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Racial Stereotypes in Media are Harmful 

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Racial Stereotypes in Media are Harmful 

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A majority of people fail to see how media can impact society. It can be used as a very powerful tool altering the way we see people, places or things. "This mind-boggling amount of media consumption shapes how U.S. residents see the world, and racial imagery in the media has cumulative effects on society. Often biased media portrayals of racial groups cannot be dismissed as mere entertainment, especially not if their impact on youth are taken seriously.". Stereotypes in media can indirectly send messages to people on where they fit in a society. It can have a lasting impact on children and the way they see themselves. Negative racial stereotypes tend to affect a majority of black girls and boys, "Researchers have found that prolonged television exposure predicts a decrease in self-esteem for all girls and for black boys, but an increase in self-esteem for white boys. These differences correlate with the racial and gender practices in Hollywood, which predominantly casts white men as heroes, while erasing or subordinating other groups as villains, sidekicks, and sexual objects."

https://scholars.org/contribution/how-racial-stereotypes-popular-media-affect-people-and-what-hollywood-can-do-become#:~:text=One%20study%20finds%20that%20popular,racial%20biases%20for%20white%20viewers.

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Hollywood is Losing Revenue Due to Lack of Representation of Black Cinema

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Hollywood is Losing Revenue Due to Lack of Representation of Black Cinema

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It is no surprise that the film industry is losing money due to lack of representation. Traditionally the U.S. started as a melting pot and continues to grow in diversity. The increase in diversity should reflect what we see on our screens. This is because most people want characters they can relate to, which sometimes can mean characters that look like you. This article states, "Audience interest for diverse storytelling is on the rise, McKinsey found—between 2017 and 2019 alone, demand more than doubled for new television projects that featured casts made up of at least 40% racial and ethnic minorities." At this point there is no excuse for lack of black representation as more and more audiences demand it. Not only to mention that increasing black representation in film proves to generate more profit. This article states, "could increase annual revenue by 7% or about $10 billion a year by improving Black representation on-set and on-screen, according to the report."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/03/11/report-hollywood-loses-10-billion-a-year-over-lack-of-black-representation/?sh=4d5048aa163c

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There are many black artists that deserve recognition for the work they produce. It is evident that they put in just as much if not more effort in the film industry than their white co-workers. The problem, especially in Hollywood, is that the types of films black filmmakers produce do not win. In fact a majority of Hollywood does not even care to do so. They are much more willingly to watch movies in which the characters look like them and share the same culture. In the article it is stated, “What doesn’t interest them is the current black experience or black culture. A movie like ‘Straight Outta Compton’ doesn’t stand a chance.”. This becomes a big issues when a majority of Hollywood's members are white. "Composed of Lurie and many of the nation’s most celebrated filmmakers, the group is 89 percent male and 84 percent white, and roughly half are 60 or older, a Washington Post analysis found.".

This can be incredibly disheartening because it is crucial to celebrate the accomplishments of black artists. Without this it can create negative impacts for black youth. Media can have an influence on everyone, especially children. Most children look up to the artists they see and celebrating their accomplishments can help inspire children. The perfect example would be the TED Talk "Invisible to Visible" where a woman talks about her experience with representation growing up. She talks about how isolated she felt due to the lack of Latina representation in the media. It altered her perception of herself and the things she could accomplish. As she grew older she saw a chance to increase representation and hopefully change the perception of our youth for the better.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/02/23/its-too-loud-and-other-reasons-oscar-voters-ignore-black-movies/

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Black Actors Face Extreme Disadvantages in Opportunity for film

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Black Actors Face Extreme Disadvantages in Opportunity for film

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Often times in the film industry, black actors face challenges that their white co-workers do not. Some of these barriers include lack of funding, "It found that not only do fewer Black-led stories get told, their projects receive less funding and are quicker to be shelved.".

Black talent is extremely underrepresented in the film industry, "In all, less than 6 percent of writers, directors and producers on US films are Black.". Even though the number black talent in the film industry is extremely disproportionate, they are solely responsible for recruiting more black talent. "While films with a Black producer or director represent a small sliver of all those produced, these productions are significantly more likely to have Black representation.".

In the article "The hidden cost of being African American" it highlights the hidden inequalities that most black Americans face. Just like in the film industry, black people are usually not given the same amount of opportunities that white people are given. Whether this be financial support, possessions or living situations. These are all challenges that can affect black people.

Source: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/03/inequities-run-deep-for-black-professionals-in-film-and-tv-addressing-them-could-create-10-billion-in-new-revenues/

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In recent years people have accused the Grammy's of awarding a majority of white artists. Here are some reasons are some of the disadvantages that black artists face in the Grammy's. It is said that fewer than 20 percent of album of the year awards go to black artists. It took the Grammy's 10 years to recognize rap as a genre. This is an issue because rap is an important part of the black community. Not representing this genre can create disadvantages to many black artists, such as rappers. It says that only three album of the year awards have been given to hip hop. Recently Hip Hop has become extremely popular. The hard work and dedication that these artists put into their music shows. Which is why it is crazy to see so few awards being awarded to the Hip Hop category which by the way tends to be majority of the black community.

