The Serie friends it premiered in 1994 and maintained its success until 2004, when it came to an end. The Show It had 10 seasons in which we witnessed what was going on in the lives of a group of close friends. Despite the fact that its last broadcast was 18 years ago, it is still one of the most popular shows on television. However, in his time he was highly criticized and questioned because there was no diversity in his cast.
One of the creators of the series, Marta Kauffman, did not understand and was even bothered by this type of criticism. However, she now understands him perfectly and that is why, recognizing him, she has decided to make a donation of four million dollars to his Alma materBoston-area Brandeis University, to establish a chair in the school’s African and African American studies department.
In an interview Kauffman had with Zoom, he expressed his feelings about it, saying that the show’s failure to be more inclusive was a symptom of his internalization of systemic racism, which plagues our society and that he saw more clearly after the murder. of George Floyd in 2020, by the Minneapolis police.
I have learned a lot in the last 20 years. Admitting and accepting blame is not easy. It is painful to look in the mirror. I’m ashamed I didn’t know better 25 years ago.
That is why he determined that one way to make up for the mistake is by making this donation, which is intended to support a distinguished academic, with a concentration in the study of African peoples and cultures, as well as help the department recruit more expert academics and teachers. and provide new opportunities for students to participate in interdisciplinary scholarship.
I have received nothing but love. It has been amazing. I was surprised to a certain extent, because I did not expect the news to be so wide. I have received an outpouring of emails, texts, and posts that have been nothing but supportive. I’ve gotten a lot of ‘It’s about time’. Not in a petty way. It’s just people acknowledging that they were way behind.