Examining Media Representations of Black Manhood

Chapter 6 considers the “heroes” of Black boys and identifies some of the current and historical messages from entertainment media, with a particular focus on hip-hop and R&B music. The film industry is also discussed as a potential site where positive messaging can occur. The need to defend these heroes is examined, and discussion of their faults is presented as a window for having difficult conversations with boys. Informed by the social-ecological model, the chapter closes by asking about the appropriate standards to which celebrities should be held and challenging the reader to fill the moral voids vacated by media figures.