Issa Rae, star and executive producer of the HBO series “Insecure” was honored this week by the Los Angeles City Council as part of its recognition of African American Heritage Month.
Rae was introduced by Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who praised her for the depiction of Black characters on her show.
“We are often portrayed as being a little bit more violent and criminal than we are, a little bit more sexual and promiscuous than we really are, having a little less love of family and responsibility and industry than we do, and into that picture along comes Issa Rae,” Harris-Dawson said.
Rae got her start on YouTube, where she earned more than 23 million views and over 200,000 subscribers to her series “Awkward Black Girl.” She is also the author of the New York Times bestseller, “The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl.”
“Insecure” is about a young woman who works at a South Los Angeles nonprofit for inner-city youth, where she often feels like the “token” Black person.
“ For me, it was about representing the richness,” Rae told the council. “It’s predominately Black and Latino and Asian. It’s a balance of affluence and poverty, but the two mesh and it’s so beautiful to walk about feeling like your city is home. I want to thank you all for recognizing that.”
