Jessica Nguyen

SOC 238-01
Assignment #3
November 3, 2014
Black American Portrait
Media is one of the most effective ways to give information to the public, and as a result,
is one of the most influential factors in the publics perspective. The images of Black Americans
portrayed in the media have varying reflections of Black American life and culture. The more
common medias that are used to portray these reflections are television shows, movies,
magazines, and recently, social media. The presence of Black Americans in the media is both
advantageous and detrimental to the Black American identity, as the media portrayed to the
public either reinforces or challenges the racial stereotypes of Black identity.
Cunningham&Glenn (2009) discuss even further of how media images shape our view of the
world and our deepest values (p. 136).
Though the media is easily accessible, the representation of Black identity is not equally
represented and often segregates them from mainstream media. As discussed in class (2004),
there has been neglect to African Americans in the media, and in response, there is a search for
authentic news of Black Americans. Within the institution that is media, Black Americans have
been portrayed stereotypically as gang members, thugs, rapists, drug dealers, and a plethora of
negative identities when playing a character in a movie or television show. This occurrence
reinforces the stereotypes that surround Black identity and influences the way Black Americans
are seen in the public eye when put on a movie screen or television set. There are also instances
in the film industry where Black Americans are seen in a more positive light, but the roles that
these individuals play still reinforce racist stereotypes. Cunningham&Glenn (2009) point out that
though the Black and White characters get along in the movies, the relationship between these
characters reveals a reinvention of racist stereotypes, such as mammy, jezebel, and Uncle Tom
(p. 136). This representation of Black Americans as the magical Negro is crucial to
understanding the presence that Black Americans have in the media, as it show how the media is
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reinforcing these racial stereotypes among Black identity. In this space, characterizations of
Black identity are exaggerated and thus have oppressed the way in which Black Americans wish
to portray their identity.
Mainstream sources of media that are of a white majority have caused a segregation of
Black Americans in that media, which leads to the independent media sources that cater to Black
Americans and focus on Black identity. Black Americans have created a Black media source that
focus to express real Black identity in the form of television shows centering on Black family
life, magazines addressing specifically to Black beauty and fashion, and newsletters and news
sources on the events happening specifically in the Black community of Black America. The
ability of Black Americans to produce their own media source enables them to be able to
represent Black identity in the way in which they want to and also allows them to combat against
the negative representation of Black Americans in the media. Smith (2008) examines Black
families in reality television shows, for example Runs House and Snoop Doggs Father Hood,
and how they investigate constructions of Black fatherhood in a variety of positive forms while
challenging limited images of Black fathers on television (p. 394). In mainstream media, there
is this stereotyped perception that Black fathers are usually not present in the lives of their
children or family, which alludes that Black fathers are irresponsible and invisible. Because
these two reality television shows are run by and centered on Black Americans, they are able to
oppose the stereotype of bad Black fathers and rearticulate the perception of Black family life in
a more positive and wholesome way. The media produced by Black Americans has become very
influential in rearticulating the perception of Black identity and plays an important role in the
Black community, regarding racial stereotypes and implicit biases made against them.

Jessica Nguyen
Though this production of media by Black Americans allows them to go against racial
stereotypes about Black Americans, there are critiques as to what is portrayed and what elements
of Black identity are focused on. Using reality television shows such as Runs House and Snoop
Doggs Father Hood as an example, Smith (2008) critiques of how these shows did not address
racial and social issues, and instead continued in the genre of happy endings, family values, and
escapism (p. 394). This critique on these two reality television shows highlights of how, though
these shows are great models to inspire family values in Black families and rearticulate Black
family identity, these shows are shying away from social class and race issues that Black
Americans face today. This critique reflects the belief, as mentioned in class (10/27/14), that
when a person or a show gains enough popularity and power to influence the media and the
perception of society, they should use it as an opportunity to reveal the issues that individuals in
the Black community face. This also leads into the discussion of what the media should portray
about Black identity and of how to apply these ideals. There are disputes within the Black
community, as mentioned during class discussion (10//27/14), as to what images they should
portray in the media and as to which Black identity they should articulate, and this becomes
troublesome at times as it may confuse their audience as to what is Black identity and what are
stereotypes. Trying to come to a conclusion as to what Black identity is is a problem in itself, as
there is no single identity that can be portrayed that will capture the identity and culture of Black
Americans as a whole, which further complicates how Black Americans are portrayed in the
media. Though it is agreeable that there are issues of race and class that Black Americans
experience, it becomes difficult in media to go against the negative stereotypes associated with
Black Americans due to the stereotypical portrayals that are already portrayed in mainstream
media that are controlled and produced by a majority of non-Black Americans.

Jessica Nguyen
With the institution of media, it plays a powerful role in how Black identity and culture is
portrayed as. Media serves as a way to explore and reveal the lived experiences of Black
Americans in a way that captures large audiences. Mainstream media is susceptible of only
showing certain aspects of Black American identity, which is an exaggeration of some parts of
Black identity and causes Black Americans to become segregated in this way. In this space,
Black Americans have to create a space that is separate from mainstream media, sometimes
referred to as Black media in order to portray real Black identity and rearticulate the way in
which Black Americans are seen as.

Class Discussion Notes (10/27/14)

C. Smith, Debra. Critiquing Reality-Based Televisual Black Fatherhood: A Critical Analysis of
Runs House and Snoop Doggs Father Hood. 2008.
J. Cunningham, Landra & L. Glenn, Cerise. The Power of Black Magic: The Magical Negro
and White Salvation in Film. 2009.