B(l)ack By Popular Demand: An Analysis of Positive Black Male Characters in Television and Audiences’ Community Cultural Wealth

Abstract

Often media research interrogating Black male characters featured in television does so from a deficit-based framework. To shift the conversation and showcase affirmative examples of Black male roles in scripted television, the following essay analyzes portrayals in the series This Is Us (2016–current), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2019), S.W.A.T. (2017–current), and A Million Little Things (2018–current). This work adopts critical race theory and community cultural wealth as mechanisms to examine depictions of Black male television characters to illustrate how each offers various forms of cultural capital, including aspirational and resistant capital, for minority audiences. The portrayals discussed here demonstrate a shift in depictions of Black men in television as characters express nonaggressive idiosyncrasies, display vulnerability, and engage in social support with other characters.

Relational maintenance, collectivism, and coping strategies among Black populations during COVID-19

“…The research team included racial and ethnic identities, including Black, White, Jewish, and self-identified males and females. We recognize and acknowledge these identities as self-reflexivity is a vital process in the qualitative inquiry of social groups (Stamps, 2020a). To begin the analysis process, each author independently read through all participants’ open-ended responses and created preliminary groupings of positive, negative, and neutral reactions to each research question.…”

Black Fathers Matter: Messages of Hope in Black Father-Themed Instagram Memes

“…This article is among the first to explore the frame and tone of Instagram memes featuring Black fathers using CRT and Framing Theory as lenses. As noted previously, prior studies related to images of Black fathers in the media have examined traditional mediums that employ a top-down approach, such as television and newspapers (Deo et al, 2008; Stamps, 2021). In these portrayals, the negative Black father stereotype remains a notable part of the narrative.…”

Representasi Pesan Mimpi Amerika (American Dream) Dalam Film Fatherhood

“…Hal ini menunjukkan adanya perilaku yang berbeda dengan peristiwa yang sebenarnya terjadi di masyarakat, dimana biasanya ras kulit hitam terutama seorang ayah memiliki stereotip negatif. Menurut Carter banyak contoh negatif dari pria kulit hitam yang biasanya ditunjukkan melalui televisi, salah satunya pria kulit hitam sering dianggap sebagai ayah yang tidak hadir (Stamps, 2020).…”