Guerrilla ad campaign calls out lack of black representation in TV and film

At the beginning of the year Legally Black, an online campaign to “combat the way black people are portrayed in the media,” began posting redesigns of iconic film posters portraying an alternate cast which is more diverse. Gaining traction on social media platforms, the campaign which is part of transformational social justice fellowship The Advocacy Academy, had its designs picked up by the Special Patrol Group, a “shadowy subverting organisation” who yesterday (1 March) began posting the designs on bus stops in Brixton, “because these kids are the future”.

Starting as “four advocates of social justice from south west London” Legally Black visualises its members’ views on representation within the media. “By replacing characters from famous white dominant TV programmes with black people we believe we can do so locally and maybe with media influence nationally,” ” it explains. “We have all been affected by this issue directly and indirectly and can see first hand the damage it causes. With your support we can make a stand to increase fair representation of black people.”

Currently the posters feature mainly popular British films and television programmes, but continues the project online to feature recognisable foreign cinema too. Each design additionally features the tagline, “If you’re surprised, it means you don’t see enough black people in major roles,” explaining the meaning of the project as a whole.

You can find out more about Legally Black here.