Media and the Civil Rights Movement Throughout American history, many stereotypes have been forced on minorities. The stereotypes of blacks in the U.S. have changed based on their position, or perceived position, in society. During the times of slavery, the dominant stereotypes forced on blacks were of the Sambo or of the Aunt Jemima. These depictions portrayed the blacks as happy servants who were better off for working for white people because the work was supposedly civilizing them. This was the most useful stereotype for the whites of that time to put on the blacks. This took away from the arguments against slavery. However, as slavery was eventually abolished, the stereotypes changed to help the whites maintain their superior status. The stereotype of the free black men showed them as simply being brutes or savages that lusted uncontrollably after women. They were shown as sub-human beings. The only purpose of the labels was to justify the mistreatment and cruelty that was bestowed upon the blacks at that time. These stereotypes were not only enforced by the white-controlled media of the time, but often advanced because of it. The negative images could be seen on advertisements, in cartoons, and in early films like "Birth of a Nation." Media, despite its faulty presence in earlier history, began to take a more ethical and sympathetic stance during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. For the first time, many reporters gave up their role as objective relayers of information. The atrocities that were occurring in race relations were so overwhelmingly immoral that many reporters took a hard stance against the human rights violators. As a result, the inequalities and mistreatments that were occurring were brought to the entire nation‘s attention. Raw film footage of police brutality and other shocking news was played out in the living rooms of America‘s families. People from all over the nation saw the stark realities of the racism that was especially prevalent in the South. The people of America were confronted with images of police dogs attacking black protesters and with images of Southern police officers spraying protesters with fire hoses that were powerful enough to tear the clothes of the people‘s backs. With our countries domestic problems being displayed to the world, the nation was forced to realize how wrong all of the racism was. Perhaps this is one of the most positive things that media could have done for civil rights. It was time for America to stop ignoring the injustices. Finally, positive change was occurring more rapidly than ever before. However, much work is yet to be done.

We hope you found this article helpful.

Search for more civil rights history articles related to:
"Media and the Civil Rights Movement"

Bookmark this Page!