Actor-singer-activist Anika Noni Rose will host the next season of “Being Seen,” centering on stories of Black women — and the need for the entertainment industry to prioritize narratives that actively seek to reduce stigma and bias.
Season 3 of “Being Seen” will premiere Oct. 26 on all podcast platforms and via beingseenpodcast.
“Black women and femmes in America have the experience of living under the oppression of both sexism and racism,” Rose said in a statement. “This has impacted us in so many ways, including our health, our safety, our access to power, our relationship to desire and more. We see this play out in Black maternal health disparities, violence against Black trans women and the unacceptable ways in which Black women bear the burden of HIV.”
Rose continued, “As an actress I know first-hand the power of using mainstream media and entertainment to drive change — the people who create the stories, the way they are constructed and who gets to tell them can make a life or death difference. That is what we are talking about on this season of ‘Being Seen’ and that’s what we need to change.”
Rose, best known as voicing Tiana in Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog,” has numerous other acting credits. On TV, she has appeared in “Power,” “Roots,” “Bates Motel,” “Hack,” “Little Fires Everywhere” and “The Good Wife” and will be seen in upcoming Showtime series “Let the Right One In.” Rose’s film credits include “Assassination Nation,” “Everything, Everything,” “For Colored Girls,” “Dreamgirls,” “Just Add Water,” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” She won a Tony in 2004 for her turn in Broadway musical “Caroline, or Change.”
“Being Seen” is funded by pharmaceutical company ViiV Healthcare, which specializes in treatments for HIV, and produced in partnership with creative and entertainment studio Harley & Co. “We are delighted to lift up the voices of Black women and create a platform where their experiences and realities can be shared, explored and celebrated,” ViiV Healthcare spokesman Marc Meachem said.
The upcoming third season will showcase leading Black female voices, with guests including Taraji P. Henson, Ledisi, Dominique Jackson and Roxane Gay. “Being Seen” Season 3 is created in collaboration with creative talent including Patti Wilson, stylist and fashion editor at large for Vogue Italia; Charlene Carruthers, author of “Unapologetic” and founding member of Black Youth Project 100; and Aria Sa’id, founder of Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, billed as the world’s first transgender district.
Watch the “Being Seen” Season 3 trailer:
