Many people value simply seeing themselves on screen; that is, having themselves properly represented. To children, this can be a source of confidence and hope that someone like them can succeed in the world. To those in mostly homogenous societies, it can mean validation of struggle. And perhaps to those told they can not be more, representation reminds them that they can. On a more technical note, representation is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the participation of people from groups who have historically been excluded or discriminated against (as due to race, gender, sexuality or ability) in addition to the inclusion of characters and perspectives from such groups. In the United States, one such conversation surrounds whether there is sufficient representation for Black people. Although with a quick glance, Black presence appears ubiquitous, the issue of representation is much more complex. Although the quantity is present, the quality of Black representation in Hollywood television and film is not adequate.

One problem with the way representation is done is stereotyping. In older media, it was more common for Black characters to be represented across film and television as rude, “ghetto” or criminal. While nowadays, these stereotypes are less overt, that does not mean stereotyping has gone away; it has simply morphed into a new form. There are multiple archetypes that we see such as the loud, comedic relief Black characters that only serve to be funny and hold little to no depth. We also see the characters that are only allowed to be sidekicks or friends to the main characters. On the topic of romance, Black characters are often seen as undesirable and “undateable” while non-Black characters get love interests or, arguably worse, seen as hypersexual “Jezebel” figures that only distract a character from their true goals. Take Andre from the television show “Victorious,” for example. He could be said to fit into the category of the “undateable” character who stays single for the course of the show as well as the sidekick role. Andre belongs to two categories on his own, and he is just one example of how a character can represent different stereotypes. 

Black leads also tend to be light-skinned or biracial, especially in female roles, making it hard for all Black people to resonate with them. Many well-known Black male actors represent a variety of skin tones (think from Denzel Washington to Idris Elba). On the flip side, a lot of popular Black female characters are portrayed by actresses like Zendaya (such as in K.C. the show “K.C. Undercover” or Rue from the show “Euphoria”), Halle Berry (as Storm from the “X-Men” movies), or Raven Symone (Raven from the show “That’s So Raven”). Although popular darkskinned actresses (like Viola Davis or Lupita Nyong’o) do exist, they are noticeably rarer in television and film. Pointing out this discrepancy does not mean that having light-skinned or biracial representation is bad or that such individuals are not valid members of the Black community, but rather emphasizes why variation in skin tone is important: to have representation of all different kinds of Black women and Black people in general. Having representation of lighter skin tones within the community is especially important when done with the goal of providing accurate representation of the diversity of Blackness and not to present a more palatable version of Blackness to White audiences, as is often the intention. 

It would be helpful for many viewers if the roles of characters that look like them were made more diverse. Some ways of increasing representation might also be promoting Black people in several types of roles as well as expanding the way that we are represented on screen. It should also be acknowledged that this is not an issue only for the Black community, but other racial groups and kinds of minorities as well. There are plenty of other groups that need to be represented and they are either not reflected on screens or shown inadequately. While it is impossible to show something that relates to every single person as there are hundreds of millions of people in the United States alone, screenwriters, casting directors, directors and producers should at least show a concerted effort to try and make people feel seen to appeal to the various kinds of people who watch shows and movies.