Dorothy Dandridge African American Woman - 1979 Words

Dorothy Dandridge may seem to be like a beautiful and strong African American woman on the outside, but on the inside she held in a lot of pain. Dorothy Dandridge is an actress, singer, and entertainer, who no longer walk this green Earth, but when she did, she made history. Dorothy was the first African American actress to achieve a leading-role status. Dorothy also had a deeply troubled life and racism didn’t make her life any easier especially when it came to achieving her dreams, but she got through it and during her time, the early 1930’s through the 1960’s, that was saying something. Racism was a lot worse then what it is now, but it made it harder for African Americans to achieve their goals, especially African American women. Dorothy was very worth looking up to now and when she was alive. Dorothy Dandridge is a contribution to African American history because she was the first African American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for best act ress, how she fought all odds against her, mainly racism, and she made it possible to for other African American women to follow in her footsteps and look up to her as a role model. The terms race, ethnicity and culture have not generally agreed upon definitions. When it comes to race, ethnicity, and culture there is a growing interest, maybe due to the psychiatric and psychological studies that are showing the possible link between mental disorders, personality, and moral development especially during the herShow MoreRelatedDorothy Dandridge967 Words   |  4 PagesAbstract This paper reflects Dorothy Dandridge the first African American actress to achieve a leading-role status. Mrs. Dandridge also had a deeply troubled life, marked by the scars of a miserable childhood, a string of failed personal relationships, numerous career setbacks, and ongoing struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. Racism was also one of the demons with which she had to deal with. The terms race, ethnicity and culture have no generally agreed upon definitions. There’s a growingRead More African American Women in Early Film Essay2160 Words   |  9 PagesAfrican American Women in Early Film   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In early film many African American actresses portrayed roles as mammies, slaves, seductresses, and maids. These roles suppressed them not allowing them to show their true talents. Although they had to take on these degrading roles, they still performed with dignity, elegance, grace and style. They paved the way for many actresses to follow both blacks and whites. These women showed the film industry that they were more than slaves, mammies, and maidsRead MoreAfrican American Women And The Collective Psyche Of American Audiences Essay1842 Words   |  8 PagesAfrican American women have been purposefully written out of visual history with the exception of scripted roles that have been predetermined by stereotypical scripts that are imbedded in the collective psyche of American audiences beginning in the 1890s. Dorothy Dandridge was a sensational performer that commanded attention and left her audiences awestruck on screen and in life. At the age of eleven, I recall sitting in f ront of the television for a special televised movie, called â€Å"IntroducingRead MoreStereotypes: Black Women vs. White Women in the Media983 Words   |  4 Pagesracial patterns in the mass media that show how powerful images play a significant role in shaping the attitudes of Whites toward Blacks. White Americans, they show, learn about African Americans not through personal relationships, but through the images shown by the media. . In short, they conclude that although there are more images of African-Americans on television now than ever, these images are often harmful to the prospect of unity between the races. With the advancement of technology suchRead MoreThe Way, Meet Vera Stark Essay2499 Words   |  10 PagesWhen thinking about black actresses in the 1930s through 1950s, a few names may come to mind like Nina McKinney, Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, and Hattie McDaniel. However, many other black actresses have graced the big screen including Suzette Harbin, Theresa Hams, Ethel Moses, Mae Turner, and Hilda Simms just to name a few. Many of these talented actresses differ in their career paths, but they all endured some form of racism and sexism which made it laborious for them to thrive in their careersRead MoreAfrican American Women And The Media s Reoccurring Stereotype2855 Words   |  12 PagesAvery Wood Robert Welch ENGL 202 Nov 10, 2014 â€Å"African American Women and the Media’s Reoccurring Stereotype† In the early turn of the 21st century, infant stages of media were brought to audiences all over. Small motion pictures were a new invention, enticing its viewers and creating a medium open to innovation. Since the development of silent films, stereotypes and racial discrimination have been the central overtones of cinema. The midst of the century entailed a dominant white society, withRead MoreAfrican American Theater Essays1964 Words   |  8 PagesOver the course of approximately one-hundred years there has been a discernible metamorphosis within the realm of African-American cinema. African-Americans have overcome the heavy weight of oppression in forms such as of politics, citizenship and most importantly equal human rights. One of the most evident forms that were withheld from African-Americans came in the structure of the performing arts; specifically film. The common population did not allow blacks to drink from the same water fountain