Major racial issues will be explored in the upcoming six-part FX series Black. White., the creation of rapper Ice Cube and veteran documentary producer R.J. Cutler.
On the surface, the show takes two families – one black, one white – and transforms them via Hollywood makeup to experience life as the other race. As evidenced on a recent episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show, their journey on the series left some unresolved issues between the clans.
While the white Wurgel-Marcotulli family and the black Sparks family were enlightened by the experience, the two families clashed on many fronts – the biggest being a lack of understanding between the fathers, Brian Sparks and Bruno Marcotulli.
On the show, which premieres Wednesday, March 8 at 10 p.m., Bruno has a hard time grasping the concept of subtle racism described often by Brian.
Cube spoke on why he decided to produce the series.
"I think the worst thing you can do about a situation is nothing," says the rapper. "You have to get it out in the open. You have to talk about it. This show will provoke people to speak about it, to speak about race. At the end of the show, we realize that instead of worrying about everybody’s differences, let’s celebrate everybody’s differences because nobody should want the world to all be the same. And that’s really what the show is bringing out. It’s kind of talking about the ills that face us everyday, the cancer of racism that faces America every day, and two families dealing with it, trying to teach each other about it and trying to learn about each other. And it’s not always pretty, but it’s definitely gets us talking about it."
On the surface, the show takes two families – one black, one white – and transforms them via Hollywood makeup to experience life as the other race. As evidenced on a recent episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show, their journey on the series left some unresolved issues between the clans.
While the white Wurgel-Marcotulli family and the black Sparks family were enlightened by the experience, the two families clashed on many fronts – the biggest being a lack of understanding between the fathers, Brian Sparks and Bruno Marcotulli.
On the show, which premieres Wednesday, March 8 at 10 p.m., Bruno has a hard time grasping the concept of subtle racism described often by Brian.
Cube spoke on why he decided to produce the series.
"I think the worst thing you can do about a situation is nothing," says the rapper. "You have to get it out in the open. You have to talk about it. This show will provoke people to speak about it, to speak about race. At the end of the show, we realize that instead of worrying about everybody’s differences, let’s celebrate everybody’s differences because nobody should want the world to all be the same. And that’s really what the show is bringing out. It’s kind of talking about the ills that face us everyday, the cancer of racism that faces America every day, and two families dealing with it, trying to teach each other about it and trying to learn about each other. And it’s not always pretty, but it’s definitely gets us talking about it."
