Netflix's 'Dear White People' Embraces Controversy and Creates Some
*By Alyssa Caverley*
The best way to start a conversation about uncomfortable topics may be to showcase young, smart, attractive people in a TV series having erudite and funny conversations about uncomfortable topics.
That's part of the conceit of the Netflix show "Dear White People," a series that follows a group of college students at a fictional Ivy League university contending with issues of race, social justice, and cultural bias.
"You see the trials and tribulations we go through being black in a predominantly white space," said DeRon Horton, one of the stars of series. "A lot of people have waited to see the show, so they see it isn't what they presumed and they find that it's really sexy, funny, and conversational, and who doesn't like to have a conversation about what is actually current in life."
The second season of "Dear White People" is now available on Netflix.
The series, created by Justin Simien, is based on his 2014 film, which had its premier at Sundance. The show touches on some pretty serious issues, but Horton said it approaches controversy with a sense of humor.
"Laughter doesn't have a race or a gender, so it's the same thing as love and that's what we're trying to spread in the series too," Horton said in an interview Tuesday with Cheddar.
Horton plays Lionel Lionel Higgins, a Winchester University student journalist turned activist who came out as gay in the first season. In the new season, Lionel learns new things about himself as he encounters racial and social barriers on campus.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/dear-white-people-star-deron-horton-on-larger-acceptance-of-show-for-season-2).
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