‘Friends’ lack of diversity ‘embarrassed’ its co-creator. So she made a $4-million decision

From Los Angeles Times: “Marta Kauffman remembers being bothered: Why were so many people picking on ‘Friends’? … Despite its success, though, the comedy was repeatedly criticized for its lack of diversity, with numerous observers wondering how the characters existed in a predominantly white environment even though the series was set in New York City. … The series’ failure to be more inclusive, Kauffman says, was a symptom of her internalization of the systemic racism that plagues our society … That reckoning was the catalyst for her decision to pledge $4 million to her alma mater, the Boston area’s Brandeis University, to establish an endowed professorship in the school’s African and African American studies department.”