The Role Of Diversity In D. W Griffith's Birth Of A Nation

Lack of Diversity is largely due to lack of accurate representation. The roles commonly given to black actors and actresses are stereotypical roles. The stereotypical roles first emerged in D.W Griffith's Birth of a Nation. The film is revered as the first film to use groundbreaking cinematic techniques. However the film is incredibly racist displaying african americans in a negative light. It was one of the first films to use blackface. This film paved a way for other films in regards to stereotypical representation of blacks. Last year's academy awards had only white actors for the five main categories. I wanted to look further into the roles black actors and actresseswho have won and to see if these roles are stereotypical roles.