The Black Family

Presented byJazzmine EllisSamir Singh

Christopher SkeesIan Matthew

Introduction

*The progression and evolution of the Black family*Fight for rights and equality in American society*Struggles of African American families*Portrayals of African Americans in contemporary media*How Black families live today

Slavery• Slavery contributed to the loss of

traditional African family values• Most African slave families were

split up upon arrival in America• Marriage was not taken seriously

by slave masters, and many masters maintained female slaves as concubines

• African American families continued to rely on oral traditions and extended family networks

Progress and Evolution

Following Reconstruction, many Black families were devastatingly affected by racism and violence.

African Americans did not have access to equal educational opportunities or to federal entitlement programs until the 1960’s.

However, the Black family has always retained an egalitarian decision-making process and continued to rely on extended kinship bonds.

STRUGGLES TO MAINTAIN STATUS

Beginning in the 1960’s, African Americans struggled for civil rights, equal access to government entitlement programs and public schools, and for greater opportunities in American society.

However, African American families, at the same time, were plagued with increased crime, substance abuse, unemployment, and untold poverty.

Continuing today, African Americans control few businesses or other economic institutions, have little accumulated wealth, experience discrimination, and have lower levels of education than whites.

The Media VS. Reality

Good Times The Jeffersons

The Cosby Show• The Cosby show is about the

Huxtable family, an affluent African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York.

• It was the top rated show throughout the 1980’s.

• The Huxtable family was portrayed as this very affluent and educated family.

• The show received much criticism for presenting an unrealistic lifestyle of the majority of African Americans in America.

T.V. Shows Now

Fresh Prince of Bel Air Everybody Hates Chris•The Fresh Prince is a show about Will Smith, a native of Philadelphia, PA who moves to Bel-Air, CA to live with his very affluent relatives. • The Banks family in reality does not reflect the majority of African Americans in America. •Phillip Banks, the father of the family and Will’s uncle is a very successful lawyer/judge who in many episodes is quoted about his love for money. • The size of the Banks mansion, the luxurious lifestyle the characters indulge in, and the setting of their home are all supporting details to show the family’s wealth.

•Everybody Hates Chris is about the life of a 13 year old boy named Chris who lives in a low income community in Brooklyn, NY.•Chris parents reflect a working class family that goes paycheck to paycheck to survive. Chris father has 2 jobs and his mother is a stay at home mom who makes sure her children are not getting into trouble. • The show won an NAACP Image award for its writing and has also been nominated for Golden Globe and Emmy Awards for its accurate portrayal of how many African Americans grow up in America.

Significance

• The realities of African American life have not always been projected in modern media, specifically in television sitcoms.

The Black Family Today

State of the contemporary Black family.

About 65 percent of Black households were family households in 2004.

Married-couple families vs. single-parent families.

Black Family Today Continued

• Household size.

• Extended family.

• Income vs. wealth.

• Poverty level.

• Occupation.

• Education.

SummaryThe African American family has progressed and evolved from the slavery into modern times.

Many sitcoms portrayed an inaccurate, or rather a model, view of the average African American family.

Some sitcoms, such as Good Times and Everybody Hates Chris, project the realities and hardships of the typical African American family, while other shows, such as the Cosby Show, provide a model or an ideal Black family.

SOURCES

References

1- The 41st NAACP Image Awards . N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec 2010. <http://www.naacpimageawards.net/41/nominees-and-voting/nominees/>.

2- Azevedo, Mario. Africana Studies: A Survey of Africa and the African Diaspora . Third Edition . Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2005. Print.

3- "The Museum of Broadcast Communications ." The Cosby Show. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec 2010. <http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=cosbyshowt>.

The End