In recent times, the reaction to Black characters has been negative to say the least. Many complain about “forced diversity” or going “woke.” However, those complaints do not really ring true if looking at the past century of Black representation in the media.
Black representation in media is currently lackluster and in some cases, down right a step backwards from the progress made.
Take a look at film for instance, in early movies, the major role for Black people was that of the servant. This is shown by the character of Mammy in 1939’s “Gone With the Wind.” In the movie, she is a slave to the main character’s family.
She does not get a real character. Mammy only exists to console the main character. She does not even get a real name, but she does leave a lasting imprint on the film industry as a whole. Following the film’s release, numerous other films of that same era included a mammy-like character, characters who exist to be a mother-like role for the main character. This serves as a way to include a Black character while still grounding them in whiteness to keep general audiences comfortable.
This idea has led to several other similar tropes being adopted by other films. Most notably is the trope of the “Magical Negro.” Characters who are usually someone that the protagonist, and audience, would not think much of but ends up helping out the protagonist. There are numerous examples of this throughout cinema, Bubba from “Forrest Gump,” Morpheus from “The Matrix,” and Evelyn from “Annabelle.” They only exist to assist the white characters while having no depth for themselves.
These characters do add a hint of color to the cast but after their time, they fall into the disposable Black girlfriend trope, with neither being referenced for the rest of the show’s run.”
— Editor-in-Chief Micah Freeman
Negative tropes like this are not limited to film. On the TV side of things, it is a lot more of the same. More negative tropes are present within the industry, stripping Black characters of any “character” they would have had. One that permeates the industry is the “Token Black Friend.”
This trope is similar to the aforementioned “Magical Negro” trope, being a Black character that exists only to support the white protagonist. Shows like “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky, and Dawn,” ”Criminal Minds,” and “Smallville” have their Black characters play this role. They do not get to do much without their white contemporaries.
There is also the trope of the “Disposable Black Girlfriend.” Shows will add a black woman as a love interest for their main character before moving on from them without even a cameo. Examples of this are Simone from “The Good Place,” Karen from “You,” and most recently, Amber from “Invincible.” These characters are essentially made to be footnotes in the grand story. Seen only as obstacles for the “true” love interest of the show.
It is also common for shows to just nix Black representation completely. “Friends” went seven full seasons without including a Black character. The show takes place in New York and yet no one around the core cast was a person of color. This was somewhat rectified with Kristin Lang, played by Gabrielle Union, was a romantic interest for two of the main characters for one episode and Charlie Wheeler, played by Aisha Tyler, who was on the show for nine episodes.
…resulting in any Black character looking more like a white character with a tan.”
— Editor-in-Chief Micah Freeman
These characters do add a hint of color to the cast but after their time, they fall into the disposable Black girlfriend trope, with neither being referenced for the rest of the show’s run. This is the same for “Modern Family,” “Young Sheldon,” and “The Big Bang Theory.” All shows that take place in areas with a sizable black population and yet none show up.
Looking at video games, things get a little more complicated. A lot of games do feature Black protagonists, but that is more due to the fact that they have character creators than actual characters. Even in that standpoint, games like “Elden Ring,” while including darker skin tones in its character creator, do not include any Black hairstyle options, resulting in any Black character looking more like a white character with a tan.
When these characters do have an actual character, they rely on stereotypes. CJ and Franklin from “Grand Theft Auto” are the two most prominent Black protagonists in the gaming industry. Both are criminals, which admittedly is more the fault of the series than the creators of their games but it still does not look great when these characters serve as the major representation in the gaming space.
Another example of this is Barrett from “Final Fantasy VII.” From the beginning of the game, he fits into the angry Black man stereotype, yelling at main character Cloud Strife from minute one. Barrett has a short temper and is constantly yelling. He also has a gun for an arm, which is not the best look. He also gets little development in comparison to the other members of the cast, not getting much to do after an early part of the game in comparison to the rest of the cast. A fate that is unfortunately common with Black characters.
The times that you are able to see yourself, it is as someone who only is subservient to white people or as a criminal.”
— Editor-in-Chief Micah Freeman
Put yourself in my shoes. I have grown up watching all of these forms of media. As a Black person, it is hard to not be able to really see yourself in pop culture. The times that you are able to see yourself, it is as someone who only is subservient to white people or as a criminal. It feels demoralizing to have that be the main representation out there for you.
Things have gotten slightly better. Luckily, there are some Black lead projects making progress. The “Black Panther” films have crushed at the box office. “Abbot Elementary” has received fantastic ratings and has a dedicated audience. Video games have made an effort to include more Black protagonists with “Spider-Man 2,” including Miles Morales, and “Forspoken,” with the main character Alfre Holland.
There has been an effort to make better Black representation. The work is not done yet. There needs to be more and better representation going forward.
People deserve to have characters they can look up to, that they can relate with. There has been progress but it is not enough.
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