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The image of African Americans in film has made a gradual shift from that of the past. From the degrading and negative stereotypes of the early minstrel shows, to the inspirational and uplifting depiction of race movies, to the breaking of role barriers of modern day films. This gradual shift has allowed the African American culture to develop and expand along with the likes of the motion picture industry, all the while dealing with, experiencing and overcoming the racial stereotypes that served as barriers for African Americans in the beginning. The early images of African Americans, stemming from that of the times of slavery, were depictions of an uneducated people, happy go lucky people, people who sat around doing nothing all day but dancing and singing, eating and sleeping. These images were images that derived from the times of slavery. The stereotypical images and misconceptions of African American images in movies have been a constant theme of mockery and ignorance since slavery. The ideas, thoughts, story and content of the movies derived from the narrow and racist mindframe of White America and the White culture. These misconceptions and racial depictions of African Americans developed into the very controversial minstrel shows. The way of life for African Americans during the time of minstrel shows, was a mockery. And as their way of living made it to the stage, the only way to be heard through entertainment for many African American actors, was to convey the portrayal of their culture and image through the racially stereotypical form.1 The African American image was depicted in such a negative way through the racial stereotypes of the minstrel shows, perpetuation of the African American slave life, yet with the development of these minstrel shows, their negativity and very stereotypical subject matter and racial classification, an opportunity and a chance paved the way for African Americans to enter into the motion picture industry. With the introduction of the motion picture industry, white America now had a way to visually project the stereotypical views of African Americans. The industry became the medium to reinforce many commonly held beliefs about African Americans. The most demeaning held that African Americans were good for entertainment purposes. Soon those ideas and perceptions of African Americans were projected on screen and White America was now able to create and reconstruct stories and visually project them onto the screen for viewing. Yet the neither the creating nor constructing took place, for they simply incorporated the popular cultural symbols, images and views of the time. The end result, images of African Americans on screen that mirrored the racial and stereotypical images of society. White American Filmmakers borrowed their racial themes and characters from white sources. Unwilling or unable to develop new material for a growing movie audience, many filmmakers played on race humor, with African Americans as the center and theme of many jokes and pranks. This particular practice continued as more and more imagery of African Americans were incorporated onto the movie screen. An outcry to this depiction and portrayal of African Americans inspired many African American writers, producers and actors to develop a genre that would be inspirational and uplifting to the African American people. A new genre that would show that African Americans were full of dignity and pride, very talented and capable of playing educated and highly interesting theatrical roles. This genre that developed for the inspiration of African Americans were called race movies and they served the specific purpose of inspiring and uplifting, and erasing the racial stereotypes that had already been form. The race movies became a success and introduced many new and non-stereotypical roles for African Americans. Race movies were made specifically by and for African Americans and it was no wonder that the downfall of the race movie era centered on the whites trying to capitalize in on the success of them. Yet nonetheless, with the integration of African Americans and whites in the motion picture industry, new roles, new perceptions and new pathways were set. This particular relationship of whites and blacks lead to the development of the modern day films of today where African Americans are taking on mostly the same kind of inspirational and uplifting, educational and talented roles of their white counterparts. The year now, is 2003, and looking back, it has been a long, long road for African Americans in the film industry. It is important to understand just how and why the African American image and presence in film has such a significant importance to those of African American descent especially but to those who are interested in their struggle as well. In order to understand just how and why African Americans came to where they are now in 2003 in the motion picture industry, one has to take a trip back to the beginning and ride along that paved path that gave birth to the gradual shift of African Americans in film today. The Movie medium itself was invented during the late 1800’s with the invention of the motion picture camera and projector. Movies were not the invention of one person First, the device to photograph moving objects had to be invented, the motion picture camera and then a device to project those pictures, a projector. The entire development process involved six people: Etienne Jules Marey, Eadweard Muybridge, Thomas Edison, William K. L. Dickson, and Auguste and Louis Lumiere. 1 Each inventor contributed significantly to the development of movies, however, it was Thomas Edison who organized the first public American showing of a motion picture premier with an improved camera developed by inventor Thomas Armat on April 23, 1896.1 This was an important start for the motion picture industry and with that, movies became sideshows and then nickelodeons, and then into full screen pictures.
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