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The Civil Rights Movement: What Good Was It

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Many people of the currently residing in the United States believe that the Civil Rights Movement, the fight for African American civil and legal rights, occurred in the 1960s and 70s till it accomplished its set goals of racial equality. But in reality, this fight for equal opportunities and battle against racism and racial stereotypes will never be truly over until one can see no difference between an African American man and a Caucasian man. In the article, “The Civil Rights Movement: What Good Was It?” by Alice Walker, Walker recognizes her personal experiences during the Civil Rights Movement, and how movement is still alive and pushing for change even today. More specifically the fight against racism existent in the media, which includes …show more content…
In “Conservative Implications of the Irrelevance of Racism in Contemporary African American Cinema” by Earl Sheridan, it discusses how people with the same skill, status, etc. can easily be weeded out of casting because their race “doesn’t fit the part” (2). Many Hollywood casting directors admit to that they have racial concerns while picking leads and other parts because they don’t want the movie to come across as a “minority movie” (like that of “black movies”) (Weaver 2). At the same time, they do not want to discriminate so they do hire a few select minority actors and actresses to play specific roles tailored to fit their stereotypical racial qualities. Even though they do hire a select few, this ration is vastly different for whites who rule majority of leads, positions, and films. This applies to both television shows and movies, and can easily but noticed when someone mentions that there is “no black people casted” (Sage 3). This conservative, racially-oppressive mindset is a lingering sentiment from before the Civil Rights Movement, and is on the path of change. Many more films have a “liberal attitude” and are strong proponents of change, to show the problems with our current reality (Walker 4). This change won’t occur overnight but instead is gradually shifting to being a more diverse, inclusive

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