Do you think blacks in historical media, like during the slavery period, are portrayed as too light?

[Homo Insapiens]

There’s a tendency for the blacks in historical media, like slaves, to be light skinned (for blacks), probably because they’re of mixed ancestry. It’s probably logical because nearly all African Americans are mixed now, so most American films would have American casts to choose from. But that’s only been the case since after the civil rights movement, before then most blacks would have been virtually pure, especially with the segregation & racism that was prevalent. Especially so for slaves, most of whom would have been not only pure blacks, but also outdoor workers, so would have been tanned even for black standards. Caribbean blacks are still largely virtually pure & are probably the best current representation of what African Americans would have looked like before they became mixed, & unlike Africans, New World blacks are mixtures of various African ethnicities, like how modern white Americans are for various European ethnicities. Do you think historical media would be more authentic if they chose pure black casts for their roles rather than modern African American mixed people?

[Creoda]

There’s a tendency for the blacks in historical media, like slaves, to be light skinned (for blacks), probably because they’re of mixed ancestry. It’s probably logical because nearly all African Americans are mixed now, so most American films would have American casts to choose from. But that’s only been the case since after the civil rights movement, before then most blacks would have been virtually pure, especially with the segregation & racism that was prevalent. Especially so for slaves, most of whom would have been not only pure blacks, but also outdoor workers, so would have been tanned even for black standards. Caribbean blacks are still largely virtually pure & are probably the best current representation of what African Americans would have looked like before they became mixed, & unlike Africans, New World blacks are mixtures of various African ethnicities, like how modern white Americans are for various European ethnicities. Do you think historical media would be more authentic if they chose pure black casts for their roles rather than modern African American mixed people?

What portrayals are you talking about? They looked pretty black in nearly all the ones I've seen.

[Homo Insapiens]

What portrayals are you talking about? They looked pretty black in nearly all the ones I've seen.

You can Google “slavery movies” to see a list. What comes to my mind are 12 Years a Slave, Harriet, Roots, Glory, Django Unchained etc. They’re negro of course & look that way, but have a tendency to be relatively light skinned, as well as look mixed. Google African or Caribbean blacks to see that they’re darker. I’m a history buff, so tend to notice these small details more here.