About Just Add Color
OUR MISSION
At Just Add Color we embrace the saying, “You matter.”
Media is a powerful tool that shapes how we see each other and ourselves. The narratives in popular media don’t just pop up out of nowhere; they can affect how we view each other’s differences–our races, cultures, sexualities and abilities–for better or worse.
The foundation of Hollywood, 1915’s The Birth of a Nation, is a prime example. This film paved the way for the modern blockbuster thanks to many of its special effects and camera techniques. But its salacious story that captivated audiences was also racist propaganda, touting the Ku Klux Klan as saviors against an evil scourge of Black men. Despite the NAACP protesting the film’s release, the popularity of the film proved that racism and broad stereotypes sell.
The Birth of a Nation was hailed as one of the greatest films of all time, but it was also boycotted by the NAACP for its glorification of the KKK and harmful stereotypes of African Americans. (Photo credit: Library of Congress)
Discriminatory narratives in the media have social, political and personal ramifications. Popular media touting stereotypes keep negative parts of history alive and support actions that harm marginalized people in real life. Our favorite films and TV shows might entertain us, but they can also keep us rooted to America’s original sins of segregation, discrimination and racial violence.
But, just as much as the media can reinforce negative stereotypes and tropes, the media can also be a teaching tool against those tropes. In the right hands, the media can dismantle harmful narratives and even show us a pathway towards a better, more equitable, more colorful world.
At Just Add Color, we positively and curiously approach humanity from a pop culture lens. How we view others tells a lot about how we view ourselves. By taking a critical look at how our favorite TV shows and films reflect us–in positive and harmful ways alike–you can learn to tease apart the narratives in our media and decide what represents you and what doesn’t. You learn how to define for yourself that you matter, regardless of what anyone has to say about you.
(L-R) Gedde Watanabe as Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles versus Simu Liu as the title character in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Hattie McDaniels in Gone with the Wind versus Golda Roshuvel as Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton. Rudolph Valentino as the title character in The Sheik, Ramy Youssef in Ramy. Lupe Velez as Carmelita in Mexican Spitfire versus Jenna Ortega as the title character in Wednesday.
Here’s how Just Add Color is different from the rest:
- Movie and TV reviews from the perspective of cultural literacy
- Culture articles that take on topics from unique perspectives
- News about pop culture events that disrupt the norm and provide new instances of cultural education
OUR TEAM
Monique Jones-Founder/Editor
Monique Jones has spent nearly 15 years in her journalism and blogging career, expressing her voice about representation and inclusion issues in entertainment. Jones has been published across the internet at outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, Tor, SlashFilm, Mediaversity Reviews, Shadow And Act, Ebony, Zora, The Offing, Netflix and The Huffington Post, to name a few. She is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified critic and works as a critic for Common Sense Media and news editor for Shadow and Act/Blavity. She also served as a cultural collaborator for Magic: The Gathering during the creation of the game’s first Black female Planeswalker, Kaya, Ghost Assassin.
Julian Jones-Associate Writer
Julian Jones is a graduate in sociology who loves books, movies, and television, particularly Star Trek, Star Wars and Marvel. He loves reading about sci-fi worlds and the occasional Stacey Abrams novel. Julian works as an associate writer and critic for Just Add Color.
monique@justaddcoloronline.com (or enter your question/comment in the field below):
