Actor Harry Lennix sat down with EBONY.com and addressed the lack of representation of Black spirituality in the entertainment industry.
“My personal endeavor and raison d’etre at this point is religious content and spiritual content for Black people,” Lennix said. “It does not exist. You have for example melodramas set in a Black church or Black people who are religious figures, doing things they shouldn’t be doing, represented. When it comes time to tell stories of spiritual principles or stories from the Bible, you have a whitewashing of people who we know were Black.”
Lennix said he would create those stories with his group, Black Faith Entertainment. The first production will be Revival!, a movie about The Gospel of John, set to gospel music. The actor said there is power in Mali Music, a Black gospel singer, performing as God in the flesh.
He added, “Ninety-three percent of [Black people] consider themselves believers. Seventy percent consider themselves Christian and go to church every Sunday. What do they have to show for it? Nothing, [because] there’s no content.”
Lennix concluded his point saying, “There’s more to Black history and life than slavery and suffering.”
Revival is scheduled to for independent distribution this fall.
