Writing about African Americans: TTIE's #WriteInclusion Factsheet
TTIE has partnered with a number of social justice researchers and organizations to produce #WriteInclusion Factsheets: Tips for Authentic Representation.
African Americans are an ethnic group of Americans with total or partial ancestry from any of Africa’s Black racial groups. The term typically refers to descendants of people who were enslaved in the U.S. It’s important to note that not all Black Americans, particularly those from Latin America, South America, Africa, and the Caribbean consider themselves African American. Like any community, Black Americans reflect a wide range of experiences based on ethnicity, culture, identity, and geography.
Quick facts:
- African American film directors filled 44.5% of on-screen or named roles with Black actors. When non-Black directors were attached, the percentage of Black characters dropped to 11.3%.
- According to Nielsen’s Diverse Intelligence Series, African American consumers lead content consumption across multiple platforms, gravitating toward content that reflects Black images and storylines—particularly among younger viewers.
- More than 40 million Black people live in the U.S., about 14% of the U.S. population. More than half are millennial age or younger as of 2018, with a median age of 32.
Overrepresented stories:
- Black Pain: Lives filled with great pain, sadness, and tragedy, until and unless someone else (usually a white person) brings joy and rescue.
- Colorblind Existence: Stories where African American identity doesn’t shape a Black character’s beliefs and behavior or those of other characters around them. Colorblindness ignores significant aspects of how people think, speak, and feel.
- The Token or Sidekick: The best friend to a white protagonist. These characters are used to nominally diversify a show without fully realized stories of their own.
For more facts, overrepresented stories, harmful stereotypes, and more, check out the full #WriteInclusion Factsheet: Tips for Accurate Representation of African Americans.