Issa Rae Says A Predominately White Staff Would Not Work For “Insecure:” “There Are Some Things That Are Just For Us”

In a new interview with #Glamour, Insecure creator Issa Rae explained why having a majority white staff would not benefit her HBO series.

Rae is blessing the cover of Glamour’s October issue, and she opened up about why the diversity on her staff makes her hit HBO series “Insecure” so successful. While she appreciates her white employees, she says she’s okay with them not always understanding all the content on her show – highlighting that Insecure is a show for Black people and it’s made for the Black community.

“I just want to do my pure story, and if I’m not, it’s just not worth it. And Prentice [Penny, executive producer, and showrunner of Insecure] feels the same,” Rae told Glamour. “Sometimes the white writers will be like, ‘I didn’t even know what that line meant until I watched the show,’ and I’m like, ‘That’s OK. There are some things that are just for us.’”

It’s well known that most writers’ rooms in the industry are dominated by white people, and that occurrence extends to other professional workspaces.  Rae says “surrounding myself with people of color. I could never do this show and have a predominantly white staff.”

Rae also made it her mission to accentuate the beauty in South Los Angeles – an area that is typically condemned or omitted regularly in media. Rae says it’s “disheartening” that the white community today is trying to force the Black community out of their longtime homes.

“White people left the neighborhood, there was white flight, and now they’re coming back and pushing us out,” Rae explained. “I’m moving back there—that’s what I want—but I’ve already seen the change. It’s disheartening.”