Thursday, February 19, 2009
In an effort to uncover and dispel stereotypes about black women in the media, the Black Student Union and a group of students will hold a presentation and open discussion tonight as a part of Black History Month.
Rayshawn Holland, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore, said she thought the issue was important because many people overlooked it. As a black woman, Holland said she thought it was important for people to see there was more to black women than the negative stereotypes shown in media, such as the portrayal of black women as being loud and vulgar.
“I grew up seeing these things on BET, but it’s important to show positive aspects,” Holland said. “Students only see what is on TV and movies, but there is more than that in black women.”
Black Women in Media
Hosted By: The Black Student Union, Cameron Johnson, Rayshawn Holland and LeAndrea Wilson
Time: 7 p.m. Thursday
Location: Olympian Room in the Burge Union
Description: A presentation and discussion about how black women are portrayed, in both negative and positive ways, on the radio, movies, TV and cartoons. The event is open and everyone is invited to attend.
Television shows portraying black women include the situational comedy Moesha, The Parkers, the reality TV show Flavor of Love, the television drama Degrassi, the satirical cartoon The Boondocks. Movies include Soul Food. Influential celebrities include Karrine Steffans and Queen Latifah.
Cameron Johnson, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore, is coordinating tonight’s event.
Johnson said he was interested to hear what different people thought of the media’s portrayal of black women.
The event will explore themes such as misogyny. Johnson will use TV shows, movies, news articles and music videos to show how the media affects public opinion of minorities, especially black women.
“Black women are looked down on and I think we need to address that,” Johnson said.
LeAndrea Wilson, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore, helped Johnson create the presentation and will help lead the discussion. She said the presentation would focus on positive and negative portrayals of black women because not all portrayals were detrimental. There are some television shows, music videos and movies, such as “Soul Food,” that show black women supporting each other and not being degraded as sex objects, Wilson said.
“Watching hip hop music videos or degrading shows like “Flavor of Love” as a younger person made me think that’s how black women are supposed to act,” Wilson said. “But coming to college and seeing a new aspect of how women act and carry themselves has matured me.”
Wilson said the issue was important for undergraduates to discuss because they were in a transitional period from high school to college. She said it was good for students to see that being a responsible, mature woman could make someone a positive role model for younger black girls.
“It has always been an important issue, but we feel that it should be addressed head-on,” Wilson said.
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