African-American Media Stereotpyes

With the introduction of films in America African-Americans were stereotyped. The Flights of Nation (1907) showed a lopsided and demented black culture. D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation (1915) chronicled the story of the free south in the Civil War that depicted the revenge of the Klu Klux Klan on Blacks for the attempted rape of two White women. This movie that was considered a masterpiece set the precedence of portraying Blacks as idlers, brutish, vagabonds, and outcasts.

Other films showed the grizzled tramp in Jim Tully’s tale of the lowly Beggars of Life (1928), the seaman played by George Godfrey in James Cruz’s Old Insides (1926), the faithful renderings of Blacks in Showboat (1927), Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1927), and those that were in the early sound films like Dudley Murphy’s St. Louis Blues (1929). Generally Blacks played out some conventional roles as chorus girls, convicts, boxing trainers, ill-mannered servants, and persons of disrepute.

In the 1940s and 1950s White actors Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll were the talent behind the popular radio show Amos “n” Andy. These two actors were masters in their imitation of the degrading dialogue that most Americans associated with Blacks. Their condescending techniques made for the popularity of this program. With the era of TV, these White actors were replaced with Blacks and the show’s popularity and stereotypes continued. Eventually, the NAACP was able to convince Hollywood to abandon the negative stereotypes of African-Americans in their films. Such a decision did not produce changes overnight but some progress was made.

Beginnings of Change

In the 1960s the Civil Rights Acts and the Voting Rights Acts passed by the American Congress made it possible for some notable changes that were to follow regarding minorities in American society for they had far reaching implications. They made possible the following:

1. The inspection of voter registration rolls
2. Prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin
3. Ensured that there was no discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing

These issues affected Blacks in many ways and now they had legal recourse. In short, they were protected by federal laws.

The African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) was in full swing and aimed at abolishing racial discrimination. Much of its success came about because of the sights and sounds of the medium of TV. Many White viewers were able to witness the brutality against the demonstrations of civil rights workers, sit-ins, freedom riders, marches, and clashes with the national guards. These incidents impacted the national conscience positively.