by Renee Greene, Your Black World
“The Help” opens in theaters August 10.
In the midst of new millennium accusations of racism in Hollywood, and with the “underhiring” of blacks in the movie world for major A-list roles, it appears that black actresses can still find roles forged out of perpetually stereotypical characters. The Help, a best-selling novel-gone-silver-screen, is centered on the lives of Aibileen and Minny, two black maids living in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s. The maids are portrayed by African American actresses Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.
Author Kathryn Stockett throws back to the sixties to portray the three-dimensional characters, but the two black actresses playing the roles have found themselves on the defensive for breathing life into them. Says Ms. Davis, ”The thing about the African-American community compared with the white community is, we are more concerned with image and message than execution. I don’t play roles that are necessarily attractive or portray a positive image. They are well-rounded characters. When you squelch excellence to put out a message, it’s like passing the baton and seeing it drop.’” The main problem in Y2K11 with believing the Davis and Spencer roles “may open more doors for black actresses” is, deja vu, many decades later, we are still waiting for that to happen.
However, to quote the words of Hattie McDaniel, who was also publicly raked for playing “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind and other subservient roles, “I’d rather make $700 a week playing a maid than earn $7 a day being a maid.”
Black Women Today 
I agree with Hattie McDaniels. Also, if it’s “clean” acting rather than Lil Wayne rapping, then I think that the African-American community needs to mind their own business. Those two are fine actresses and will bring eloquence and class to the screen. The truth of the matter is that there were quite a few black maids back then and still are.
If blacks listen to other blacks on that score, not one us of would work. I’ve stopped listening.
A job-is a Job.
If it werent for black maids of the 60’S where would we be? Embrace our history dont look down upon it
I plan to see the movie The Help because I want to see if they will tell the truth. We wondered why Mr and Mrs dark skinned black parents had this little mulatto son or daughter, this movie should tell why. Many black men sat by while their wives had these children who were father4d by their white employers while the black woman worked as a maid. Will this movie tell the truth??? I saw this in my own neighborhood as I grew up in the south and my mother told me the stories.
As for black women playing maids, it depends on the script, is it in a positive context? In addition, it s a job paying good money.
I did not see “The Help”. I convinced my friends to see “Columbiana” instead. I prefer to put my $ behind projects that present a different view of black women. I am sick and tired of seeing older, heavier, down-trodden black women cast to make the white leads look better. I grew up seeing that. My mother grew up seeing that. I want it to be different for my daughter when and if I have one.
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