“I want to change the world,” he begins about what he wants to accomplish as an artist. “Being an actor of color—being a black young man in Hollywood today—it is tough enough and to be put on a platform where I can use my influence to change stuff, I’m going to do it because there needs to be a change. There needs to be more of us, there needs to be more of a positive image for black people and the way we handle stuff and the way we approach different situations. What you usually see on tv, you’re getting the ‘ratchet’ version of a black person. You’re not getting the ‘graduated with a Masters Degree’ you’re not getting the ‘I have etiquette, but I can be ratchet if I need to’. You’re just getting what they want the world to see.” Understanding the importance of inclusion in such a prominent and impressionable artform, he stresses that it’s important to show that black actors hold the capacity and duality to be diverse in the roles they play and stories they are a part of. Using his platform positively, he hopes that this will allow for making room for more opportunities not just for him as an actor, but for other black actors/actresses as well. Talking about the first time he ever felt himself being represented in this medium, MeKai goes back to the classic 1975 Blaxploitation dramedy, Cooley High, “The other day I was watching Cooley High, and it wasn’t necessarily the way we were being represented, but the way that it was an entirely black movie. Like everyone on the cast was extremely diverse and you saw a bond with friends that no matter what it reaches you know, I really, really like that movie.” #mekaicurtis #milomurphyslaw #disneychannel #kirbybuckets #inclusionmatters 📷: Steven Wetherbee http://teenplicity.com/mekai-curtis-law/