History of Post Civil Rights Television - Three Phases

By: Kathryn Holme 

The history of post civil rights television can be divided into three distinct phases: assimilationist, pluralistic, and multiculturalist. 

Assimilationist television represented the assimilationist perspective which embraced a colorblind approach to television. Through this lens racial categories and interracial tensions are ignored or completely inconsequential. If racial discourses are addressed it is normally depicted through a bitter or angry black character who has been victim of a single instance of racism by white character which often resolves quickly. In these depictions they often end shows with the white characters becoming more informed about black characters. Prejudice in assimilationist television is not seen as a social issue but rather a personal problem with individuals bearing the most responsibility. In this era of post civil rights television there was an effort to depict black people in a way that humanized them to white audiences hoping that racial tensions would improve in real life. In order to do so, black people were depicted as If they themselves were white and middle class reducing their blackness to simply a skin color rather than a life experience. These shows try to avoid the topic of race as an issue to avoid making white audiences uncomfortable. 

• Examples: I Spy (1965-86), Designing Women (1986-1993)

Pluralist television would be defined by “separate but equal” television programming. These shows depicted black people like white people with few differences. Black characters in these shows often discuss issues that are of concern to white characters including social concerns. This era of television differs from assimilationist perspective because it does focus on parts of black life ignored by previous perspectives like the I importance of the black church to the black community. Pluralist television shows often promoted the lens of the white middle class and treats blackness as a monolith suggesting that all black experiences are similar. There are themes of knowledgable, paternalistic, and affluent white people (for fresh prince it was affluent black people) who adopt impoverished black Americans. This trope invokes the idea that poor black Americans are a social burden on white America. These shows often were based in teh idea of white and black characters relating to each other and pushed the idea of empathetic understanding (we are different in life experience but similar in humanity). Persistent racial segregation that limits interactions between white and black communities was reflected in this era of television in a more realistic way than ever before (interracial friendships and romances). 

• Examples: Webster (1983-1987), The Cosby Show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996), ER (1994-2009), Seinfeld (1989-1998)

The multiculturalist perspective makes the experiences of black people visible but also presented in a way that captures diversity, intersectionality, and humanity. These shows often reflect what it is like be black in America by dealing with issues of racism, sexism and classism in a more explicit way than ever before. These shows often challenge the white middle class perspective and demonstrate the depth of the black community. This era of television is marked by efforts to increase opportunities and generate institutional power by having representation both on and off screen. 

• Examples: Frank’s Place (1987-1988), Roc (1991-1994), In living Color (1987-1993)

Black representation over several decades has changed drastically from depictions of black people as servants in the 1950’s to characters portrayed with depth, humanity, and of a variety of statuses. Black characters have increasingly become more visible with 16 percent of television character being black by 1990’s and remained largest minority group.