Hamilton was a great idea, perfectly executed. The problem is that the entertainment industry is all too quick to try to attempt recreate success by inserting people of color into historical stories whether it makes sense, makes a point, or not.

I have no problem with Hamilton because the casing was an artistic choice and a bold one that underscored the theme. Lin Manuel Miranda was pointing up certain characters by using race to show them as outsiders. Many shows that follow are just political pandering, casting a la affirmative action rather than to make a point.

How much better it would be to show people of color in stories about people of color. Our western culture is vastly ignorant of legends and contemporary stories of Africa, Asia, and of pre-colonization America and Australia. We’re still seeing too many stories where there are lots of POC but the main characters are still white. Hopefully, this is a transitional phase and we will soon see more stories where no one but a POC makes sense in the lead role.