ABC’s “THE BACHELOR” FRANCHISE SUED FOR RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

Nashville All-American and aspiring NFL player bring class action suit against popular TV series for intentional exclusion of persons of color

Nashville, TN — Today, Nashville residents Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson, an All-American football player and an aspiring National Football League player, respectively, filed a lawsuit against the popular ABC reality television programs “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” for intentional exclusion of persons of color over the course of 23 seasons. The men, both of whom are African-American, are requesting class action status for the case.

“I only wanted a fair shot at the part. Looking back at how I was treated at the casting call last year, it was clear that that wasn’t possible—I never even had a chance,” Mr. Claybrooks told reporters at a press conference held just one block from Hotel Indigo, where aspiring Bachelors had gathered for a Nashville casting call last year.

“I knew at the time that there had never been a non-white Bachelor before, but I thought that a minority candidate with my qualifications would at least be considered,” added Mr. Johnson. “In reality, it seems they never seriously looked at non-white candidates.”

Never, over 10 years and a combined total of 23 seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” has either show featured a single person of color—whether African American, Latino, Asian, or any other minority race or ethnicity—in the central role of the “Bachelor” or “Bachelorette.” In 16 seasons of “The Bachelor” and seven seasons of “The Bachelorette,” every person featured in the lead role on either show has been white.

The plaintiffs are suing American Broadcast Companies, Inc., Warner Horizon Television, Inc., Next Entertainment, Inc., NZK Productions, Inc., and Michael Fleiss, the executive producer of the franchise, on behalf of all other persons of color who have applied for the role of the Bachelor or Bachelorette but been denied equal opportunity for selection on the basis of race. The case alleges that the Defendants violated both federal and California laws intended to guarantee equal opportunity in business, commerce, and media regardless of one’s skin color.

“With this case we expect to bring about change in one of America’s leading reality TV shows by achieving fair competition and inclusion going forward,“ said co-counsel Cyrus Mehri of the DC-based firm Mehri & Skalet, PLLC. “The Bachelor series is an example of purposeful segregation in the media that perpetuates stereotypes, and robs persons of color of opportunities in the entertainment industry.”

Other lawyers representing the plaintiffs are Nashville-based George Barrett of Barrett Johnston, LLC, and Byron Perkins of Perkins-Law, LLC, based in Birmingham, Alabama.

The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction requiring the Defendants to adopt appropriate policies with regard to choosing a Bachelor or Bachelorette, and requiring Defendants to consider at least one person of color as a finalist for the role each season, in addition to nominal and punitive damages.

In recent years, the absence of Bachelors and Bachelorettes of color on the two shows has been well-documented in the media and is the subject of frequent commentary—including in the Los Angeles Times, the Daily Beast, the Huffington Post and The Grio. Yet, creator Michael Fleiss (one of the named Defendants) has responded to the outcry with callous disregard, telling Entertainment Weekly, “We always want to cast for ethnic diversity. It's just that for whatever reason, they don't come forward. I wish they would.”

Industry insiders further contradict Fleiss’s statements, telling the Los Angeles Times, “producers had little interest in pursuing a more diverse cast, and were unwilling to vary the chemistry of a hugely popular series and wary of a potential controversy stemming from an interracial romance.”

The next season of “The Bachelorette” is scheduled to start on May 14, 2012. Emily Maynard, the Bachelorette selected for the show’s upcoming eighth season, is white.

Trayvon Martin, My Son, and the Black Male Code

By JESSE WASHINGTON
AP National Writer


PHILADELPHIA — I thought my son would be much older before I had to tell him about the Black Male Code. He’s only 12, still sleeping with stuffed animals, still afraid of the dark. But after the Trayvon Martin tragedy, I needed to explain to my child that soon people might be afraid of him.

We were in the car on the way to school when a story about Martin came on the radio. “The guy who killed him should get arrested. The dead guy was unarmed!” my son said after hearing that neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman had claimed self-defense in the shooting in Sanford, Fla.

We listened to the rest of the story, describing how Zimmerman had spotted Martin, who was 17, walking home from the store on a rainy night, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head. When it was over, I turned off the radio and told my son about the rules he needs to follow to avoid becoming another Trayvon Martin — a black male who Zimmerman assumed was “suspicious” and “up to no good.”

As I explained it, the Code goes like this:
Always pay close attention to your surroundings, son, especially if you are in an affluent neighborhood where black folks are few. Understand that even though you are not a criminal, some people might assume you are, especially if you are wearing certain clothes.

Never argue with police, but protect your dignity and take pride in humility. When confronted by someone with a badge or a gun, do not flee, fight, or put your hands anywhere other than up.

