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  "path": "/post/808949416786640896",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-19T04:11:22.000Z",
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  "tags": [
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    "angela",
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    "super important!! we never want to lose you queen",
    "youre-where-i-wanna-go",
    "Angela Bassett Says Entertainment Industry Must Move “Beyond Symbolism Without Infrastructure”"
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  "textContent": "youre-where-i-wanna-go:\n\n> Angela Bassett Says Entertainment Industry Must Move “Beyond Symbolism Without Infrastructure”\n>\n>> **Angela Bassett** openly shared her thoughts on AI, the regression of D.E.I. efforts and the entertainment industry at large as she accepted the Excellence in the Arts award at the 9th Annual ABFF Honors Monday night.\n>\n> “Someone said earlier, and it’s true, we are living in a moment where **the language of inclusion and belonging is being challenged, rebranded and in some cases, erased altogether** ,” Bassett began in her acceptance speech. “Words that once felt like promise and possibility are now treated as words to avoid. And this shift has landed in our very real lives, real careers and real dreams. At the same time, our industry is transforming at lightning speed. Technology is moving faster than wisdom. Business models are shifting under our feet. **Stories are being shortened, flattened and sometimes stripped of their soul in the name of efficiency and projected progress.** And in moments like this, I believe it’s fair and necessary to ask, **where do Black creatives fit into this future? Who gets to imagine it? Who gets to participate? Who gets to decide?**\n>\n>> “I came into this business at a time when there were very few examples that told me that a Black woman could live a full, complex, enduring life on screen, and even fewer that suggested that she could ship what happens behind the camera,” the 9-1-1 star continued. “But what **carried me forward was community. What pushed me to keep going was hope. Those Black men and women who made room, those peers who told the truth, those audiences who showed up anyway and a persistent sacred belief that our stories are not trends. They are truths.** ”\n>\n> After pausing for applause from the audience, Bassett added, “**Targets are being put on our backs as people by those at the highest heights of power in the world**. And the only way **to combat such vitriol and racism and misinformation about who we are is to keep telling our own stories, by showing the power of our individual and collective journeys.** And to not just show the world the kings and queens that we have always been, but to also show them that **we do belong, we do matter, and we are not going anywhere because we are home.**\n>\n>  “When I look at this moment, challenging as it is, hope is still what sustains me,” Bassett concluded. “My hope for the future is not simply that we are included. **My hope is that we are empowered. I hope we move beyond ‘firsts’ and ‘onlys,’ beyond symbolism without infrastructure.** **I hope** **we invest not just in talent but in longevity, in ownership, in mentorship, in legacy.** And I hope when the cultural winds shift, as they always do, we do not retreat from one another but that we pull together. To the young artists in this room and those watching who are wondering if there’s still a place for you, hear me and hear me well: **You belong here. Your voice matters. And this industry is better when you are shaping it. And to those with power, real power, I challenge you. Be brave. Choose courage over comfort to understand that the future of film and television will not be saved by playing it safe but by allowing us all to have a voice.** ”",
  "title": "Angela Bassett openly shared her thoughts on AI, the regression of D.E.I. efforts and the…"
}