Sterling Point Highlights Black Women Missing

Sterling Point, the latest Amazon Prime hit set on a remote Canadian island, has become a touchstone for the current state of young-adult television. The series follows New York teen Annie Jacobson as she inherits an island and a series of letters after her grandfather’s death, and it has been praised for its writing and acting. Yet the show has also drawn criticism for its absence of Black women, a trend that has been highlighted by fans and scholars alike.

The Sterling Point Example

The show’s premise-an adopted teen discovering family secrets-provides a narrative space that could accommodate diverse casting. Fans such as 21-year-old Jill Ofodu, a college student in Los Angeles, have pointed out that the adoption storyline offers an “easy opportunity for more diverse casting.” Ofodu says the creators seemed to have deliberately avoided this chance, noting that “there’s always a contextual reason given for why people of colour - especially Black people - aren’t cast.” The series’ cast roster, which can be viewed on the squad page, contains no Black women in any role.

Fan Reactions

The absence of Black women has not gone unnoticed by the audience. On TikTok, Ofodu and other viewers have shared videos expressing disappointment, arguing that the show’s context should have allowed for a broader representation. A viral Twitter thread by X user Jasmine Sinclair tracked upcoming YA projects that lack a Black actress in a lead role, revealing that more than a dozen titles slated for release in the next two years have no Black actresses among their main cast. Sinclair’s findings echo Ofodu’s sentiment that “Black women in particular are extinct from YA.”

Industry Context

The issue is part of a larger pattern, according to Cornell University professor Samantha Noelle Sheppard. She notes that the 1990s saw a “golden era” of Black programming on networks such as Fox, UPN and the WB, which later became the CW. These networks abandoned much of their Black content once they became financially solvent, prioritising perceived prestige. The 2010s brought streaming services that promised democratisation, but the inclusion wave that followed the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement has been short-lived. Writer Elizabeth Ese points out that Black stories are often optioned but then “die in development hell.” The current anti-DEI climate further hampers the production of such shows.

The UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report of 2026 shows that Black women held only 3.7 % of lead roles in the top theatrical films of 2025, and Black people are under-represented in writers’ rooms and director roles. Despite the financial success of diverse content-Mara Brock Akil’s Forever drew over 24 million views in 2025 and Netflix’s upcoming A Different World reboot has generated excitement-Black-centric YA stories remain rare.

The viewership statistics for YA content are striking. Netflix alone has generated more than 10 billion global views for YA media since 2023, a figure that can be examined in the stats section. This data underscores the commercial viability of inclusive storytelling, yet the industry’s gatekeepers still often default to white narratives.

The broader implication is that when young people do not see themselves reflected on screen, it can lead to feelings of erasure. The absence of Black women in shows like Sterling Point therefore has cultural significance beyond mere numbers. The series generated over 24 million views in 2025.