>>125920217>weren't minstrel shows still a thing before the 50s?Yes. In fact if you wanna Black people had it the worst in terms of racist depictions, blame Minstrel shows. Minstrel Shows we’re the first type of entertainment form in the US, the first of its kind to grab the imagination of all America’s from coast to coast. Now imagine this: you are a white guy, possibly an immigrant, you either live in a small town in the vast lands of America, or maybe you are an Irish immigrant living in a slum in NYC, you have never seen a Black person before, so you go to a minstrel show and see white guys dressed in weird clothes speaking like fools with curly hair and big lips, you’d probably think all Black people are like that how the hell would you know? For many Americans, this was their first impression of Black people. And this art form dominate and had a huge effect on American culture. It was in everyday household items, in advertisements, art, and later on, live action and animated films. Trying to find the oldest non-racist depiction of Black Americans is hard. But it definitely began in the 60s with the rise of the Civil Rights movement. Honestly, I’m willing to say Fat Albert. Not the show, but the short made in 1969. What about Peanuts? Didn’t they have Black character? What was his first animated appearance?
