The story is about us and is framed around us," McNair said. "The hero is rarely black, which is one of reasons why 'Black Panther,' 'A Wrinkle in Time,' 'Scandal' or 'How to Get Away With Murder' are so special. Kimberly McNair, a professor of African-American Studies at the University of Southern California, said the way you construct a story is deeply rooted in the ways stories have traditionally been told. Read more.Īlong with the rise of popular shows featuring black lead actors, the naturally curly hair of African-American men and women is also being embraced in film and television. In addition, 69 percent of the audience for ABC’s "How to Get Away With Murder" starring Viola Davis, is non-black. For example, ABC's "Black-ish" has the highest percent of non-black viewers at 79 percent, while 20 percent of its viewers are black. Television sitcoms expressing a diversity of ideas and characters have also gained mainstream popularity. From the natural, protective hairstyles donned by the women in the film to the bold prints of traditional African clothing, the movie exhibited both the aesthetics and cultural ideology American audiences have not seen in the last two decades. In addition, the movie has now become the highest-grossing film by a black director.Īside from the records the "Black Panther" has broken, the images brought forth on the screen were told from an Afrocentric point of view. The story is about us and framed around us.Ī renewed appreciation for movies and television series featuring African-American characters have given rise to the success of "Black Panther," which took audiences by storm with the longest consecutive run of all Marvel films. We get to be the heroes and the she-roes. According to a study conducted by Nielsen in 2017, 73 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 67 percent of white people believe that African-Americans influence mainstream culture.Īmid the resurgence of Afrocentrism, mainstream media in America is embracing black culture in a society where Eurocentric beauty standards and cultural beliefs have traditionally been the norm. Both movies celebrated black pride and embraced the aesthetics of Afrocentrism with their African-inspired fashions from a decade earlier.Īfrocentric sensibilities continued into the 90's as musicians like Arrested Development, Queen Latifah, Heavy D and Salt-n-Pepa rocked African garb and rapped about black nationalism and social consciousness in their music.įast forward to 2018, there has been a resurgence of Afrocentrism across television and film. The movement continued into the 80's, which can be seen in movies such as "School Daze" and "Do the Right Thing" by Spike Lee. Afrocentrism first gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s as a result of the civil rights movement and the immigration of large numbers of people of color. ![]() Black is Back: The Resurgence of Afrocentrism and Its Impact on Society by Robina MekenyeĪfrocentrism is defined as a cultural ideology or worldview that focuses on the history of people of African descent.Īlthough Marvel's "Black Panther" shattered box office records when it first premiered in February, the Afrocentric point of view is not new to mainstream culture.
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