Tonya Lee Williams' film foundation supports diverse talent in Canadian entertainment
Actress and entrepreneur Tonya Lee Williams visited with Durham College students recently to share her views on diversity, the power of the entertainment industry in shaping the images of the world, and the vital importance of recognizing and acknowledging an individual beyond race, colour or religion.
Williams was speaking to students on March 25 in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre gymnasium as part of Diversity Month, which featured a series of events designed to celebrate the rich and wonderful diversity on campus.
Best known for her 15-year starring role on the popular soap opera The Young and The Restless, she founded the Reelworld Foundation in 2001 to recognize the excellence and achievement of emerging diversity in film, video and new media. It was in response to what she perceived as a lack of positive diverse story arcs on screen as well as sustainable opportunities for people of colour trying to break into the Canadian entertainment industry.
"People are often hired by word of mouth, and unfortunately word of mouth tends to be not very diverse in the entertainment industry," Williams said. "Reelworld reaches beyond that small inner circle and provides a stepping stone to talented people of colour."
Referring to ideas and images presented by the electronic entertainment industry, Williams says racial and other stereotyping is often not done on purpose, but always without thought.
"Watch with a keen eye," she says. "We are all gatekeepers, and we all bear responsibility in bringing attention to the things that we see on television or in the movies that perpetuate old ways of thinking, and promote an us-and-them mentality."
Williams will present the Eighth Annual Reelworld Film Festival from April 2 to 8. Each year, the Reelworld Film Festival attracts film stars, government officials, leading corporate executives and international media to downtown Toronto for a five-day celebration of diverse cinema.
An articulate and interesting speaker and recipient of the City of Oshawa's Walk of Fame award, Williams drew from her own life experiences as a child growing up in Oshawa, as well as her extensive work as an actress in an industry that she says often perpetuates inaccurate and even damaging stereotypes. And while she enjoys and admires the rich cultural mosaic of Toronto, Williams says true diversity must also include tolerance and understanding.