Who We Are
Racebending.com is an online community founded by fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender. We are comprised of thousands of supporters in 50 countries around the world. Since our formation in 2008, we are now a grassroots organization dedicated to encouraging equal opportunities in Hollywood. We are a coalition and community dedicated to encouraging fair casting practices. As a far-reaching movement of media consumers, students, parents, and professionals, we promote just and equal opportunities in the entertainment industry.
What We Do
Direct Protest
Racebending.com directly contacts studios that ‘racebend’ or otherwise discriminate against actors of color. Our members protest and boycott productions that discriminate.
Speaking Out
Racebending.com presents on discriminatory casting practices to communities and universities. We have presented to several community organizations like OCA and on campuses including MIT, UCLA, UPenn, NYU and USC.
Networking
Racebending.com connects concerned fans and members of the public to media watchdog organizations like the Media Action Network for Asian Americans and the NAACP Hollywood Bureau.
Advocacy
Racebending.com advocates for artists of color by featuring their talents and researching why they face discrimination, and how to stop it.
Current Focus
As fans of the original television show, we still hold the highest level of respect for the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series and its culturally nuanced depiction of an Asian/Inuit fantasy world.
The series featured Asian and Inuit characters in a fantasy setting inspired and informed by a variety of Asian cultures. The cast and setting were virtually unique in American media as a celebration of people and culture of Asian/Inuit descent.
For American children, it was an opportunity to witness heroes and heroines of color – an opportunity that enriched all of us, regardless of ethnicity.
We want to support The Last Airbender film, but we cannot in good conscience support a production that systematically excludes people of color from heroic roles. To publish a casting call seeking actors who are “Caucasian or any other ethnicity” is contrary to fair hiring practices and an active rejection of the full diversity of the American people.
Learn more about The Last Airbender here.
Our Vision
We know we cannot change the casting of The Last Airbender, but working on this project is not the end of our movement. We will continue to monitor other projects in Hollywood and advocate on behalf of artists of color.
We want Paramount Pictures – and all Hollywood studios – to know that supporting and hiring actors of color in prominent roles will help build passionate, devoted audiences. The appeal of Hollywood’s films will expand with greater attention to the face of modern America.
Grassroots organizations like Racebending.com can draw awareness to potential areas of cultural discrepancy and help studios create enjoyable and profitable entertainment without discriminating in casting.
We want actors of color to know that there are people out there who support them and want to see them in bigger roles. We want children to know that people of all colors should have the opportunity to be seen as champions. And we are eager to support projects with fair casting practices, utilizing the talents of the many faces of America.
Through open dialogue and grassroots protest, we seek to raise awareness. Through organized boycott and communication with Hollywood representatives, we seek to encourage the creation of television and film that reflect the true richness of American society.
Our Supporters
We are represented in all facets of America. Our supporters come from all walks of life: concerned parents, students, academics, and industry professionals.
We are an international movement, with vocal supporters in fifty different countries around the world.
If you want to support the ideal of fair and equal opportunity in American films, then please join us.
What You Can Do
Recognize that the entertainment industry still discriminates against artists of color in the 21st century.
Support artists of color and movies and television shows with fair hiring practices and diverse casts.
Boycott and protest movies and television shows that ‘racebend’ or otherwise limit opportunities for artists of color and other underrepresented populations.
Contact Us
If you want to get in touch with us, please visit our contact page–but first, please read through our Frequently Asked Questions to see if your question has already been answered.
