Isn't it amazing how Hollywood pats itself in the back all the time?
Her work/talent should be the focus, not her skin color. Unless there has been a major issue with racism or discrimination against people of color in the entertainment industry, then I don't see how this is groundbreaking news.
"Racism" or "discrimination," no, but representation, yes. That's why this stuff is newsworthy in the first place. I mean, it's dumb, it shouldn't be newsworthy. It shouldn't be an unusual thing to have a black, female 2nd unit director on a major franchise motion picture, or even as the director or producer or whatever.
But it is. It's unusual, and so when it happens, it's noteworthy.
I don't know if you watched Black Panther, but...I dunno, for me it was really instructive about what it feels like (kind of) to be on the margins. Not necessarily "marginalized," since that would imply an intentional decision to exclude or push me away, but rather just...not really the primary consideration. I described the experience I had as an audience member of Black Panther as being one where the movie was not "for" me, but was "available" to me. I wasn't the target audience. Certainly, I wasn't the bullseye of that target, anyway. They wanted my money, sure. They wanted me to enjoy the film, sure. But they weren't really concerned with making a film
for me. The film was
for another audience. It spoke to universal experiences and themes, sure, but it also spoke
very specifically to experiences and themes and concerns that weren't mine.
A big, big part of that is because of who the director was and what the focus of the film was about. I suspect that if, for example, the Russo Bros. had made the Black Panther movie, it would've been terrific, very entertaining, and enjoyable for a very broad audience. But having Ryan Coogler direct it gave the film a different perspective, and one that likely wouldn't have happened if the Russo Bros. did it.
Film and storytelling are, I think, hugely important. Beyond the financial impact of the entertainment industry, telling and experiencing stories is a major way that we make sense of the world and our place in it as a species. There's simply a difference between telling a universally-accessible story, and telling a story that is specific to one experience, albeit generally accessible to other people's experience. Likewise, there's a difference between telling a story that you are personally familiar with, from your own experience and perspective, and telling stories from a perspective you haven't personally experienced. Part of why we see more of this stuff being highlighted is because it's important to bring different perspectives into the creative process, because those perspectives necessarily impact how stories get told and what those stories have to say.
Now, admittedly, a 2nd unit director probably isn't having a huge impact on the overall story of a film. Some impact, sure, but it's not like they're steering things differently from the primary director. But it's still important that Hollywood's positions of power start to open up and welcome people who can bring these different perspectives into play. And the end result, I think, is simply...more stories for more audiences, which in turn can help to share those experiences and bring us a better understanding of how people outside our own experiences live.