Source: https://www.thefader.com/2014/12/12/10-reasons-the-grammys-are-as-white-as-you-think-they-are

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We have looked at the history of black cinema and some of the influential figures that helped shaped this time. Just as it is important to recognize the figures that have paved the way. It is also important to recognize figures in our time that continue to pave the way.

Zendaya- She is known for various films and shows that she has directed and acted in. Some of the films that she has acted in include Spiderman movies and Dune. She is also known for her main role in Euphoria.

Will Smith - Will Smith has starred in large amount of films over the decades. You may recognize him in films such as I Am Legend or Men In Black. He began his career as a rapper and now he is an influential actor.

Source: https://www.outlookindia.com/art-entertainment/zendaya-tops-list-of-black-women-who-
were-most-googled-in-2022-news-268512
https://www.workandmoney.com/s/most-influential-black-actors-eeabb06e05834479

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This slide will be highlighting some statistics for black cinema in 2023.

Gitnux states, "2 in 3 Black Americans don’t see their culture represented in movies or television."

"Black actors make up 12.9% of leading roles in cable-scripted shows, but only 6% of writers, directors and producers of U.S.-produced films are Black."

"In 2014, 78.9% of DC and Marvel comic book creators were white, 11.5% were Hispanic, 6.8% were Asian, and only 1.2% were Black."

"91% of Americans surveyed believe that media has the power to influence society, with 87% of Black Americans surveyed believing that the way Black Americans are portrayed in the media influences perceptions of them in the real world."

Source: https://blog.gitnux.com/black-representation-in-film-statistics/

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Although representation in black cinema seems to be constantly improving, there are issues that still need to be addressed. Some of these issues include the lack of diversity in genre for black films. The majority of black films range from movies about slavery to movies that highlight white saviors such as The Help. "Since the early days of film, Black people have been portrayed negatively compared to their white counterparts. Although Black roles have evolved, most movies fail to represent the Black experience as a whole. Black films tend to fall into three categories: slavery or the Jim Crow era, hood movies, or films where Black people exist to make the white character seem like a hero.". Black culture cannot be restricted to one genre. No culture can only be limited to one genre. Like any culture, the black community wants to see their culture be represented. Misrepresenting cultures in film can create negative impacts. It can change the way we see things and it can even alter how others view the black community. The article states, "So is Hollywood even attempting to step outside of this box, and produce and recognize films outside of these tropes? Unfortunately, the jury is still out. But one thing is for sure: Black people want to see themselves and their culture represented in movies."

The issue we see within the lack of diverse genres in black films is a reminder that history can play a huge role in how cultures are represented. This issue reminds me of some the articles and TED Talks we discussed. Two that come into mind are 130 years ago: Carving up Africa and the TED Talk the Atlantic Slave Trade. As discussed in 130 years ago: Carving Up Africa people in power decided how Africa was to be split up. Most of these people had never set foot in Africa, therefore they did not know the culture and the landscape. Most white filmmakers or white people in general do not know much about black culture, but unfortunately they tend to be in the majority. They consume and create films such as films about slavery or white savior films believing that they know about black culture. Just like the European leaders that carved up Africa, they continue to create media they know little to nothing about.

Source: https://sundial.csun.edu/168306/print-editions/problems-in-the-black-film-industry/

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We have come a long way when it comes to black representation in the film industry. The roots of black filmmaking can be traced all the way back to the silent film era. This is when black filmmakers started making "race films" for segregated audience during the time. Unfortunately most of the films during this time were not able to be preserved. It is stated, "Like the vast majority of silent era film productions, most race films of this period are lost. In fact, hardly any material survives that was shot by Black filmmakers prior to 1920." However, we do know of some key historical figures during this time. During this time Lincoln Motion Picture Company was a very big company in the silent film era. The founders of this company were George P. Johnson and his brother Noble. Who would later become an influential black actor, many consider to be the first black actor.

Source: https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2022/10/looking-and-looking-again-at-black-film-history/

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History of Black Representation in Cinema

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History of Black Representation in Cinema

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The black film history has evolved a lot of the past couple of decades. With all the change and progress being made, it may be easy to forget the roots of black cinema. However, it is crucial that we recognize and acknowledge some of the actresses that paved the way for black cinema.

Hattie McDaniel - The first black actress to receive an Oscar.

Ethel Waters- The first black actress to win an Emmy

Josephine Baker - The first black actress to star in a major motion picture

Dorothy Dandridge - The first black actress to be nominated for an academy award

Today it might seem crazy to think about the lack of black representation in cinema during this time. Considering there was a large amount of black people living in the U.S. during this time. This is a perfect example of how power can shape our society not only within the government, but also the media. In a TED Talk, "How to Understand Power" it highlights how we can recognize power and where it comes from. One of the topics it mentions is ideas and public perception. Public perception can have immense power and can alter how we see things, such as cinema. When public perception of black people is negative, it will translate into media causing black people to receive less opportunities in cinema.

Source: https://www.blackenterprise.com/black-actresses-who-made-black-history/