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Films play a critical role in shaping public perceptions of historical and contemporary racial relations. Unfortunately, Hollywood often relies on narratives that romanticize racism, recuperate stereotypes, and promote the ideology of a postracial society. One common and harmful narrative is that of the White savior, a prominent trope in the 2011 film The Help. By reading The Help as what Kenneth Burke would describe as a "statement about motives," the authors of this article argue that the White savior narrative operates by constraining constructions of scene, agency, and purpose. When these elements are constrained, they limit the options of who can be the main agent, or hero, of the film. This, in turn, defines the act itself. This article extends research on racism in film by illustrating how the White savior functions to simultaneously erase and romanticize racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media has long been regarded as influential in shaping and altering individuals’ perceptions of race and interracial interactions. The following article examinesRemember the Titans (Bruckheimer & Yakin, 2000)as a communicative text using critical race theory as an interpretive lens. This framework facilitated the examination of pervasive stereotypes and systematic oppression that privileges Whites. In particular, this article considers issues of leadership and interracial interactions within the context of sport. The authors’ findings contribute to the heuristic nature of critical race theory by identifying a visual text that is reflective of a time in U.S. history where racial tensions were high and a Black male in a leadership role in sport was anomaly; thus, we offer further evidence that film can function as an educational tool designed to improve media literacy and raise awareness of social injustices, with the goal of improving the social realities of people of color. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The current study involves a cluster analysis of student reactions to two films, The Color of Fear and Rosewood. One or the other film was shown in two interracial communication courses. As a course assignment, students wrote reaction papers to the film and its effectiveness as a pedagogical tool designed to educate them and others about racism and interracial communication. Using cluster analysis, there were several reactions to the films. Overall, students perceived the use of visual text as a powerful tool in educating people about racism and its impact on interracial communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]