How was Coming to America received in the black community?
As a kid, I enjoyed Coming to America immensely. Rewatching it as an adult, it occurred to me that it's one of the first films I can think of with an almost all black cast, almost all in empowering roles (as opposed to blaxploitation, for instance, where only the hero protagonist had a positive role).
We see an African kingdom, rich and prosperous. We see Mr. Cleo McDowell, a successful restaurant owner with his two daughters.
Was this film at the time received as I in hindsight think it may have been?
How was it received in the black community?
Best Answer
Digging around in ProQuest (an index of newspaper headlines, among other things), I came across the following reference:
Briscoe, Stephen (04/22/1992). "'Coming to America' in Class? If It's Done Right, Teachers Say". Michigan Chronicle, p. A1.
Abstract: The controversy over whether the film "Coming to America" should have been shown to a class of fourth graders in Detroit is examined.
The Michigan Chronicle is a Detroit newspaper that is operated by and aimed at African-Americans, so I suspect that this article might give you a sense of the various opinions on the film in the African-American community around the time of its release.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find a full text of this article online; so I'm making this answer into a community wiki. If anyone is able to dig up the full text, I would be interested to see some pertinent excerpts from this article added in.
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How did Africans get into America?
Beginning in the 16th century and for centuries after, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Dutch traders systematically purchased large numbers of African people, many of whom had been captured by the traders' African allies in wars or in raids, and transported them to the American colonies for permanent enslavement.Why did the African immigrate to America?
The two biggest reasons for this trend have been familial ties and economic betterment. African Americans who have made this return - the vast majority of them have never lived in the South - have returned to areas where their families had been based.How did the great migration affect American society?
During the Great Migration, African Americans began to build a new place for themselves in public life, actively confronting racial prejudice as well as economic, political and social challenges to create a Black urban culture that would exert enormous influence in the decades to come.What was the outcome of the Great Migration?
Migrants and their children created the Harlem Renaissance, changed the sound of the blues music that they brought north with them, desegregated sports, and became involved in politics. The Great Migration arguably was a factor leading to the American civil rights movement.History of African-Americans | Past to Future
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