Representation of African Americans in film and television has made great progress over the years. In the past, many works were created by non-Black filmmakers and showrunners who included Black characters that possessed stereotypical traits. This had led to numerous forms of misrepresentation of African Americans that ultimately perpetuated racial stereotypes and bias in society. Fortunately, the filmmakers and showrunners of today have included nuanced representations of African Americans who face everyday problems that do not only stem from racism and discrimination. This thesis highlights the progression of representation in film and television, stressing the importance of including African American creatives in the filmmaking process in order to portray accurate depictions of Black characters on screen.
","abstract_html":"<p>Representation of African Americans in film and television has made great progress over the years. In the past, many works were created by non-Black filmmakers and showrunners who included Black characters that possessed stereotypical traits. This had led to numerous forms of misrepresentation of African Americans that ultimately perpetuated racial stereotypes and bias in society. Fortunately, the filmmakers and showrunners of today have included nuanced representations of African Americans who face everyday problems that do not only stem from racism and discrimination. This thesis highlights the progression of representation in film and television, stressing the importance of including African American creatives in the filmmaking process in order to portray accurate depictions of Black characters on screen.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hammond, Kyra"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)","degree_level":"Capstone","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Anna Weinstein","Mitch Olson"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-05-11T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-05-11T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:51Z","subjects":["African American","Film","Television","Representation","Screenwriting","African American Studies","Arts and Humanities","Film and Media Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/113","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Anna Weinstein","Mitch Olson"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hammond, Kyra"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2027-05-02T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Capstone"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["African American","Film","Television","Representation","Screenwriting","African American Studies","Arts and Humanities","Film and Media Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/113"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Representation of African Americans in film and television has made great progress over the years. In the past, many works were created by non-Black filmmakers and showrunners who included Black characters that possessed stereotypical traits. This had led to numerous forms of misrepresentation of African Americans that ultimately perpetuated racial stereotypes and bias in society. Fortunately, the filmmakers and showrunners of today have included nuanced representations of African Americans who face everyday problems that do not only stem from racism and discrimination. This thesis highlights the progression of representation in film and television, stressing the importance of including African American creatives in the filmmaking process in order to portray accurate depictions of Black characters on screen.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Progression of African American Representation in Film and Television"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Anna Weinstein","Mitch Olson"],"dc:creator":["Hammond, Kyra"],"dc:date.available":["2027-05-02T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Representation of African Americans in film and television has made great progress over the years. In the past, many works were created by non-Black filmmakers and showrunners who included Black characters that possessed stereotypical traits. This had led to numerous forms of misrepresentation of African Americans that ultimately perpetuated racial stereotypes and bias in society. Fortunately, the filmmakers and showrunners of today have included nuanced representations of African Americans who face everyday problems that do not only stem from racism and discrimination. This thesis highlights the progression of representation in film and television, stressing the importance of including African American creatives in the filmmaking process in order to portray accurate depictions of Black characters on screen.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/113"],"dc:subject":["African American","Film","Television","Representation","Screenwriting","African American Studies","Arts and Humanities","Film and Media Studies"],"dc:title":["The Progression of African American Representation in Film and Television"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Capstone"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:51Z"}