Diversity on American Television
America is one big pot of gumbo, made up of all types of people, bringing their own unique flavors to the country. In 2008, America elected the first African American president, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, Since President Obama has been in office, American TV shows have made great strides in diversifying characters on television. This is not to say that there were not shows that depicted people of color prior to 2008, but after the election it became more prevalent. The classic everyday Caucasian American family show slow began to included families of all races.
America, the greatest country in the world; the land of the free and home of the brave (Keys 8). People come to this land for a better life, but …show more content…
The Amos and Andy Show was the first show that portrayed African American characters. The Amos and Andy Show started off as a radio show that was later brought to television by CBS. It was centered around Amos and Andy, who were brothers living in Harlem, NY. It was a comedy that played on racial stereotypes of African American people. The show was created and voiced by two white men Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden. Once they made the shift to television, they casted black actors Alvin Childress and Spencer Williams. The show only last 3 years due to the NAACP push to have the show removed because of the racist representation of black people the show represented I Love Lucy was another exception to the narrative. It was CBS most popular viewed showed the majority of the years it was on air (Kirschen 735l. Desi Arnaz who was originally from Cuba came to America after marrying American actress, Lucille Ball. They started their own production company, Desilu production. This gave them to power they needed to have a show broadcast on CBS 736). from people who they can relate to. But there were a few exceptions to the norm. CBS was the first network to step outside of the box. One of the most popular show of the time was I Love
America is one big pot of gumbo, made up of all types of people, bringing their own unique flavors to the country. In 2008, America elected the first African American president, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, Since President Obama has been in office, American TV shows have made great strides in diversifying characters on television. This is not to say that there were not shows that depicted people of color prior to 2008, but after the election it became more prevalent. The classic everyday Caucasian American family show slow began to included families of all races.
America, the greatest country in the world; the land of the free and home of the brave (Keys 8). People come to this land for a better life, but …show more content…
The Amos and Andy Show was the first show that portrayed African American characters. The Amos and Andy Show started off as a radio show that was later brought to television by CBS. It was centered around Amos and Andy, who were brothers living in Harlem, NY. It was a comedy that played on racial stereotypes of African American people. The show was created and voiced by two white men Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden. Once they made the shift to television, they casted black actors Alvin Childress and Spencer Williams. The show only last 3 years due to the NAACP push to have the show removed because of the racist representation of black people the show represented I Love Lucy was another exception to the narrative. It was CBS most popular viewed showed the majority of the years it was on air (Kirschen 735l. Desi Arnaz who was originally from Cuba came to America after marrying American actress, Lucille Ball. They started their own production company, Desilu production. This gave them to power they needed to have a show broadcast on CBS 736). from people who they can relate to. But there were a few exceptions to the norm. CBS was the first network to step outside of the box. One of the most popular show of the time was I Love