Ruining the Image

Why is there a fear of a certain race of people? Is it from personal experience or is it because the media feeds us images and ‘warns’ us that these people are bad? Media has portrayed African Americans as nuisances of society for generations and continues to do so well into the 21st century. Stereotypes lead to misconceptions. Misconceptions lead to fear. Fear leads to aggression. African Americans are not any worse than the other races, but how they are shown against other races in the media needs to change, drastically. They are more than the bad that the media shows. Media has started to positively characterize African Americans, but this change needs to continue. This project shows all of these negative and positive portrayals through a series of images and personal text. This is the contrast between the good and the bad. 

Personal Statement

“This piece came out of general frustration: the frustration of how African Americans, and other people of color are presented in the media. The media often portrays African Americans as dangers to society and I feel that this has to change.”