Welcome to the twenty-first century, the first decade of a new millennium. Looking back over the past hundred years we can see that as Americans and as human beings we have made tremendous advancements. We've accomplished momentous achievements such as landing humans on the moon, instituting universal suffrage, and cementing the equality of all mankind through the civil rights movement. True, an African-American man is now the President of this great country, and leader of the free world. With this crowning achievement in the fight for equality, some might be fooled into believing that we have reached the zenith in our never-ending struggle to secure equality for all. Unfortunately that is not the case in the slightest. Our own so-called "liberal" media on a daily basis purveys stereotypes which are damaging and demeaning to African-Americans, and push poor role models out to the youth of America
The hardest hit individuals by today's media stereotypes are African-American women. When you turn on the television or go to the movies next, pay attention to the roles that African-American women play. Think about how often you see an African-American woman being portrayed on the screen as brave, intelligent, and strong or playing a leadership role? How many films can you think of right now where the heroine was played by an African-American woman? Don't feel bad if you can't think of many, the sad truth is that there aren't many out there.
Today's entertainment industry is doing a great disservice to women in general, and to African-American women in particular. The stereotypical woman being portrayed by the media is shallow, weak, unintelligent, and incapable of making decisions on her own, untrustworthy, materialistic, and promiscuous. Is this the kind of image that young women need to be bombarded with on a daily basis? No friends, this is not the image that civil rights movement fought for, and this is not what hundreds of thousands died fighting for in the civil war. Those battles among countless others were fought in order to provide a bright and meaningful future for African-American men and women, as well as humanity as a whole.
Young African-American women are relentlessly bombarded with images of some of the worst possible role models in the world. Role models that seem to scream at them, "hey, you don't need to be smart or strong willed to be successful, you just need to be beautiful and promiscuous and you can get whatever you want!" But that isn't the worst of it. Besides just trying to push this image of the young, uneducated, and trashy woman onto the youth of the world, the media is actually telling people that if you don't meet their stereotype, you aren't cool, and you won't be successful. What kind of baloney is this, and why aren't their more people raising objections to it!?
So what can the average person do to fight against these damaging stereotypes? Here are some ideas to get started:
Don't believe the stereotypes. Remind yourself that nothing is worth doing if it isn't worth doing well, and anything done well requires hard honest work. There isn't any such thing as a free ride in the world, despite what the media wants you to believe. It's easy to be tricked into thinking that you can sit back and wait to be "discovered." But the reality is that even famous actresses and musicians had to put a lot of time and effort into studying, and practicing their craft. Sure, there are a lucky few out there who have a natural talent and make it look effortless, but even those few had to work to make it to the top.
Refuse to be intimidated. The media as well as society in general wants you to conform to their stereotype. If you don't they may call you names, tell you that you aren't cool, and try to bully you until you match the cookie cutter stereotype that the media is pushing out for the world to see. By refusing to conform to that standard, you are forcing them to take a look at their world in a different light and eventually everyone will see what a bright and shining star you can be. So don't be afraid to earn good grades, study for tests, and stay in to finish a project instead of "hanging out" or getting into trouble. You can make everyday worthwhile and progress toward your goals.
Don't buy garbage. The media industry only exists if people keep buying the products they're pushing out. Don't spend your hard earned dough padding their pockets if the products they're selling purvey these offensive stereotypes against African-American women. Boycotting was one of the cornerstone tactics of the civil rights movement because it works. If people stop buying DVDs and CDs that have derogatory stereotypical depictions of African-American women, eventually the media companies will stop making them. To make it even more effective, write letters to the media companies telling them how upset you are with their depictions of African-American women, and inform them that until they change their tune, you will not be purchasing any of their products.
Find truly inspirational role models, and learn from them. One of the most important things you can do is to find a good role model, and learn what they did that has made them great. Think about former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She was the first African-American women to serve as Secretary of State, and only the second ever woman. She made decisions on America's foreign policy and represented the entire nation to the rest of the world. Before that she was the first African-American, first woman, and youngest Provost (senior academic advisor) at the prestigious Stanford University. She is also an accomplished musician and played piano with the Denver Symphony when she was only 15 years old. I think it's safe to say that Condoleezza Rice isn't timid, weak or uneducated. And she is just one of a myriad of positive role models that young African-American women, or anyone for that mater could look up to, such as: Michelle Obama, who earned more than her husband the President working on the board of directors for Tree House Foods, and the University of Chicago Hospitals. Harriet Tubman, who was the first woman to lead an armed assault with the Union Army against the Confederates. Mae C. Jemison, who was the first African-American woman to become an astronaut.
There are countless other truly inspirational positive role models for young African-American women, and each young woman will need to find someone who they can relate to. But do not let yourself be led astray by the objectified stereotypes you will see in the media. The temptation will always be there to give in to the crowd in order to fit in, or be cool. Keep in mind that shooting stars are brilliant because they stand out from the background, not because they blend in. So be strong, be resilient, be brave, and be resolute. Show the world just how brilliantly you can shine.