Characters Unite: USA Network’s Pop Up Experience to Stop Discrimination

USA Network has a history of welcoming all kinds of characters; in fact, “Characters Welcome” is its motto. Unfortunately that’s not the case with the other USA, that old United States of America, where in spite of all scientific advancement and every technological progress that has been made, we just can’t seem to find a way to get along. Things like bigotry, racism, discrimination, and homophobia still run rampant in this country and in the world, and to that USA Network has one thing to say: “I Won’t Stand For” it.

In a move to promote acceptance and respect to combat prejudice and discrimination, USA Network has launched Characters Unite, a public service program to put a spotlight on social injustice. This week, USA and Characters United hosted a pop up experience where Washingtonians got the chance to take a stand by creating a t-shirt proclaiming what they won’t stand for and also mingle with some of their favorite USA stars.

Willie Garson (White Collar), Coby Bell (Burn Notice), and Timothy Omundson (Psych) were on hand for the event and in an interview with Poptimal.com, the guys discuss how hate and discrimination is such a problem in this country and also why it needs to stop now.

There is little doubt that there are few things more destructive than hate, for every altar that love and community has built there is some douchebag ready to tear it down heedless of the disastrous and even heartbreaking results. We’ve all seen discrimination, or been affected by some form of intolerance and we can certainly agree that the world would be better without its citizens strangling each other at the throat. So with their Character United campaign, USA Network is challenging us to stand up and do our part to stop injustice.

“With USA we’ve been really lucky that they decided to start it as just a programming thing of ‘Characters Welcome’ and they were like well how can we turn this into something that could do some good,” Garson tells us of USA’s Characters Unite campaign. Partnered with several nonprofit organizations, Characters Unite is working to prevent prejudice and promote understanding and acceptance across the country. “It was like let’s go around; we have so many eyeballs on our network. How do we now transform this into something that people take action on?”

“I was very happy to be asked for this,” Omundson says of why he decided to join the initiative. “Who hasn’t been picked on, who hasn’t been bullied? Who doesn’t know someone who’s the victim of intolerance or injustice? So, it’s kind of a no brainer.” Having grown up in the suburbs of Washington state, in an area with little diversity, Omundson tells us that it was hard for him growing up to believe that discrimination really existed. “I never really saw it a lot. So it just made no sense to me at all as a kid. It was something that really struck a chord with me. It sounds stupid but how come people just can’t get along.”

Garson also tells us that he’s learned first-hand from discrimination. “I grew up in New Jersey,” he tells us, “and I’ve seen horrible things. I’ve seen discrimination, I’ve seen racism. Certainly we read about every time any public figure is like ‘Oh, my God, God forbid there are homosexuals.’ It’s like really? It’s 2012 we’re actually still talking about this. It’s so crazy.”

“All of these issues shouldn’t even be issues and the fact that they are is why I’m here,” Bell tells us. Speaking about the issues that this country faces, Bell says that the US has a long history of prejudice to overcome, but that we’re making steps in the right direction. “A lot of it is so deep rooted discrimination and intolerance,” Bell states. “Prejudice is the root of so many problems in this country. I’m talking deep rooted like since the beginning of this country so it’s going to take a lot to turn it all around but I think we’re slowly getting there.”

Garson also believes that over time society has become progressively better in terms of inclusion and discrimination, but acknowledges that we still have a ways to go. “As we move generation to generation, these things can go away,” Garson says. “We talk about it and society evolves so have we not gotten to the point where our kids should know? The whole idea obviously is make every generation better than the one before and we have this opportunity now.”

Omundson sights wanting to help initiate this much needed change as his reason for becoming involved. “As an actor,” Omundson says, “my greatest tool if you will, the thing that has prepared me best for my job is empathy and if an event like this can raise the empathy level in some people just a little bit, take that moment to think about walking in somebody else’s shoes then that’s what I’d like.”

So what will it take to make these changes? Well the guys all agree that change starts on a personal level with each person taking responsibility and creating an impact in a ripple effect to change the environment around them. “The easiest, simplest level is to not contribute to it, not to discriminate,” Garson tells us. “That’s on a personal level. On a bigger level is if you are in a position to hire, if you’re in a position to speak to people, there’s millions of things people can do, be inclusive.”

“It’s all just one person at a time,” Bell says of creating change. “Individual acts, set examples for other people. Calling people on their bullshit when you see someone doing any of these; it’s just saying something about it and letting them know that it’s not right.”

Both Bell and Garson agree that actions can speak louder than words, and that sometimes the most effective way to get the message of tolerance across is to live a life that demonstrates it. “I think we have to lead by example because we’re under scrutiny all the time,” Garson says. “Just as adults living in society we live by example and that’s how things stop… that’s all you can do, do your best. I try to do it with my kid every day. So, live by example.”

Garson, Omundson and Bell praise USA Network for taking this next step in working to make a more conscious world and hope that USA’s efforts will prompt other networks into doing the same. A hope to which I humbly add my own plea.  USA Network is doing a marvelous thing by investing in the community and trying to help restore the people on the other side of the television. “We’ve been given this gift,” Garson tells us, “we’ve been given this voice. Someone is listening to us because we’re on a show that they like and they think ‘Oh my kid is a bit of a bully. Maybe we should have a conversation about that.’ And that’s awesome. It’s a gift that we’ve been given so that’s why I grab it.” There’s always the hope that society will right itself eventually, but a little prodding along by our favorite stars could do wonders in moving us there just a little bit quicker. “If this whole campaign can change 1, 2, 3, 10 people’s minds about the way they live their lives then it’s been a success,” says Bell.

For your part you can take the pledge, comment below, go to Facebook or Tweet and tell us what “I Won’t Stand For…” and most importantly become an example to others showing that discrimination isn’t welcome here.

Burn Notice and White Collar return to USA this summer.

Psych airs Wednesdays at 10/9c.

Images courtesy of Poptimal and Alice Yang.

Coby Bell (Burn Notice), Willie Garson (White Collar), and Timothy Omundson (Psych) Coby Bell (Burn Notice), Willie Garson (White Collar), and Timothy Omundson (Psych)	Coby Bell, Willie Garson, Timothy Omundson, and Vincent Gray Coby Bell, Willie Garson, Timothy Omundson, and Vincent Gray	DC Mayor Vincent Gray DC Mayor Vincent Gray
Coby Bell Coby Bell	Willie Garson Willie Garson	Willie Garson (center) Willie Garson (center)
Timothy Omundson Timothy Omundson	T-shirt Booth T-shirt Booth