Enough is Enough: Whitewashing in 2018

Hi. My name is Jeff Trainor.

I’m a member of the Chicago Inclusion Project and an actor here in Chicago.

I wanted to say something to the white actors and performers in this city.

If you are accepting roles to play characters that are not of your racial background, then you are actively contributing to the whitewashing of Chicago stages and stories.

Representation is important. Its important for artists of all different races, genders, and physical capabilities to create, to be seen on stage, to have their voices heard and its important for the audiences coming to see shows to see themselves up on stage.

So, to the white actors and performers in Chicago that are accepting roles to play characters that are not of their racial background, what are you going to do?

Do you want to be remembered as Ed Skrein? Who recently withdrew from the Hellboy reboot when he realized the character he is portraying is Asian.

Or do you want to be like Laurence Olivier in blackface?

It’s your choice.