15 Commandments of Black Media Representation

99% of this is rooted in long time literary and media analysis of black feminist thought and analysis. 1% of this is rooted in me never wanting to see another Tyler Perry film again.

Leah Drayton

By Leah Drayton

Dedicated to those who don’t understand why movies like Hidden Figures, Moonlight, Black Panther, and Get Out are a big deal –  I made it simple. Below are the commandments of fair, honest representation of black characters in media (movies, television, books).

Enjoy or be mad about it. Here’s to hoping we can undo the long tradition of the gross, racist representation of black characters across platforms. All images are used for fair use.

There must be more than one black character.If there absolutely must be one black character, that character may not be killed within the first half of the story.

1. No black person is killed, dismembered, or paralyzed in order to further the plot line of a white character.
2. No black woman is sexually assaulted, raped, or objectified for the benefit of another character’s plot line – INCLUDING BLACK MEN.
3. Black characters have families. Those families are shown at some part of the story. There must be one black father present as some point of the story.
4. Black women are respected members of the community. They are loved, needed, and hold positions of power. They are not punished for being sexual beings.
5. Black character’s anatomy is not fetishized – they are not beautiful or handsome just because they are black. They are not exotic because they are black. They are not ugly because they are black.
6. There are black women present of light and dark skin tones, and of varying body shapes.
7. Black characters must have opinions and must be able to express them thoroughly and clearly. Black men must have emotions other than anger.
8. Black characters are not magical negros. They are not magical or invincible just for the purpose of helping a white character.
9. When black characters get angry, they must have a legitimate reason for it.
10. There must be a joke between black characters where both characters laugh together.
11. Black pain and suffering is never for the benefit or entertainment of white characters. If a black character is killed. Their body must not be left out for exhibition. It must be covered or buried.
12. No black character demonstrates blatant racism towards another person of color.
13. If majority of the cast is black – so should be the crew/writers/directors.
14. Black children need to be loved.
15. Caribbean and African black characters must apply to all the rules above.