According to PBS.org,”12.5% of film actors were black in 2014.” Only 12.5% of all actors!You would think it would be a lot more in a developed and liberal country like America. On the contrary, it's a lot more compared to the 3.2% it was in the 60’s.Dorothy Dandridge being part of that percent. Dandridge was a black icon in the 60’s starring in many films but, most notably, Carmen Jones. Where she is a seductive factory worker, who falls in love with a soldier after he kills his sergeant.She was so famous in the 60’s but in present times, she's unknown. She should be as famous as other icons in the 60’s such as Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe but she’s not since being black in the 60’s put you at an automatic setback. It caused her to be …show more content…
Dorothy was just as famous as them but nobody gives her any recognition for her contribution to Hollywood. It’s of course because of her race. As a result, of the racial discomfort in the 60’s she couldn’t get as famous as Marilyn or Audrey. Like Betty Grable said, “Dorothy was the right person in the right place at the wrong time.” Racism was at an all-time high in the 60’s so of course even though Dorothy was a star she was shown some discrimination. At certain venues, she was not allowed to eat even though she was a performer. This contributed to her not being famous because she was not treated as an equal so, she was definitely not equal to white actresses. Dorothy also became involved with many white celebrities, one being a heated affair with Carmen Jones director, Otto Preminger.Her interracial relationships were not widely accepted in the 60’s, the first one only getting married in 1970, so Dorothy may have been looked as a harlot, weakening her chances at being a legendary star. Dandridge also had trouble finding strong leading roles that highlighted her beautiful melanin skin. In her demise she needed money so she was forced to either play small disrespectful and cliche roles or starve, she had no choice! Without powerful leading roles she was definitely not going to be as famous as other icons of the 60’s. It was not fair at all that Dorothy …show more content…
Hopefully, the rest of America will begin to appreciate her contributions to Hollywood. She was overlooked in Hollywood because she was shown lots of subtle and not so subtle racism which caused her to have limited opportunities in Hollywood. People need to know about Dorothy because she’s just one of the many unknown celebrities in the more cultural side of Hollywood. If the world gets to know a little bit more about other cultures unspoken heroes then we will be able to come together. Dorothy doesn't just speak for the underappreciated of the black community she speaks for all cultures unknown idols. She has proven that one day they will no longer be unknown or underappreciated that they will find their
... what she did is just as important as what Rosa Parks did. Perhaps her story is just more obscure and needs to be brought up more often. Even though slavery is long gone and we now have a black President, racism still exists. However, Graham’s contributions made people think twice about what they were doing and maybe changed the minds of some. People like Graham are admirable and even though she may not have made it to the history books, she will never be forgotten.
...women, Jews, and Negroes were just some of the many things she believed in and worked for. With more equality between the different kinds of people, there can be more peace and happiness in the world without all the discrimination. Her accomplishments brought about increased unity in people, which was what she did to benefit mankind. All of her experiences and determination motivated her to do what she did, and it was a gift to humanity.
I know what it feels like to be too white for the black crowd and too black for the white crowd. I have people constantly telling me I am an Oreo because I speak properly and don’t like rap music and I am not the stereotype people want me to be. Obviously, Hattie faced it on a bigger scale, being an actress and facing racism and criticism from all sides. I think it’s truly admirable that even in that she stuck to what she was happy doing. At the end of the day, it isn’t about if you made other people happy, it’s about if you are happy. That is one thing I will take away from reading about Hattie and writing about her. She never let anyone tell her she wasn’t good enough. She stuck for herself too. When the director wanted her to say the N-word in Gone With The Wind, she straight up said no and she is the reason you never hear the N-word in that movie. She is amazing and it sucks that the black community back then didn’t see her full potential. They just wanted to look at the negatives. The NAACP disowned because she played a servant but she repeatedly said she wasn’t happy to play a servant. That was all she could play. Her playing a servant had nothing to with who she really was and people don’t really see the difference between what she played and who she was. She was a person and to quote Ms. Hattie McDaniel herself, “I am an actress, when you say ‘cut’ I am no longer
African American representation in the film industry has always been a topic for discussion. Whether talking about character types and roles, the actors being cast or not cast, and the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera. ‘The contemporary status of race in mainstream American culture is intimately bound to the process of representation within and through the mass media.’ (Rocchio, 2000, p. 4). Any role that was to be played by an African American kept in with the dominant stereotypes of the time of production; incompetent, child like, hyper-sexualised or criminal.
