It is one of the most popular TV shows with an audience spanning countries. ‘Friends’ that regaled audiences for 10 years, however, lacked diversity in its characters.
The sitcom’s creator Marta Kauffman has admitted feeling guilty and embarrassed about the lack of diversity.
During the George Floyd incident, the show had come under attack for the same, and Kauffman noted that it was frustrating and distressing to face the flak.
Kauffman said that the Floyd episode turned the spotlight on systemic racism.
“It was after what happened to George Floyd that I began to wrestle with my having bought into systemic racism in ways I was never aware of. That was really the moment that I began to examine the ways I had participated. I knew then I needed to course-correct,” Kauffman was quoted by news reports.
To rectify the mistake, Kauffman is donating $4 million to help Marta F. Kauffman ’78 Chair in African and African American Studies at Brandeis University.
News reports reveal that the fund aims to ‘support a distinguished scholar with a concentration in the study of people and cultures of Africa and the African diaspora. The gift will also assist the department to recruit more expert scholars and teachers, map long-term academic and research priorities and provide new opportunities for students to engage in interdisciplinary scholarship.’
