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Black Women in Television and Film, Grace in the Face of Discrimination
by Linda Slack
Category : News and Society |
When I was fourteen, I traveled to North Carolina with my mother to her home town in Ellerbe and experienced a kind of racism that made angry and affects me still today. This was 1968 and I felt secure in Blackness due to the “I’m Black and I’m Proud” movement taking place during this time. In this Five and Dime discount store, as I browsed and touched things I was followed by a white clerk and warned by my mother to not put the hat I was looking on my head.
I was fourteen coming from Ohio where white people were a little more subtle about their racist attitudes. We left the store before I caused us to get arrested. I went outside and decided to get a drink of water until I notice the fountains were separately marked White and Coloreds. This was a traumatic experience to my revolutionary Spirit, which had been slowly developing as I learned more about myself in a climate of social injustice. My examples of self pride and strength were the people in my family, both the men and women.
African American women in my formative years were portrayed in low profile parts that did not stand out. Influenced by the traditionalist of the 50’s the images we saw on television and in the movies consisted of Black women as a vixen, a housekeeper, a maid, or mammy and as slaves or bare-breasted indigenous women in Tarzan movies.
Fortunately the women in my life were strong, educated and challenged those stereotypes for a little black girl to seek out other definitions of my womanhood. Early television and film images of women of color were censored representations of talented actors that were held back due to racism. Artists like Nina Mae McKinney, Fredi Washington, Dorothy Dandridge and Lena Horne broke through the barriers of the industry to make it possible for us to witness the talent of today.
Consistently, Black women showed up in roles as caretakers and servants of their white counterparts because the white actors could not be upstaged. Many blacks had to reject their own blackness and compromise the creative integrity of their skills as and actresses because the images were controlled by studios bosses.
Nina Mae McKinney, (b.1912 – d.1967) was the first Black movie star and actress in Hollywood, but we know nothing about her. All of the attention has been given to the choices of the industry as the frontrunners.
Fredi Washington, (b.1903-d.1994) was a very fair-skinned woman with light eyes, was disliked by both blacks and whites even though she was actually a black woman. Because she didn't look black enough, Hollywood directors often encouraged her to pass for white because they could make her a bigger star.
Dorothy Dandridge, ( b.1924 – d.1965) appeared in movies from 1930 to the end of 1962 was born during the Depression Era in America, was the first Black actress ever nominated for and an Academy Award for Carmen Jones in 1954.
Although we did not watch cable, movies and television were a prominent channel of entertainment and a powerful method of influence on the belief system of Black people. Representing your race during the 1950’s and 1960’s was extremely significant to black actors due to how racism was reflected and reinforced on television and on the big screen.
The November issue of Ebony Magazine features the stars of The Secret Life Of Bees in an article by Lynn Norment, discussing how the actresses connect the past Civil Rights struggle with today’s American history. Connection is the key because it is all about the historic events taking place today connected to the individuals of the past whose determination opened the door.
During the shooting of the movie, the director Gina Prince-Blythwood chose to emerge the actors in a real life situation of racism to sensitize them about the climate of the times. The story takes place in 1964 during a time of openly demonstrated social hatred.
Emerging the actors in this setting allowed them to experience how it felt to be discriminated against. No one can describe it to you and really help you to understand how it feels. Today the same attitudes are real and I am grateful for movies like this to show us the today the connection to the past and the present.
I am also grateful to the women of color who were brave enough to not give up or give in being told they were not good enough or talented enough to represent their race. The grace and determination they demonstrated is the strength that fuels and motivates us today. Gives Thanks for the ancestors on whose shoulders we stand, Ashe’, Ashe’, Ashe’.
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About Author :
African American Family Connection is an online magazine created for the purpose of engaging the Black community in dialog to empower Black families locally, nationally and globally to be a viable presence and change the negative view of Black people within and outside of the Black community The Creative Director, Linda Slack is a mother of three, a grandmother to two beautiful and intelligent black children, a community organizer, and mentor-mom to many. Feature articles focus on providing achievable solutions to the social and economic conditions collectively affecting black families today. |
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