On March 7, Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan took to Instagram to announce that his production company, Outlier Society, will adopt inclusion riders for all future projects.

“I’ve been privileged to work with powerful women and persons of colour throughout my career and it’s Outlier’s mission to continue to create for talented individuals going forward,” Jordan wrote.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgCi2dEBKzd/

The announcement comes days after Frances McDormand accepted the Oscar for Best Actress and, in her speech, advocated for the use of inclusion riders as a means to improve diversity in Hollywood. The Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri star urged all the women in the room to stand up and give themselves a round of applause before saying, “I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider,” and waltzing off stage.

It was the ultimate #MicDrop moment, and while many actors expressed support for the sentiment, Michael B. Jordan is the first to heed McDormand’s advice IRL.

If you’re wondering what an inclusion rider actually does, you’re not alone: “inclusion” was the Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s most searched term on Oscars night!

If an actor includes this clause in their contract, the movie’s cast and crew must meet a threshold of diversity that reflects societal demographics. The clause ensures that a certain number of minorities are prioritized in the hiring process with the goal of emphasizing equal representation in the workplace.

Dr. Stacy Smith—the founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California—originally introduced the clause in a 2016 TED Talk.

 

Filed under: Black Panther, Movie News