Kasi Lemmons discusses the importance of African Americans in the film industry

Actress and director Kasi Lemmons is featured in the Netflix docuseries “They’ve Gotta Have Us.” The three-part series explores the history of black cinema through in-depth interviews with entertainers like: Harry Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, Laurence Fishburne, John Boyega, Debbie Allen and more. In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Lemmons says “African Americans have been working forever in the industry and made it what it is in a real way. It’s just important to remind people who we are, why we’re here and what we’re doing.” The docuseries is produced by Ava DuVernay’s Array company. Lemmons, who directed the 2019 movie “Harriet,” says DuVernay and Spike Lee have been instrumental in creating representation for black entertainers. “Hiring women directors, that itself is an incredible statement,” Lemmons says about DuVernay. “I am in complete and total admiration of her.” Lemmons goes to say that Lee changed everything with his 1986 movie “She’s Gotta Have It.” “We’ve definitely gotten to a point where on-screen representation is a lot better,” she says. “I don’t know what more has to be done to shake it up.”