Issa Rae Profiled for New York Times “Off Color Series”

Issa Rae Profiled for New York Times "Off Color Series"

Photo Credits: Channon Hodge/The New York Times and Aaron Byrd/The New York Times

The New York Times is taking an in depth look at those who are using stand-up comedy as a way to address how race – subtle and obvious – is being played out in America today.   Off Color is a new online series that profiles four comedians of different ethnic backgrounds who are using their craft to confront and challenge stereotypes that they have dealt with their entire lives.  There has always been a connection between comedy and the social issues of the day.  These four performers confront those connections head on.

The series premiered earlier this week with shorts profiling comedians Hari Kondabolu and Kristina Wong (watch them here).

Today a short focusing on Issa Rae was released.  Issa is the online star of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.  Issa makes webseries because it gives her the freedom to create characters and explore themes that aren’t getting on television.  She says that people of color who feel awkward haven’t been represented on television since the 90s.  So she set out to create/produce series that feature the black experience.  Watch her New York Times piece below, to hear her perspective and how she is representing herself and others like her, through her art.

 

 

Mexican-American cartoonist and comic Lalo Alcaraz, whose comic strip, ‘La Cucaracha’ was the first nationally syndicated political Latino-themed comic strip, will be the last artist to be featured, tomorrow.

Each episode offers a unique window in the minds of each comic, the experiences that fuel their work and offers a peek into future projects. Off Color is a series that looks locally but thinks globally and is worth checking out.

Off Color is available exclusively on the New York Times website, www.nytimes.com

 

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