Please don’t assume, son, that all white people view you as a threat. America is better than that. Suspicion and bitterness can imprison you. But as a black male, you must go above and beyond to show strangers what type of person you really are.

I was far from alone in laying out these instructions. Across the country this week, parents were talking to their children, especially their black sons, about the Code. It’s a talk the black community has passed down for generations, an oral tradition from the days when an errant remark could easily cost black people their job, their freedom, or sometimes their life.

After Trayvon Martin was killed, Al Dotson Jr., a lawyer in Miami and chairman of the 100 Black Men of America organization, told his 14-year-old son that he should be aware of his surroundings, and of the fact that people might view him differently “because he’s blessed to be an African-American.”

“It requires a sixth sense that not everyone needs to have,” Dotson said.

Dotson, 51, remembers receiving his own instructions as a youth, and hearing them evolve over time.

His grandparents told Dotson that when dealing with authority figures, make it clear you are no threat at all — an attitude verging on submissive. Later, Dotson’s parents told him to respond with respect and not be combative.

Today, Dotson tells his children that they should always be respectful, but should not tolerate being disrespected — which would have been recklessly bold in his grandparents’ era.

Yet Dotson still has fears for the safety of his children, “about them understanding who they are and where they are, and how to respond to the environment they are in.”

But what about that long road traveled, which took a black man all the way to the White House? I can hear some of my white friends now: What evidence is there that Trayvon Martin caught George Zimmerman’s attention — and his bullet — because of his race? Lynching is a relic of the past, so why are you teaching your son to be paranoid?

There is a difference between paranoia and protection. Much evidence shows that black males face unique risks: Psychological studies indicate they are often perceived as threatening; here in Philadelphia, police stop-and-frisk tactics overwhelmingly target African-Americans, according to a lawsuit settled by the city; research suggests that people are more likely to believe a poorly seen object is a gun if it’s held by a black person.

Yes, it was way back in 1955 when 14-year-old Emmett Till was murdered in Mississippi for flirting with a white woman. But it was last Wednesday when a white Mississippi teenager pleaded guilty to murder for seeking out a black victim, coming across a man named James C. Anderson, and running him over with his pickup truck.

Faced with this information, I’m doing what any responsible parent would do: Teaching my son how to protect himself.

I am 6-4 and more than 200 pounds, son. You probably will be too. Depending on how we dress, act and speak, people might make bad assumptions about us. That doesn’t mean they must be racist; it means they must be human.

Let me tell you a story, son, about a time when I forgot the Code.

One morning I left our car at the shop for repairs. I was walking home through our suburban neighborhood, wearing a black sweatsuit with the hood pulled over my head.

From two blocks away, I saw your mother pull out of our driveway and roll towards me. When she stopped next to me, her brown face was full of laughter.

“When I saw you from up the street,” your mother told me, “I said to myself, what is that guy doing in our neighborhood?”

NAACP: Zimmerman's Arrest A Turning Point

Calvin, Prosecutor Angela Corey just announced that George Zimmerman will be arrested and charged with murder. Over the past six weeks you joined our tireless call for George Zimmerman's arrest, and now we can take solace in knowing the wheels of justice are moving and the voices of millions of Americans have been heard. Your hard work, petitions, and prayers contributed to this moment. The arrest of George Zimmerman will not heal the hole that Trayvon's murder left in our hearts. It will not bring him back to his family, nor will it bring back the countless other young, black victims of similar crimes. But Zimmerman's arrest can serve as a turning point. As we have seen, the system does not always work perfectly. But we have shown that when we stand together as a nation we can compel it to work. For the NAACP, this case has always been about justice, fairness, and the rule of law. We anticipate and expect a thorough federal investigation of the Sanford Police Department and its role in exacerbating this tragedy. In the weeks since Trayvon's death, we have stood up to say our sons and daughters will not be victims of such senseless crimes, our nieces and nephews will not be taken from us far too soon, and our grandchildren will not be forced to walk the streets wondering, "What if?" At this moment we can declare, "Trayvon is the last one." Elected officials, law enforcement officers, and our nation as a whole must understand that racial profiling and the official neglect of the murders of young men of color will not be tolerated. Together we can make sure the world we leave to all of the Trayvons in our lives is a better and safer place. We must build a movement to push our nation forward. Please take a moment to sign our name wall in memory of Trayvon, and to stand with us in securing justice for our children. In doing so, we each are committing that we will ensure all our children will be treated fairly and protected by those who have sworn they will do just that: http://action.naacp.org/add-your-name Thank you for your support, Ben Benjamin Todd Jealous President & CEO NAACP