Since the George Floyd tragedy in 2020, racial justice gained traction in America. Some critics have pointed out how the hit sitcom ‘Friends‘ lacked racial diversity. In the sitcom, the group lived in Manhattan’s Upper West Side which is famous for its diversification. So, it came as a shock to viewers how they barely encountered characters of another race.
The show’s co-creator, Marta Kauffman, has expressed how guilty she feels about the issue. Even the cast of ‘Friends‘ has expressed how disappointed they were as the show featured too much whiteness. Marta even promised to donate $4 million out of sheer guilt.
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Marta Kauffman Says “Admitting And Accepting Guilt Is Not Easy”
Marta Kauffman previously thought it was unfair to singly point out ‘Friends‘ for racism. She said, “It was difficult and frustrating.” But she has now realized just how fair the criticism actually was. “It was after what happened to George Floyd that I began to wrestle with my having bought into systemic racism in ways I was never aware of,” Kauffman said. “That was really the moment that I began to examine the ways I had participated. I knew then I needed to course-correct.”
Marta accepted how she internalized and promoted racism and felt very bad. “I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” she said to The Times. “Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It’s painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago.”
The Gift From The ‘Friends’ Co-Creator
The ‘Friends‘ co-creator has decided to donate a lump sum amount of money for an African and African American studies project. She declared the total amount to be $4 million which is going to be donated to her alma mater, Brandeis University, a liberal arts college in Massachusetts. Marta Kauffman told the Los Angeles Times that the money is going to fund the Marta F Kauffman 78 Professorship in African and African American Studies at Brandeis. She also talked about the positive messages she received following her declaration. “I’ve gotten a lot of, ‘It’s about time,’” she said. “Not in a mean way – it’s just people acknowledging it was long overdue.”
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