She performed at top places all over the world. Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range and they all loved her. To commemorate Black History Month, I have decided to do research on an exceptionally talented musician, Ella Fitzgerald. She was essentially the Aretha Franklin of the Jazz Age. She was an incredibly talented jazz singer who was considered the best by almost everyone.
The two-time Oscar nominee, 50, took the opportunity to make a statement about racial inequality in Hollywood. She also thank the people who helped get her into a leading role.
For the time period that Shirley was growing up in, it is remarkable that she had the courage to stand up for her beliefs. Strong minded and determined she challenged society. She was not able to stay quiet and keep her thoughts to herself; instead she spoke her mind. It seemed the harder society tried to suppress, the stronger she became. Perhaps being a woman of color she felt compelled to voice her opinion (Yuval-Davis 77). She stated that "My goal was to shake things up a little"(Chisholm 161). Not only did she shake things up, she helped to pave a ...
When she won that award she said: “In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields, and lovely flowers, and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can 't seem to get there no how. I can 't seem to get over that line. And let me tell you something. The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there”. As opportunities are the start points for anything exposure to occur, there needs to be more complexed, less sexualized, and versatile roles for African American women are not taking on roles that negatively depict who they
People still remember Bessie Coleman today for her bravery, courage, and her leadership. Bessie showed these outstanding traits she had, by not always thinking of herself. She did not go with the flow as we say it in the year 2014. She did what she believed was right. She stood up and told the person who was in charge to let the colored or Native Americans watch her perform. That is why Bessie Coleman is important in the world.
...g place for a long time now; blacks have went from not being banned from certain stages to dominating theater with actors and actresses such as Halle Berry and Denzel Washington. In modern day film, African-Americans have prevailed over all of the negative setbacks, and as the old Negro spiritual says, "We shall continue to overcome."
Hollywood’s diversity problem is well-known; however, the extent might be surprising to most Americans. According to a 2014 report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television, Film & New Media, found that females comprised only 30% of all speaking characters among the top grossing films of 2013. (Lauzen, 2014) However, minority women faired far worse than their Caucasian counterparts. As a matter of fact, if one looks at the numbers even female characters from other world’s were as better represented in film than some minority women; the numbers are as follow for women: Caucasian (73%), African American (14%), Latina (5%), Asian and other world tied (3%). (Lauzen, 2014) If the lack of representation were not enough consider a 2009 study which found that when minority groups are portrayed on television the portrayal tends to be negative. (Alexandrin, 2009) A study by Busselle and Crandall (2009) found that the manner in which African-Americans are portrayed, often as unemployed criminals, tends to have an influence on the way the public perceives African-American’s lack of economic success. Furthermore, the news media does an equally poor job in the ways that African-American’s are presented; according to the same study while 27% of Americans were considered “poor” in 1996 the images of America’s “poor” being presented by news media was heavily Black (63%). (Busselle & Crandall, 2002) Today, this can be seen in the way that African-American victims of police brutality are depicted in the media. Even when African-Americans are murdered at the hands of police for minor and non-violent offenses (e.g. Mike Brown, Eric Gardner, and Tamir Rice) they are often portrayed as thugs, criminals, and vandals. What’s more, seve...
...as won throughout her singing and acting career are countless. Even Dolly’s physical appearance and voice have made such a statement in the entertainment world. There have even been many other entertainers that have tried to follow her footsteps of fashion and image but no one can pull it off like Dolly can. I’m certain that this famous pop culture icon is not done yet entertaining and giving more to our society. I don’t imagine there will be another entertainer that will be more famous in the pop culture world as Dolly Parton.
Those who deny the existence of the racism rooted into modern day Hollywood are far from reality. They may think that in the United States we are getting closer to equality when it comes to casting but we in fact are not. While there is the belief that America has progressed when it comes to social issues, the percentage of roles held by black actors in film and TV has dropped from 15 to 13 percent from the early 2000’s to 2011 (McClintock and Apello 2).
If it was not for Rosa Parks, the United States would still have segregation in the world. She refused to give her seat up on the bus, to help get rights for African Americans. By not giving up her seat to a white man, Rosa Parks has started the cause of the civil rights movement in the United States. This helps all African Americans get rights in America. Rosa Parks got a lot of rewards and had a husband that felt the same way as she did about African Americans. Today, African Americans have rights in the United States, thanks to Rosa
Overall, Rosa Parks, with the support of the black community & many other people, become a huge icon in the Civil Rights movement. Because of the Montgomery Bus Boycott it changed the view for many people on how they treated each other back then. Even though Rosa may not have realized at the time how much of an impact she would make, the reaction that she had to the Montgomery Bus Boycott made many benefits on how we treated each other