BET & Black Women : What do YOU think?

Untitled from Manhatten Royal on Vimeo.

I asked various African American students about their thoughts on BET's perceptions of Black people and women in particular.

Black Women on Modern Television

Untitled from Manhatten Royal on Vimeo.

A Spike Lee Joint

SPIKE LEE

Born Shelton Lee in 1957, Spike Lee was born in Atlanta and raised in Brooklyn. He received his Bachelors at the historically Black, all male college, Morehouse University. He later went on to NYU where he perfected his filming skills. He completely his educational career and started his professional film making journey  Spike Lee went on to film over 19 films within an 18 year period. His films typically analyze and combat a wide variety of social and racial issues, such as race relations, Black masculinity and female sexuality.

She's Gotta Have It(1986)

She's Gotta Have It is the story about a sexually driven Nola Darling and her love affairs with three men who are all aware of each other. Throughout the film, viewers try to determine if her sexual appetite is liberating or submissive. When Nola Darling is given the opportunity to liberate her body when asked in the "near-rape" scene "Who's pussy is this?" She lets us down by claiming it was "yours" (the man who was taking his pleasure from her. She later settles down with the man. Although She's Gotta Have It is about a female protagonist, it is argued to be a patriarchal story. With a lack of depth in character, Nola Darling is only defined by her sexuality, while the men in her life a all distinct, well rounded characters.

School Daze (1988) 

School Daze was said to reveal the "dirty laundry" of the African American community as it does a creative way of tackling racial issues, such as colorism and anti-apartheid. It is a serio-comin look at caste systems, class and gender contradictions that often go ignored. The movie emphasizes the lives and differences of four different groups. These groups all highlight the divisive behaviors that impede the black community. From the conflict between the natural woman (Jiggaboos) and the exotic (Wannabes) to the underlying tone of "men-as-predators/ women-as-prey" ideologies of fraternity life, School Daze links old conventions to new ones. Interesting enough, after the film's release, there was a dramatic increase in Black college enrollment.

Do The Right Thing(1989) 

Do the Right Thing is one of Spike Lee's move famous productions. It tells the tale of an extremely hot Bed-Stuy summer and the racial tensions that heat up and are eventually ignited with the heat of the day. Do the Right Thing incorporates a concept of "two-ness," from the images of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. to Radio Raheem's "Love/Hate" four-fingered rings, it brings into question whether people should fight their battles or unify.
Lee plays the role of Mookie, a young Black man who is working for Italian Sal's pizza delivery service. He sees these racial tensions between the Italian shop owners, the Chinese immigrants, the Black kids on the block, and the White cops. There are also the philosophical characters "Da Mayor" and "MotherSister" who observe the younger generation dealing with the outcomes of the struggles they dealt with through their lives.  The racial tensions eventually lead to the death of infamous Radio Raheem and all hell breaks loose after.

Crooklyn(1994)

Crooklyn is narrated through the eyes of a 10 year old girl, growing up in the inner city,  dealing with the nearing death of her mother and growing up as the only girl in a household of men. Her story is compared to the two classics "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Wizard of Oz." The film explores her nightmarish dreams and her pleasant daydreams. With the hospitalization of her mom, she is forced to move with extended family in Virginia (her version of "the Wizard of Oz" journey). Troy, the young protagonist, learns with the death of her mother, that she must step up to the plate and be the c aretaker for her family. The film highlights the importance of strong kinship within the African American community.

Blaxploitation

Melvin Van Peebles

Chicago native, Melvin Van Peebles was born in 1932. After spending time in the service and later becoming a cable car driver, Van Peebles began writing articles and taking photos until he authored his first book, "The Big Heart." He later took up the hobby of film making and produced his first film in 1957 called Pick Up Men for Herrick. He went on to produce a series of short films (on a tight budget) but could not get them played in Hollywood. Van Peebles decided to screen them abroad in Europe.

After becoming a hit in France, Hollywood finally recognized him. His first Hollywood film was released in 1970, titled Watermelon Man. His next film was one that he became most noted for, Sweet Sweetback's BaadAsssss Song, that released a year later.

Van Peebles brought new insight to African American characters during the prevalent Black Power period. He is considered one of the founding fathers of the Blaxploitation films, which brought new roles into the black community. Blacks were now portrayed as smooth, sexual, heroic, and powerful. The Blaxploitation era lasted from about 1970 - 1975.

 

Modern Day Blaxploitation

Today, modern film makers continue to play with the concept of Blaxploitation, from telling stories of crime fighting, righteous Blacks to portraying the lifestyles of pimps. It was truly a turning point for African American in Hollywood.

Early Black Female Stereotypes

In early cinema (and sometimes still today), African Americans were type-casted into roles that contributed to certain stereotypes. These stereotypes shaped particular images of people of African descent for those who had little to no contact with Blacks, thus often reinforcing negative and inaccurate portrayals. African American women originally were limited to the role of the Mammy or the Tragic Mulatto. Through time, these roles evolved into other characters, such as the seductive Jezebel and the domineering Sapphire. Here is a look at who these characters were and the ideas that viewers were getting about Black women.

Mammy
Big Fat Mother Figure
Cantankerous
Generally Dark Hue
De-sexed
Highly Religious
So-Called independence

The Tragic Mulatto
Victim of divided racial inheritance
Viewers feel bad for her because she has been tainted by her "black" blood
Closest thing to white
Received other roles than mammy figure

The Jezebel
Black woman seen as seductive,
promiscuous, and cunning and predatory

The Sapphire
Tied to mammy character
An aggressive, persistent and dominating woman