In the last 12 months I drew parallels to the lack of minority heroes in fiction and the lack of positive stories in mainstream films or news. So,I ask you - Name seven superheroes. Naming some should have been easy, now, name 6 black superheroes (who aren't a side kick). Last year I asked, in a forum, for people to name five black super heroes, a small few could but a lot could not. Societies and
cultures are crafted by what stories are told whether fiction or non so I believe that if we only see one majority group of society exclusively as heroes then that leaves the rest of us to aspire to be very little. There are ways also to craft the narrative by means of imagery - search google for "All American Boy" and "All American Girl" the resulting images are quite similar, whereas an "All American" in the eyes of the publics' perception are predominately one race. And this singular majority will never know what it's like to not be accepted as a hero. Privileged perception unknowingly granted to someone who's believed to possess promise and a bright future might not ever be labeled "thug". Feel free to search images of "thug" - being a thug is not what all black people aspire to be though, the narrative has changed in the last 20 years seemingly to support the images. Passively researching comics, television, and film there aren't many Black, Asian, Native American, Jewish or Latin American Heroes in the American story telling experience. I believe story telling is very important in societies - the passing down of lineage, myths, legends, wisdom, moral guidance and creates a perception of an individuals character. And if there's little aspiration then we'd [black american or other minorities] be less likely to be the hero and be viewed as the protagonist by others. My idea of "Black Heroes Matter" is to make attempts to change the narrative, to create a possibility where someone who is not caucasian saves the day - to maintain the idea of a heroes story that isn't being white-washed or re-narrated so that its more palatable for the masses, or an old story "recast" for minority ratings. I believe that if we have no examples of feats of heroism committed by minorities [albeit men or women] then we have no desire to see ourselves differently. Blacks with continue to be stereotyped as dangerous thugs rather than meaningful productive members of society - members of society with possibilities, aspirations, and leadership. Example; if there weren't a conversation where Martin Luther King convinces Nichelle Nichols to stay on Star Trek then there'd be no Dr. Mae Jemison who, as a young girl, would not have seen a person that looked like her on TV and she might not has aspired to be a real life astronaut. Heroism is an act in all of us overshadowed by bias exclusively portrayed in story to only be fulfilled by the image of The All American of which is an exclusive club. The lack of access to opportunity, the lack of promise and hope, the lack of admiration and aspiration, the lack of heroes morality, the lack of exposure and the lack of acceptance will continue to craft a narrative that divides. Some of us draw inspiration with fictional heros and other from real life but if life mimics art and vise versa then we have a few generations lacking in heroic dreams. I believe building a better more accepting future comes in the form of crafting a more inclusive narrative.
