Affirmative Action and The Token Black

I would now like to turn my attention to black stereotypes in the media. Prior to the Civil Rights movement, blacks were subjected to negative portrayals in the media. They were portrayed as lazy, gambling buffoons who loved to sing and dance. With the emergence of Affirmative Action in the 1960's, television programs made sure to include at least one black character who defied these stereotypes. While the quality of black characters increased, the quantity decreased.Each of the characters depicted below do not embody black stereotypes yet their presence seems to indicate that there are few black people in the world.

 Star Trek

Power Rangers

Rugrats

  In the midst of the Affirmative Action movement, Charles Schultz was skeptical about adding a black character to his popular comic strip Peanuts.But when he received letters from black fans who wanted the comic strip to be integrated, Schultz knew that it was meant to be. In 1968, Franklin was born.