How African American Women Are Portrayed Within The Media
The media plays a large role in the portrayal of the African American culture/ community. Many people who do not commonly interact with African Americans are heavily influenced by the portrayals they see on TV or over the internet. Everything they understand about African Americans (women in specific) is determined through the media, and this is why the medias depiction is so crucial.
How many movies can you think of that have an African American woman as the lead character? Not many come to my mind. African American women most commonly play three large roles in the media. The “Black Best Friend” being the first. This character typically guides the lead white character out of a predicament. They rarely have a life of their own, but show up