She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power Showrunner Noelle Stevenson Continues to Apologize for ‘Bow/Sow’ Joke
Spencer Baculi
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She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power showrunner Noelle Stevenson has assured her fans that she is “currently taking this time to take a hard look at my privilege and remedy the gaps in my anti-racist education” after the show’s fanbase accused her of racism for an innocent rhyme-based joke.
Recently, Stevenson faced a storm of backlash after noting that one of Bow’s racially ambiguous siblings was named ‘Sow’, as fans immediately assumed that the character’s name and role as a farmer were racist allusions to plantation slavery.
On September 1st, Stevenson took to her personal Twitter to further apologize to her fans for how she “made a comment that to me, as a white person, seemed harmless, but it evoked a painful racist history and caused hurt to both Black fans of She-Ra and my Black peers in the animation industry.”:
In the lengthy Twitter thread, Stevenson would further apologize to “fans of She-Ra who were hurt and betrayed by my comment” and “Black professionals who feel unsafe in the industry as a result of my comment” and assure them that she would be “taking serious action to do what I can to repair the harm I caused.”:
Related: She-Ra Reboot Voice Actress Calls Character Design Criticism Sexist at New York Comic Con
To that end, Stevenson stated that she is “currently taking this time to take a hard look at my privilege and remedy the gaps in my anti-racist education, and I am working with @mackmactlksback as an anti-racism consultant to craft a plan for the future, both personally and professionally.”:
The showrunner then explained how she would be “laying out my commitment for the future” in a multitude of ways, which include “hiring Black talent at every level, and to create a safe and positive environment where employees of color’s voices can be heard and where they can thrive.”:
“Hiring sensitivity readers and anti-racism consultants to ensure that careless bias does not slip through and that the work environment is a safe and positive one for employees of color.”:
“Boosting the profile of Black talent and connecting them with other opportunities for which they may be a good fit.”:
And by “making a donation to Writing the Other and Milwaukee Freedom Fund.”:
As Stevenson issued a final apology “to members of the She-Ra fandom who feel hurt and betrayed”, she also asked “those who felt compelled to fight on my behalf, please take a step back and examine your own actions and biases” and “to commit to your own anti-racist education and to apologize to any fans of color that you may have hurt in your defense of me.”:
The thread concluded with a promise from Stevenson that she would be “committing to examining my role as showrunner and incorporating anti-racist work into every step of the process so as to never repeat the mistakes of last week” and a request that “white creators who may find themselves in a similar position […] create an industry where Black voices are celebrated and uplifted”:
What do you make of Stevenson’s apology? Do you think this will undo the ‘damage’ she’s done in the eyes of her fanbase? Let us know on social media or in the comments down below!
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