How people of color are represented on television has been a topic of discussion for a long time. Historically, unless you’re watching a “black show,” blacks are either represented in an unflattering capacity or not at all. There have been triumphs over the years -- when I was coming up I had shows like Martin; Sister, Sister; Moesha; The Parenthood; The Jamie Foxx Show; The Wayans Bros.; The Fresh Prince of Bel Air; Family Matters, the list goes on -- but anytime we weren’t on a series that was made for us by us we were depicted in an exaggerated, stereotypical kind of way. It seems whenever there was a lone negro amongst a cast of white faces it became their responsibility to represent the race, and a lot of times it was something as simple as how they spoke that did them in.
American Color Story
