In the early 1900’s racism was prominent in the US. This racism was primarily directed towards black people. In the movie Bojangles the effects of this racism can be seen throughout the movie.
One of the first aspects of racism in Bo jangles that is shown is through some commentary made when Bill is performing on stage. It is a rare situation because he is performing on stage by himself. At this time it was uncommon for black men to perform on stage by themselves. The reason was because people could not accept the fact that one black man would be able to perform and entertain an audience by himself because one black man could never be as good as any white man.
One of the next things we see in Bill’s life is his living conditions. Even though he is a very talented performer he does not receive pay that meets his talent. He has to live in a poor area I a housing complex that is designed for only black people. This shows the segregation that existed in this time. The low wages he received showed the prejudice towards black people that also existed during this time.
ssed in a why that was called black face. He would wear makeup in a way that made him look like a clown. This type of appearance was disrespectful to black people. It made them seem less than everyone else. Black people were laughed at because of their silliness in black face.
In the beginning of Bill’s career he follows the mainstream ideals of black entertainers. He was unhappy with this and worked hard to break out of these conditions. He was able to achieve more respect from others. He is even criticized by another black man for breaking out of the norm that was set for black men. He was able to break some of the barriers of racism and was even able to have his picture starred on the title of one of his last movies.
The next step in Bill’s career was performing in Hollywood. He first started in roles with Shirley Temple. Even though Bill had world class talent his roles in these films was minimized. He would be given the part of a servant in the movie. Also on the posters for the movie he would be just a small picture with a small name where Shirley Temple would cover
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