“Wade is a strong and well-respected leader at Netflix - so a great person to build on our commitment, taking our inclusion work to the next level,” Netflix Chief Talent Officer Sergio Ezama said in a statement.ĭisney said that it would appoint a new executive to replace Newton, who led the company’s efforts for nearly six years. Netflix appointed Wade Davis, a former NFL player who previously consulted at Google, Procter & Gamble and Viacom, to head its diversity efforts.
In a message on LinkedIn, Myers said it was difficult to leave Netflix, “but for a while now I have been feeling the call to work across different industries and address the polarization I see in the world and to apply more of a spiritual lens as a way of helping bridge the divide.” Newton did not respond to messages seeking comment.Ī fifth DEI executive, Joanna Abeyie, also left her job as creative diversity director at the BBC.īoth Abeyie and Myers are returning to their consultancy businesses, which they launched before joining their respective companies. Horne, English and Myers declined to comment for this story. In addition to Horne, top diversity heads departing their jobs include Latondra Newton at Disney, Vernā Myers at Netflix and Jeanell English at the film academy. They point to diverse high-level executives who remain, saying the spate of DEI exits were unrelated, largely due to personal circumstances or corporate restructurings. Discovery disagree, saying their commitments to diversity and inclusion are genuine and have not wavered. No, they’re not - but they didn’t really have much of a commitment in the first place.”ĭisney, Netflix and Warner Bros. Now these companies say they’re ‘reorganizing, rethinking and taking a hard look.’ They say they are not pulling away from their commitments. “What have been the actual accomplishments? Very little, if anything. “Billions of dollars were committed,” Madison said. More transparency around issues of race was assured.īut companies have since begun to scale back such commitments and, in some cases, employees dedicated to diversity initiatives, leading some insiders and advocates to fear that the doors to more opportunities once again have been slammed shut. Numerous diversity-centered initiatives were established. Major studios, networks and music companies tried to meet the moment by pronouncing solidarity and pledging millions of dollars to support social justice programs. When George Floyd was murdered in May 2020 by police in Minneapolis, Black Lives Matter demonstrations electrified the country with forceful demands for equality. “Hollywood seems to be sending a message that these programs that were designed to give more access to African Americans are no longer needed.” “I wake up every day trying not to be a cynic, but this is frightening,” said Vic Bulluck, the founding executive director of the NAACP Hollywood bureau. For many, the Hollywood departures were unnerving.
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