African American Progression Through Cinema?

One would most likely agree that over the past century the social climate in regards to black stereotypes has changed. While the early days of cinema portrayed black individuals through many negative stereotypes, equality among races has become perceptible over the past few decades. This perception of impartiality however has not been an easy process, but rather it has taken many life long dedications to improve upon its fairness. Along with discussing the early-days of the cinema’s outlook on African Americans and it’s improvements over the century, this journal entry will also look at the stereotypes present-day African American directors have chosen to dehumanize their own race.

The 1930’s and 1940’s carried many demeaning stereotypes on the portrayal of African Americans. Though these undignified stereotypes were obvious to the black actors, they often went along with the roles if their desire to work in Hollywood was great. A popular stereotype throughout these times was that of a black man who would often be “a foolish, jive-talking simpleton who would do anything to avoid work.” This description which was discussed in our text, America on Film (2009), was that of a coon.

The following clip shows an actor by the name of Stephin Fetchit in his most popular role, a coon.

Now that you have had the opportunity to view this clip I urge you to consider if you would have taken that role as an actor. Like many black actors during his time, Fetchit chose to perpetually acquire roles described as coons to stay working in Hollywood. Fortunately for this actor, his consistent persona paid off and he is accredited to being the first African American actor to become a millionaire.

Pushing forward into the 1950’s and 1960’s, the “institutionalized racism of Hollywood” (87) was being challenged by a number of African American actors attempting to acquire a new look on black. The most prominent actor of this time was Sidney Poitier, who after being singled out on many of his films as the only one of color, was the first African American actor to win an Oscar for best lead performance. His roles often disputed the foundational stereotypes of the past and even generated a character that was to be desired by whites.

The following clip is from one of Poitier’s best known films, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967).

In comparing the two clips above it is apparent that changes have certainly taken place in regards to the stereotypical images cinema has placed on African Americans. This progression leads many to wonder what the future olds. While many films in today’s cinema do a fair job bringing equality to the big screen, there are still some who surprisingly downcast the race of African American.

The Wayans brothers are well known siblings in present media due to their television show back in the 90’s (The Wayans Bros.) and their more recent adventures in cinematography. Many of the films they create generate laughter from their audience by exploring satire within their comedies.

The following clip is from the Wayans brother’s film “Don’t be a Menace” which is a spoof from an earlier film that explored the challenges many young black Americans go through while growing up in the inner cities.

Even while understanding that the film was created to be nothing more than a comedy, it is difficult to find humor in a film embracing such stereotypes. Much like the early years of cinema, Don’t be a Menace portrays a stereotype that was described in our text, America on Film (2009), as the Black Buck. Throughout many of their comedies, the Wayans brothers push to create a hyper masculine African American male that is often feared by the white society.

After observing where cinema has come over the past century in regards to stereotypes, it is obvious that the challenges we face are not over. Though our society has noticed great change in its equality among races, there are certainly films that dispute this present day progress. In order for the process of change to continue we must be aware of what our media displays in it's effort to generate racial representations.