Semester Project - M. Tiffany Settles

BLACK WOMEN IN TELEVISION

Diahann Carroll as "Julia"

My semester project will consist of a video that depicts “Black Women In Television”?

Women of color have not been portrayed in a positive light on the small screen. The images of black women in television are often times negative stereotypes. It was those early TV actresses that made us proud to see someone who looks like us on television. For example, Diahann Carroll as “Julia” set the tone for actresses such as Clair Huxtable and Olivia Pope. The sitcom Julia challenged the racial stereotypes of black women in the media. They were also changing the image of black women, the way we viewed ourselves, and the way we were being seen by others. For once in American television history black women were being heard. Earlier black actresses were influential because they were giving black actresses a new role in society, making amazing contributions to a new style of entertainment for the rest of the world to enjoy.

Kerry Washington as "Olivia Pope" - SCANDAL

Still today, black actresses in leading roles are still very rare. Although we are seeing a high point towards some black actresses careers in television, we still have a long way to go. Now when positive black when are being depicted in a TV sitcom their considered angry black women. Before that we were only expected to play the role of a maid, mammy, jezebel similar to today’s catfights, neck rollers, baby mamas, or gold diggers. Even now, producers believe displaying dignified African American women in nonstandard roles of black actresses are not believable to viewers. The television shows Julia and The Cosby Show was sending the message of racial uplift from their perspective and not the misconceptions of white America.  

Courtesy of Google Images

The main purpose of my video is the let people see that before there was Reality TV we had positive black women. Diahann Carroll didn’t break down barriers for black actresses to accept demeaning stereotypical roles. All representation of black women on television is not positive, and we should all be held accountable for what is being produced for TV. We need more programming that helps us progress as a race of people. We have to demand more shows that send the message of black women’s success and accomplishments. Now with so many options we have to make a conscious decision not to support. My sole objective is to make people of color uncomfortable and reject the negativity of poorly depicted black women in media. I feel compelled to display previous actresses to today’s viewers of black women should see themselves. My video will live on social media and will be added to my professional reel.  

      

 Work Cited

1. Hooks, Bell. Reel to Real: Race, Sex, and Class at the Movies. New York, NY:

            Routledge, 1996. Print.

2. Hill, George H., Lorraine Raglin, and Chas Floyd. Johnson. Black Women in

            Television: An Illustrated History and Bibliography. New York: Garland

            Pub., 1990. Print.

3. Smith-Shomade, Baretta E. Shaded Lives: African-American Women and

            Television. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 2002. Print.