A Fresh Perspective in Activism: Asante Blackk's Voice

It’s always admirable when a young Black man with a huge platform lends his voice to advocate for equality and social justice.

That’s why I’m a huge admirer of Asante Blackk!

He is an up-and-coming actor with a promising career ahead of him. He is best known for portraying Kevin Richardson, one of the Central Park Five, in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us.

His stellar and emotion-sapping performance earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, becoming one of only 12 actors and actresses to earn a nomination before reaching 18 years old.

He is also not afraid to use his platform to advocate for change and spur conversations about issues he is passionate about, including equality and justice.

His parents, Ayize Ma’at and Aiyana Ma’at, are lifelong social activists. Naturally, we assume that the spirit of activism has rubbed off on him.

Whether he is voicing concerns about systemic racism or advocating for criminal justice system reforms, Asante is proving himself to be quite the activist.

As an actor, Asante has opportunities to interview with major media organizations with huge followings. Asnate has been known to raise issues of equality and justice system reforms during his interviews, especially when discussing his role in “When They See Us.”

For instance, in an interview with CBS News, during the When They See Us press run, he said that he fights the issues of prejudice every day. “You know, you fear these types of things every day as a black man in America,” he noted. He adds, “It’s your worst nightmare to be convicted of something that you did not do simply because of the color of your skin.”

He said about the Central Park Five, “I was very shocked and appalled.” He adds that he used and channeled the anger of the injustice while auditioning for the role, saying, “I kinda used that anger… and put it into the script and the audition piece.”

He also noted that he learned a few lessons about the Justice System while portraying Kevin. “It’s not a system that was built for us,” Blackk said.

He acknowledges the need to educate himself about his rights. In his way, his interview encourages people to learn about their rights.

He has also used media interviews to discuss and advocate for election participation among Gen Zs. In an interview with People, he said, “I feel like Gen Z, my generation, is a very capable generation, you know? We see a lot more than people realize, and we are working to change a lot more than people realize.” He concludes, “It’s very important to us.”

He also uses social media to raise awareness of social issues. He has appeared with Ethan Herisse on Reed Shannon’s Facebook in a Speaks Up Series. The podcast-esque releases discussed issues surrounding inequality and systematic racism that the black community faced.

I hope he continues to raise issues affecting African Americans in the future.