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Evenings to remem- ber, clockwise from top left: a tribute to Muhammad Ali (40th Awards); General Colin Powell receives the President’s Award (42nd); a Hall of Fame tribute to Ray Charles (35th); Chairman’s Award recipients the Hon. Al Gore and Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai (40th)


events that had taken place in the movements for equal education, voting rights, women’s rights and employment laws, the entertainment industry remained intransigent. In 1980, Executive Director Benjamin L.


Hooks appointed a committee to look into the status of equal opportunity in Hollywood. The main focus of the committee was to examine the lack of opportunities for African Americans in the fi lm industry. In 1999, the networks signed a landmark memorandum of understanding with the NAACP and the Grand Coalition, greatly advancing the cause of diversity in the entertainment industry and creating a milestone by which we can measure future progress in Hollywood. In January 2000, then-NAACP president


Kweisi Mfume reached a historic agreement with then-NBC Chairman Bob Wright that focused on implementing initiatives across all areas of network operations. In the ensuing weeks the three other major networks followed suit, each signing similar agreements with the NAACP and its multicultural coalition partners. As recognized by director Steven Spielberg


and images create the belief systems that control both individual and societal actions. When it comes to forming ideas, reinforcing stereotypes, establishing norms and shaping our thinking, nothing affects us more than the images and concepts delivered into our lives daily by television and fi lm. The NAACP has been monitoring the


entertainment industry since 1915, when the organization launched a nationwide protest against the showing of the movie Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffi th. Set in the period immediately following the Civil War, the fi lm depicted black people as politically corrupt savages. It remains one of the most racially controversial fi lms ever made. When Gone With the Wind — the next


professed great American cinematic masterpiece featuring African Americans — was released in 1939, African Americans were less strident in their criticism, but less than happy with how they were portrayed. By and large they supported and


56


applauded Hattie McDaniel, who received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the fi rst black performer to win an Academy Award. The NAACP found itself called to the


front line with the advent of television. With television, as with motion pictures, the question of characterizations and employment opportunities for qualifi ed black men and women continued to be an issue. At its annual convention in July 1951, the


NAACP passed a resolution critical of the new television series Amos ‘N’ Andy and other programs that stressed negative stereotypes. According to the resolution, such shows “depicted black people in a stereotypical and derogatory manner, and the practice of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, persons, or fi rms sponsoring or promoting this show, or other shows of this type are condemned.” The issues of minority representation and


employment continued throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Despite the monumental


at the 2000 NAACP Image Awards, the entertainment industry must admit having a guilty hand in perpetuating the lack of diversity on both sides of the camera. As Spielberg then correctly stated, there’s “a lot to be done in the world we share. We still must acknowledge the painful absence of racial diversity within our very own industry. We need to hire studio executives of color. We need to foster young minority talent both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.” In the fall of 2006, the NAACP Hollywood


Bureau met with the networks to discuss the need for more minority senior-level creative executives and executive producers/show- runners. The NAACP praised the remarks of then-FOX Entertainment President Peter Liguori, who urged the creative community to develop shows more diverse and refl ective of America. The NAACP continues to work with the networks on diversity issues. Through its Hollywood Bureau and


with the support of its membership, the organization monitors offensive and defamatory images in fi lm and television, and campaigns for greater minority participation in the entertainment industry.


Watch the 44th NAACP IMAGE AWARDS Friday, February 1, at 8/7C on NBC


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