We shall overcome...

In June of 1951, the NAACP appeared in federal court seeking an injunction against the Amos 'n Andy show. Lawyers outlined a series of offensive stereotypes; among these black women as rude and aggressive, black men as lazy and weak. Few characters could engage in conversation without peppering their speech with faulty grammar and mispronunciations. In addition, "every character [was] either a clown or a crook." Despite calls for boycotts, Amos 'n Andy became an instant success. In 1953, CBS reluctantly pulled the program, mainly due to rapidly changing attitudes towards race. Sponsors refused to support such a controversial show.

I was struck my a youtuber's comment:

"That's a damn ass shame. Those were the only kind of parts a black man could get in those days. I'm glad those days are long gone.. And i'm glad most white folks don't have that kind of mentality anymore."

Jump ahead to 2004, the year Soul Plane made it's debut. We've all seen it, we know it's a triflin' mess.




I ask you this. What's changed? Have we made progress? Have white folks views of blacks changed or are we still "clowns and crocks?" Why do we perpetuate these images? Perhaps more insidious, is this how we see ourselves?