenous Australian women showed up there, I think they'd get love but I don't know about the "sister" thing.