In 2001, the media marveled at the fact that both the best actress and best actor Academy Awards went to black actors. Denzel Washington won for his role in Training Day
and Halle Berry won for her role in Monster's Ball. Some saw that as evidence of the new attitude of racial equality in Hollywood.
Part of the reason that representation of blacks in the media has changed is the decision of Brown v. Board of Education. The media is always going to follow right behind society. Whatever is going on in the world ... the media is going to be right behind it. said Ohio University professor of African American studies Akil Houston. There's something about when the Supreme Court makes a decision and it has a ripple effect on society.
He said the case got the ball rolling toward looking at minority representation in media outlets. In most cases, the representation of black Americans has improved, but contrary to popular belief, it still has a long way to go, Houston said.
The problem he has with the awards is not that Washington and Berry received them, but that the roles they were rewarded for were stereotypical black roles. He said Washington has had good roles in good movies including Philadelphia John Q and Malcolm X but the bad cop role was the one he was rewarded for, a stereotype for black actors. Berry also played a stereotype -the black woman who was helpless and hopeless, Houston said.
These roles conform to stereotypical representations of African Americans. I think there is something interesting when society says that these are worthy of an award
Houston said. I think it sends out a wrong message of what it is that is going to garter an Oscar. It's not going to be roles that offer diverse representations of women. It's going to be the stereotypes.
In some ways, the awards represented a hollow victory, Houston said. Diversity on television still is not as widespread as people would like to believe.
Now if Seinfield is the only show on television that represents people of Jewish decent
there probably would be a lot of problems with that
Houston said. But because you can see people in a variety of situations
it kind of takes the heat from that one show.
Houston said that although Brown did improve media representation of blacks, there still is a way to go. OU professor of interdisciplinary arts Keith Harris said there is a shift from black actors playing servant-class characters to more middle-class characters, but blacks are still mostly in comedies.
Harris makes a distinction between the success of integrating men and women in the entertainment industry. He said actors like Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson can lead a movie, but women do not have that opportunity because they need to fit a certain mold. Most scripts require white women, and black women do not fit beauty standards, which are important to film.
Houston said one reason that movies and television shows are not as diverse as they could be is because of the lack of diversity behind the cameras and the scripts.
OU professor of African American studies Eric Grant said the best solution to the problem of representation is a wide variety of roles for black Americans. He said The Cosby Show was a good example of reaching outside the mold.
Houston also said that in order for a variety of representation on television to occur, society must stop caring about the race of the actors when watching a show.
Everybody has to want to see a good show
regardless of whether it is a Latino
Indian or an African American playing it
he said.
Houston teaches a black media course, which examines images of blacks in cinema, radio and television programming and the development of stereotypes. OU junior Tony Degirolamo said the class informed him about aspects of racism that he did not know previously.
There is a lot stuff that you watched growing up that you never would even think racism is involved in
Degirolamo said.
Although she still enjoyed the class, OU sophomore Erin Silver said the class made her feel angry at times.
Sometimes it makes me feel bad about being a white person
