The discussion around Urbance reminds me of a discussion that was had around the time Save the Pearls came out

For those of you who don’t remember, Save the Pearls was a racist trainwreck of a YA novel written by a white woman. The plot revolved around a post-apocalyptic society where non-white people (particularly Black people) had systematic power over the small population of white people that had survived the apocalypse. These white people were called pearls, and apparently had to put on Blackface in order to exist in the world, blah blah blah. Abhorrent. 

But surrounding the release/search for funding of this book (I honestly don’t remember which; I’m hoping the book had since been shamed back into the abyss of unpublished work) was a discussion about books that had set up the reversal of systematic racial power in a nuanced manner. Those books, which were written mostly by PoC, and particularly by Black women, explored that structure as a way to satirize white supremecy, and that point was carried across very concisely. Basically, they did everything Save the Pearls (retroactively) claimed and failed to do.

Now, putting aside the fact that Urbance a) Is recieving way more criticism from non-straight white people than Save the Pearls ever did, and b) only releasing a short synopsis that does not fully explain the power dynamics in the upcoming show…

The creators of Urbance seem dedicated to taking criticism and making this a thought-out piece. They have already explained that they want the show to explore racism, misogyny, transmisogyny, and other forms of transphobia. The main characters, as well as many of the side characters, are non-white. They have also suggested bringing in characters of varying gender identities. The way they are representing people of color and LGBTQIA+ identities tells me that this is not going to be another Save the Pearls, it’s going to fall in line with the more nuanced works written by (and with input from) the people marginalized in our present day reality. 

And if the current plot is “problematic” (though let’s be honest, it’s probably not as “problematic” as your current favorite shows)? The creators have responded to the criticism thus far, and seem earnest in their offer to change and correct things.

tl;dr: I’m going to need white LGBTQIA+ to stop spreading misinformation/mass boycott information, to stop only popping up to criticize works written by/for/with PoC (and remaining silent while racist BS passes by), and to learn the difference between a gross trope and a nuanced analysis of power structures