Legacy

This chapter begins with the Nicholas Brothers’ 1998 Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award citation, and continues with a descriptive summary of the classic style of jazz tap dancing created by the Nicholas Brothers and the several themes that recur in their work. The chapter then makes several assertions. First, The Nicholas Brothers were the greatest dancing duet of all time on film, and the medium of film was perfect for their signature style: synchronized precision movement that became the equivalent to the pas de deux in classical ballet, which challenged its partners to execute the highest degree of controlled precision while moving together with smooth effortlessness. Second, the Nicholas Brothers were role models in the black community; resisted black stereotypes in their professional and private lives; and were a persistent embodiment of nonviolent activism. Third, there is no more illustrative proof of the dance legacy of the Nicholas Brothers than their long-standing influence on future generations of tap dancers. Finally, the chapter enumerates the talents of Harold and Fayard Nicholas that did not reach fruition—because of both their devotion to dancing as a duo and to the narrow constraints that were imposed on them as African-American musical artists. This discussion does not bemoan this imposition but envisions the opportunities that should have been presented to them.

“I Wanted Diversity, But Not So Much”: Middle-Class White Parents, School Choice, and the Persistence of Anti-Black Stereotypes

This interview study examines the school choices of white middle class parents who live in a large Northeastern city. Interviewees identify as progressive urbanites and express an appreciation for racial diversity. Simultaneously, interviewees draw on anti-Black stereotypes when evaluating school options and avoiding majority Black schools. While previous studies suggest that diversity-seeking whites are well intentioned and inadvertently reproduce racism through school choice, my analysis allows for greater consideration of white parents’ investment in the reproduction of white racial dominance.

The Breadth of Confrontations as a Prejudice Reduction Strategy

Past research on prejudice confrontations as a prejudice reduction tool has only examined bias that was implicated in the confrontation, such as the use of negative Black stereotypes after being confronted for using negative Black stereotypes. Examining the breadth of prejudice confrontations, we hypothesize that confronted individuals should subsequently use fewer negative and positive stereotypes about other racial minority groups, and fewer stereotypes about groups stigmatized along other identity dimensions (e.g., gender). In two studies, White participants confronted for the use of negative Black stereotypes used fewer negative Latino stereotypes (Study 1), positive Black, but not Asian, stereotypes and fewer gender role stereotypes (Study 2). Additionally, participants confronted for female gender role stereotypes subsequently used fewer negative Black and Latino stereotypes 24–72 hr later due to greater racial egalitarian motivation (Study 3). Thus, prejudice confrontations have a broad effect on reducing bias toward multiple stigmatized groups across identity dimensions.

Todos Somos Cubanos, Pero No Todos Somos Iguales

Chapter 7 is an examination of racist practices in Cuba and explores the commonality and nature of racial discrimination. This chapter begins the discussion of the bottom portion of the model to show how racism operates on the island. The economic crisis of the 1990s marked the first serious challenge to racial ideology in Cuba, as inequalities increased with significant racial dimensions. Racism and discrimination became much more visible, particularly to nonwhites. The chapter outlines some of the practices that have taken place to limit nonwhites’ opportunities in the emergent sector and how anti-black stereotypes have informed policy and practice. Using survey data, it demonstrates who is most likely to experience discrimination in Cuba and how.

Epilogue

This book has explored the foundation and infiltration of racial stereotypes into the American entertainment culture. It has rejected the notion that African Americans should be used as scapegoats for the continuance of black stereotypes in popular culture, arguing that entertainment culture in the United States was largely founded and developed on negative racial imagery created and inserted into the public sphere by whites. While acknowledging that the African American community holds some responsibility for the continual proliferation of racist and sexist stereotypes in the mass media, the book contends that accountability must be placed within a larger cultural and historical context. This epilogue reflects on the continued proliferation of black stereotypes in popular culture, suggesting that it simply represents a continuation of an entertainment tradition that was created intentionally to express the antiblack, prowhite ideology of America's culture. Furthermore, the perceived inferiority of blackness was actively promoted through society's folk culture.

Race or Place? The Impact of New Depictions of Urban and Rural Poverty

Objective. While scholars have investigated how the race of welfare recipients in news portrayals affects attitudes toward welfare, few if any, have considered if the urban or rural setting of coverage contributes to or interferes with racial portrayals. Therefore, I investigate whether portrayals of poverty as either urban or rural or black or white perpetuate stereotypes and result in diminished support for welfare. Methods. I use a survey-based experiment that includes news stories about welfare where the race and place of the target are manipulated. Respondents received one of four treatments: urban black; rural black; urban white; or rural white. Results. I find that Anti-Black stereotypes and Anti-Urban stereotypes impact attitudes toward welfare policy and to a lesser extent attitudes toward welfare recipients. Conclusion. A consideration of place and race illustrates that situational and dispositional explanations of behavior provide a great deal of explanation for evaluations of welfare.