In Hollywood, Black Lives Really Don't Matter

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"The Academy Awards’ snub of ‘Selma’ says more about the film industry than the film" -- Willie Osterweil

Why does prejudice still exist in all facets of the media today? It seems as if prejudice has always been linked to Hollywood, but when will it ever end? There are so few successful African- American actors in Hollywood and the ones that are successful have gone through tremendous difficulties just to get to where they are now. African- Americans have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to cinema in the past. They have been forced to come together to create their own type of cinema where race is not a factor. Minorities continue to go through struggles as actors. African- Americans are still facing tremendous adversity in the world of acting. There is prejudice in Hollywood towards African- Americans mainly because white actors are thought to be better than black actors. Blacks are believed to have little or no place in the acting business.

As a result of prejudice, African- Americans were forced to create their own cinema and theatre productions in the early days of acting (Thompson). They had to create their own acting communities just to become respectable actors. “Black-owned theaters, music clubs, and movie houses began to emerge, and the ubiquity of stereotyped images of African- Americans spurred films aimed at countering them” (Thompson). As the influence of black cinema rose, those against its growth tried to halt the theatrical progress that African- Americans were undergoing by making films that countered the black cinema culture. The force of prejudice is what caused African- Americans to create their own cinemas, but when they begin to do well and succeed, there has to be a counter t...

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...Aljazeera.com January 21, 2015. Web. 29 July. 2015.

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/1/selma-oscars-nominationsracismmartinlutherking.html

Samuels, Allison. "Will it Be Denzel's Day?" Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2002: n. pag. eLibrary. Web. 28 July. 2015.

Shenton, Mark. "Racism Rife on British Stage." Back Stage 43.17 (2002): n. pag. eLibrary. Web. 30 July. 2015.

Stewart, Jacqueline. "Discovering Black Film History: Tracing the Tyler, Texas Black Film Collection." Film History, 1 Jan. 2011: n. pag. eLibrary. Web. 27 July. 2015.

Thompson, Clifford. "African Americans in Cinema: The First Half Century." Cineaste 29.4 (2004): n. pag. eLibrary. Web. 28 July. 2015.

Washington, Denzel, perf. "Denzel Washington Discusses His Career and the Inequities in Hollywood, CBS." 60 Minutes. Adapt. Ed Bradley. CBS. 9 Jan. 2000. eLibrary. Web. 29 July. 2015.

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