From minstrelsy (minstrel shows), to movies, television, and music. The media has been using racial undertones to appeal to White America for as long as I can remember. The white powers-that-be control how we are portrayed in Hollywood. Rarely will you ever find a black super hero with a white side kick, its usually the other way around. When black characters have a major role in comedy they hardly ever seem to be more than a buffoon. In horror films, they never make it to the safe haven but die before the rest of the cast reaches the Promised Land. I believe that this is a direct correlation to the Antebellum Era. White audiences still do not want to see black people succeed. In my opinion, they would much rather see us fulfilling a stereotypical role that includes: singing, dancing, or "juckin' n jivin". Black entertainers are expected to display the docile attributes that we are most "popularly known for". To this day, those are the types of roles that we are limited to.
However, I cannot place all of the blame on White America. Don't get me wrong, it is hard to dig yourself out of a hole that you did not create. At the same time, we have to take responsibility for taking on these roles. How we are portrayed in the media will never change as long as we continue to marginalize OURSELVES.
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