"You can’t just swipe racism or homophobia out of your life": Actress Amelia Hoy is demanding change for BIPOC

It’s one thing to use your voice to advocate for socio-political change. Taking tangible action to execute that change is an entirely different challenge — one Danish-American actor and activist Amelia Hoy is committed to achieving. Hoy is spearheading an overdue shift in narrative within Scandinavia through the lens of arts, fashion and storytelling, including the launch of the Nordic Fashion Directory, a platform creating space and opportunities for people of colour in the fashion industry.

“One of the strongest ways to change the narrative is through performing arts and fashion because that's where we, in a very subtle but very profound way, accept the status quo,” Hoy tells me, as we catch up over breakfast on a rainy Saturday morning in London. Born in California, Hoy moved to Copenhagen as a teen and has been going back and forth since. Her experience as a woman of colour in Scandinavia is layered — even more so within her line of work.

In 2015, Hoy became the first woman of African-American descent to graduate as an Actor from The Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen, the most prestigious drama school in the country. With only eight admissions a year, it is the Nordic equivalent of London’s Rada or Lamda. “When I was admitted, there were no teachers of colour and no employees of colour, with the exception of people who came and cleaned at night,” she recalls. “So when we talk about structural racism, or when we talk about the lack of representation in Scandinavia, I'm glad that so many people have become aware of it now, but it’s no news to me.”

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Last year’s Black Lives Matter movement forced nations around the world to hold a mirror up against their societies and face the realities of institutional racism and the ignorance, or in many cases denial, surrounding it. “Denmark was very good at pointing the finger away from itself and calling it an ‘American problem’ which is far from the truth,” says Hoy, who was residing in Los Angeles prior to the pandemic, but currently staying in Copenhagen after returning to be close to family. “Microaggressions and systemic racism is very much prevalent in Scandinavia and I think whenever we're talking about these structural barriers that people of colour or minority groups face, it’s really important to also discuss that these barriers are not new. We’ve grown up with them. But that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.”

Hoy launched the Nordic Fashion Directory, alongside co-founders Robin Douglas Westling, Nicole Kavander, Rebecca Thandi Norman, and Ervin Latimer, to actively work towards the change she wants to see. “When I graduated I was already aware that the amount of interesting roles for BIPOC talent is limited in Scandinavia, and so is every other person of colour who works in this industry. International work was accessible, and I had the freedom to travel and work in the US, but not everyone has that opportunity.” Hoy, who aside from her acting career is a Copenhagen Fashion Week regular with an influential position in the Scandinavian fashion scene, is utilising her platform and network to bridge a gap and provide seats at the table for BIPOC fashion creatives in the Nordic region across different areas, from emerging designers and photographers to marketers and journalists. The aim is to make it easy for brands and organisations to hire BIPOC fashion professionals by creating a visible and supportive, anti-racist community.

“Excluding people of colour is so short-sighted to me,” says Hoy. “Even if you're going to look at it from a cutthroat business perspective - which I don’t advocate for or necessarily think is the best way to operate in the world - but even if you are of that conviction, you’re being absolutely ridiculous by cutting out such a huge population. It’s so sad the lengths people will go to to maintain power,” she adds. “That’s when you realise that we’re up against something that’s bigger than greed and a cutthroat capitalist logic. We’re up against something that is so deeply ingrained in specific individuals in positions of power, that it will take such energy, influence and so much time to really change.”

Energy, influence and time is exactly what Hoy continues to invest in dismantling age-old systems that operate against people of colour. Though, she’s aware that there are limits to how far it can reach without legislative backing. In August 2021, American stock exchange giant Nasdaq introduced a new policy that requires all companies listed under them to have, or publicly disclose why they do not have, at least two diverse directors, including: at least one self-identified female director and at least one director who self-identifies as an "underrepresented minority" or as LGBTQ+. “Those kinds of affirmative actions are what will change things,” says Hoy. “It’s a top-down-bottom-up situation so I think these legislative moves are imperative. Without the activism of grassroots organisations that say enough is enough, like the power we saw with the Black Lives Matter movement and the Women’s March, there isn’t that spark of social interest,” she explains. “Equally, if there isn’t an awareness up on the CEO level, you’re not really going to be able to implement changes within these systems, which I personally think is also a very crucial and vital element to this.”

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Change is coming, the events of last summer made sure of that. The process on the other hand, will be a slow one. “It’s like trying to get a huge tank to turn around, it requires time and tireless work,” says Hoy. “We have gotten so used to instant gratification and wanting quick results for everything and I think that’s extremely problematic when we’re looking at systemic change. You can’t just swipe racism or homophobia out of your life. You may be able to manipulate your algorithms so you don’t see it online but as soon as you step out into the real world, it’s still there.”

Ultimately, there is no longer room for band-aid solutions. Throughout 2020, we heard millions pledging their support to anti-racism, vowing to unlearn microaggressions and educate themselves on the depths and complexities of racism and frankly, the next step is to apply the knowledge gained and take visible action - some of which we’ve started to see already. “There's so many amazing things happening right now, as far as storytelling goes,” says Hoy. “Sex Education [the Netflix series] is a great example. The level of which it reprogrammes how people experience sexuality, their bodies, race, gender and non gender, and the overall spectrum of what it is to be human is amazing. Then there’s Issa Rae and what she has done for Black women around the world with Insecure and the way Atlanta was able to tell authentic stories from the perspective of Black men. They’re all American and British shows but I think we’re beginning to get to that stage where we, as creative people of colour in Scandinavia, are also accepted as citizens and cultural beacons.”

Related: How racial microaggression impacts your BIPOC colleagues and employees

This onscreen revolution has not only kept Hoy’s own creative juices flowing — she debuted a powerful play she wrote and directed in Copenhagen in 2021, titled Celeste at Theatre Mungo Park in Denmark — it has fuelled her hope for the future. But what can we really expect from it?

With initiatives like the Nordic Fashion Directory championing BIPOC talents, things finally feel promising. As for societal developments in anti-racism and inclusivity, Hoy believes our new post-lockdown etiquette will have a surprisingly positive effect. “Changing behaviour is the hardest thing to do,” she says. “But the psychological impact of the pandemic has changed a lot of behaviours, and one of the most positive and inclusive things we’ve gotten out of it is the spatial and psychological awareness based on considering the needs and boundaries of others around you. That same notion can and should also be applied to everything from microaggressions and sexism to homophobia and ableism.”