February 2, 2002

ON THE AIR
Examining the Roles of African-American Entertainers Throughout Television History

Grades:  6-8,9-12

Subjects:  American History, Language Arts, Media Studies, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"An Evolving Vision in Black and White", By JULIE SALAMON, February 1, 2002

Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students will explore the issue of race in television since the 1950's, focusing specifically on African-American entertainers. After researching important issues, events, and television personalities of specific decades, students create "TV Guide" issues commemorating the "African-American experience" in television in those time periods.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE: 45 minutes

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Consider the role of race in their favorite television shows; discuss issues of race in television.
  2. Explore how the African-American experience on television has changed over the course of television history by reading and discussing the article "An Evolving Vision In Black and White."
  3. Investigate different decades in television in terms of racial trends.
  4. Develop special commemorative issues of television guides that focus on the racial issues of different decade in television history.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:
NOTE TO TEACHER: This lesson focuses on the representation of African-Americans on television. However, the lesson can be expanded to also include the inclusion and portrayal of other races.

  1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: In their journals, students respond to the following prompt (written on the board prior to class): "List your five favorite television shows, skipping a few lines between each. What races are represented in the show, and to what extent (e.g. main characters, recurring characters, etc.)? What role do you think the characters' races play on each of these shows?" After a few minutes, conduct a class discussion on the results of student journals, using the following questions as a guide: What racial patterns do students see among these shows? What do they think would account for these patterns? Do you think that the prevalence of African-Americans and other races in television is the same? Why or why not?
  2. As a class, read and discuss the article "An Evolving Vision In Black and White," focusing on the following questions:
    1. What was "remarkable" about the three men on the cover of last week's "Newsweek" magazine?
    2. What gesture of Eddie Cantor's caused a wave of hate mail?
    3. According to the article, how have racial barriers changed throughout television history?
    4. What is the status of African-American dramas on television today?
    5. According to Donald Bogle, what aspect of African-American television personalities has remained consistent throughout television history?
    6. What opinions about "Amos n' Andy" are cited in the article?
    7. What is the author of the article's overall opinion of the TV Land special? How do you know?
    8. What are the main topics addressed in "The Heroes of Black Comedy"?
    9. What "breakthroughs" in the roles of African-Americans on television are cited in the article?
  3. Divide students into six groups, and assign each group a decade in television history from the 1950's to today (alternately, create five groups and include the years 2000-2002 in the group focusing on the 1990's). Each group is charged with creating a special commemorative "decade" issue of a television guide, focusing on the African-American presence in television in that decade. Using all available resources, students respond to the following questions (written on the board for easier student reference):
    • In general, what was the African-American presence in television like during this decade? How were African-Americans represented in comedy, drama and other television genres?
    • How would you describe the social and political positions of African-Americans in the United States in this decade? How was this mirrored in their presence on television?
    • What "breakthroughs" occurred in this decade with regards to African-Americans on television, and who led them? What was public opinion regarding these breakthroughs?
    • What were the most popular shows with mostly or all African-American casts or cast members? How were the characters portrayed? What were some of the common themes of these shows?
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Once research is complete, each group develops a television guide representing African-Americans in television in their assigned decade. Guides should include items such as typical listings of shows for various dates throughout the decade, special feature articles, a "Cheers and Jeers" section reflecting general attitudes about the African-American presence in television in this decade, and any other features they wish to include. In a later class, groups should present their television guides to the class.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal response, participation in class discussions and group research, and thoughtful and well-developed television guide issues.

VOCABULARY:
moguls, instigated, dichotomy, clunky, populist, dynamic, bugaboos, shtick, provocative, encyclopedic, poignancy, triviality, skewering, jaunty, mundane, debonair, sanctioning

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Research the life of a famous African-American actor. Write a biography about this person, answering the following questions: How did he or she become an entertainer? To what extent was or is race an issue in this person's life and career? For what is this entertainer most famous? Include pictures and quotations where possible.
  2. Keep a log of the television shows you watch during one week, taking note of the racial presence. Try to watch several different channels at different times and note any differences in the racial make-up of the shows, as well as the type of shows (comedy, drama, miniseries, etc.). Also note the racial make-up of the commercials aired. Do they mirror the make-up of the shows during which they air? Write an assessment of your findings.
  3. Give a musical presentation to your class based on the life and career of an African-American musician. Include both biographical information and a presentation of music representative of this musician. You can bring in a recording, or, if possible, learn to play a piece of this person's music yourself.
  4. Create a special series of products, such as cereal boxes or stamps, for Black History Month, commemorating current African-American leaders. Select different leaders in politics, sports, music, film, television, and other areas of public life, and highlight their achievements.
  5. Watch a re-run on television of one of the predominantly African-American cast shows cited in the article, such as "The Jeffersons," "The Cosby Show" and "Sanford and Sons." Write a review of the show by answering the following questions: Who are the characters in this show, and what are they like? What issues are presented on the show, and how are they addressed? How does race play a role in how these issues are addressed? Are there any racial stereotypes presented, and if so, what are they and how are they presented? How was this show revolutionary? Do you think this show would be popular today? Why or why not?
  6. Stage a debate in your classroom about a racially-based current events issue, such as affirmative action or racially or socially driven college admissions policies.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Health- Research genetic diseases that are strongly linked to specific races, such as sickle cell anemia (African-Americans) or Tay-Sachs (European Jews). Create a pamphlet describing several such diseases, explaining why they are commonly found among certain racial populations and offering resources for people who want to know more about them (Web sites, organizations, hotlines, etc.)

Journalism- Interview people in your school and community on race in the United States today. You may want to ask general questions about issues of race, or focus on a specific topic, such as blacks in television or interracial dating. Make sure to interview people or different ages (especially people who lived through the civil rights movement and may be able to offer insights into the changes that have taken place since the 1960's), races and walks of life. Write a feature article for your school newspaper on your findings.

Science- Research several famous African-American scientists. Create a series of posters with profiles of these scientists, including pictures, biographical information, and information about famous discoveries, awards won and other honors received.

Teaching with The Times- Visit The Learning Network's "How Race is Lived in America" special feature (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/race). Read an article and write a Letter to the Editor. You can submit your letter to The Learning Network for possible publication on the site (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/letters/submit.html).

Copyright 2002
The New York Times Company

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