ABSTRACT
Mass media conglomerates have historically been under the ownership of White men. Three Black women have defied the norm and risen to become media moguls. Catherine L. Hughes (Radio/TV One), Debra L. Lee (BET Networks) and Oprah Winfrey (Oprah Winfrey Network/OWN) have shattered glass ceilings and ascended to a level previously considered unattainable for women in general and Black women specifically.
While media ownership is a critical component to the overall theme of the impact of who has the creative control of alternative stereotypes, this study is specifically interested in filling the gap in the research concerning African American female television producers, writers, the programs they create (particularly the characters), their audience reactions and interactions between content producers, actors and other audience members.
I have discovered that African American female television creatives, including showrunners, producers, directors and writers present alternative representations of African Americans on programs with a predominately Black cast. For the purpose of this text, alternative representations are defined as depictions of African American women that are in opposition to the historical stereotypical representations of the mammy, tragic mulatto, jezebel and sapphire that scholars, specifically historian Donald Bogle, have found to be rooted in racism and sexism. These four stereotypes have plagued African American female representation in many forms of popular culture, including television sitcoms, for more than a century. 1
