Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and Rastus: Blacks in Advertising, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: 168 (Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies ; No) - Softcover

"Read Kern-Foxworth if you want to understand how the tricks of imagery that we all can see actually work." - Black Issues in Higher Education "[A]n important book, rigorously researched and quite readable." - Everette E. Dennis, Executive Director The Freedom Forum Media "A well-researched and written book . . . The author does an excellent job of exploring the nuances of racial stereotyping . . . Recommended for history, black studies, and media studies collections." - Library Journal

This book provides a mirror to our past--a past that has been ignored or overshadowed for too long. From the foreword by Alex Haley Kern-Foxworth chronicles the stereotypical portrayals of Blacks in advertising from the turn of the century to the present. Beginning with slave advertisements, she discusses how slavery led naturally to the stereotypes found in early advertisements. From the end of the slave era to the culmination of the Civil Rights movement, advertising portrayed Blacks as Aunt Jemimas, Uncle Bens, and Rastuses, and the author explores the psychological impact of these portrayals. With the advent of the Civil Rights movement, organizations such as CORE and NAACP voiced their opposition and became active in the elimination of such advertising. In the final chapters, the volume examines the reactions of consumers to integrated advertising and the current role of Blacks in advertising. Its truly novel subject matter and its inclusion of vintage and contemporary advertisements featuring Blacks make this a valuable work.