Celebrating Juneteenth and Diversity in Disney

44: Ariel, Stef, and special guest Chance Calloway discuss Juneteenth, media representation, and Disney’s portrayal of Black characters. They highlight Juneteenth’s significance and embodiment of “we’re not free until we are all free.” The episode promotes authentic representations and diverse voices in future Disney projects and teaches audiences about The Transformation Trope, Projection Representation, and Black coded characters. Summary Summary of HPOE 44: 00:00 Introduction: Meet Ariel, Stef, and Chance Calloway, and learn about their unique approaches to therapy, education, and creative arts. 01:33 Juneteenth Significance: An in-depth look at Juneteenth, its history, and its recent recognition as a federal holiday. The hosts discuss its unique place among American holidays and its traditions. 07:07 Media Representation: The importance of diverse representation in media, particularly in children’s films. The discussion includes the federal recognition of Juneteenth and calls for authentic portrayals of characters of color in Disney movies. 10:18 Brandy Cinderella Movie: An exploration of the impact of the Brandy Cinderella movie on media representation and its continued relevance in promoting diversity. 21:11 Black Panther: Reflecting on the success of Black Panther and its significance in showcasing Black excellence and representation both in front of and behind the camera. 32:34 Princess Tiana: Critiquing Disney’s portrayal of Princess Tiana in The Princess and the Frog, and advocating for more genuine representations of protagonists of color. 37:55 Black Coding in Disney Films: Discussing the concept of Black coding in Disney movies, the challenges in marketing diverse content, and the importance of amplifying diverse voices in future projects. 43:36 Conclusion: Summarizing the episode’s key points on Juneteenth, media representation, and the portrayal of Black characters in Disney films. The hosts encourage listeners to engage with these critical topics. Transcription 00:00:09,094 –> 00:00:11,894 Ariel Landrum: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the happiest pod on Earth. 00:00:11,894 –> 00:00:18,530 I’m Ariel, a licensed therapist who uses clients’ passions and fandoms to help them grow and heal from trauma and mental development. 00:00:18,690 –> 00:00:24,690 Stefanie Bautista: And I’m Stef. I’m an educator who uses her passions and fandoms to educate the kids that I work with. 00:00:24,690 –> 00:00:33,345 Chance Calloway: I’m Chance Calloway. I’m a producer, filmmaker, musician, writer, all around multi hyphenate. Creativity is my passion. 00:00:33,450 –> 00:00:36,410 Stefanie Bautista: And happiest pod is where we dissect Disney mediums with a 00:00:36,410 –> 00:00:41,710 Ariel Landrum: critical lens. Why? Because we are more than just Stef, and we expect more from the mediums we consume. 00:00:42,005 –> 00:00:44,825 So, see, so I have a guest today. Chance, what are we talking about? 00:00:45,204 –> 00:00:48,425 Chance Calloway: Today we’re talking about Juneteenth, and we’re talking about representation. 00:00:48,805 –> 00:00:56,720 Stefanie Bautista: Yeah. Yeah. Chance, as you all know, if you’ve been following us on our podcast and also have seen us at Comic Con or WonderCon, 00:00:56,860 –> 00:01:02,465 Chance is 1 of our very good friends, 1 of our most talented friends, like you said, multi hyphenate. 00:01:02,925 –> 00:01:10,500 And, you know, I feel even when this podcast was coming to its conception, we would organically have a lot of really good 00:01:10,500 –> 00:01:18,425 discussions about the way we consume media and the different things that we expect from it and also want to see from it in the future. 00:01:18,425 –> 00:01:26,080 So I hope that today’s discussion is gonna be very enlightening for those of you aren’t familiar with Juneteenth. So, Chance, would you be 00:01:26,080 –> 00:01:28,420 Ariel Landrum: able to explain what exactly is Juneteenth? 00:01:28,640 –> 00:01:33,845 It became recently a federal holiday, but just because it wasn’t a federal holiday, doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a holiday. 00:01:34,165 –> 00:01:40,825 Chance Calloway: Correct. Yes. Juneteenth, basically, is the embodiment of the term, we’re not free until we’re all free. 00:01:41,180 –> 00:01:47,680 So when, the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, some, black Americans were still enslaved. 00:01:48,060 –> 00:01:51,585 Some black Americans did not know that freedom had arrived. 00:01:51,884 –> 00:02:00,350 And on June 19th, that was the day that they did basically the final, like, enforcement, and made sure that the enslaved people were made free. 00:02:00,430 –> 00:02:05,170 And that’s when a lot of, people in the black community started celebrating it as a holiday. 00:02:05,390 –> 00:02:11,705 Ariel Landrum: I think it’s important to note because it’s hard for people to fathom not getting information immediately. 00:02:12,245 –> 00:02:12,724 Chance Calloway: Sure. 00:02:12,724 –> 00:02:16,620 Ariel Landrum: There’s an acknowledgment that we get media so quickly. 00:02:16,760 –> 00:02:25,885 We get news so quickly, especially, like, breaking news, reactions to it, that there isn’t this time to, like, digest and 00:02:25,885 –> 00:02:28,465 understand before you’ve moved on to the next thing. 00:02:28,605 –> 00:02:37,650 And I think that the fact that it became a holiday amongst the black community just shows, like, how important and informative it was. 00:02:38,189 –> 00:02:45,695 Chance Calloway: Absolutely. Suleens. Yeah. And I think, for a lot of people, there’s a a hitch that comes with thinking of American holidays, 00:02:46,050 –> 00:02:47,810 you know, and the American flag, things like that. 00:02:47,810 –> 00:02:51,569 We’ve seen you know, it’s been the media a lot because of the cover of Beyonce’s new album. 00:02:51,569 –> 00:02:56,465 A lot of, black Americans kind of don’t respect, like, holidays like the 4th July. 00:02:56,685 –> 00:03:01,905 So then when something like Juneteenth came along, that I can respect. That feels like a celebration. 00:03:02,045 –> 00:03:02,569 Ariel Landrum: And I think 00:03:02,569 –> 00:03:08,510 Stefanie Bautista: when it comes to holidays, there are diff there’s different layers of celebrating and even the word celebrating a holiday. 00:03:08,650 –> 00:03:14,975 Because, essentially, this is 1 of those holidays where it was a realization of something that hadn’t been realized, fully. 00:03:15,115 –> 00:03:22,799 When you’re talking about people celebrating the 4th July, they normally talk about barbecues and doing fun stuff and not, 00:03:22,799 –> 00:03:26,180 you know, the actual reason for the holiday. 00:03:26,400 –> 00:03:34,595 This is 1 of those holidays that kind of wakes us up to the different ways we celebrate and the different ways we honor certain 00:03:34,595 –> 00:03:38,694 peop...