There are 5 popular tropes I refer to when considering myself and the role I play in the workplace. 

  1. The Magical Negro

The magical negro refers to a mystical character, usually a man, whose appearance on screen occurs only when “magically” assisting White characters through their personal crisis. They do not have have a purpose outside of being the white characters support system.

  1. The Black Best Friend

The Black best friend, typically a woman, supports the White main character with sass, attitude, and good relationship advice. Their role is to be a nurturing character at the beck and call of the main character, with little to no life of their own.

  1. The Thug

The most common acting role for a Black person, usually a man, is a thug or criminal. This high number of representation as a criminal reinforces the idea that Black people are dangerous and inherently drawn to illicit activity. Little context is given to explain how they ended up in this position or added to their character to imply they have other traits other than violence (racial stereotyping and socioeconomic issues).

  1. The Angry Black Woman

Black women are most often displayed as being aggressive and loud with severe attitude problems. The consistency of this depiction has real world consequences, Black women are constantly seen as being angry, illogical, and/or disrespectful regardless of what emotions or behaviors they are displaying.

  1. The Domestic

After being forced into servitude for over 400 years, it is no surprise that one of the leading roles for a Black person is one of domestic help. Similar to the “magical negro” and the “Black best friend” this role functions to nurture and guide white characters. Reinforcing the notion that Black people exist purely to care for white people. It is important to note that the Latinx community is constantly shoved into this role as well.

        While anyone regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or ability can play these characters, it becomes a trope when it is a common occurrence for a specific group of people to be placed in this role, or for them to not be afforded other more nuanced roles at the same frequency. It is also a problem when these roles are used to reinforce stereotypes that are already damaging to the people they’re impressed on. Stereotypes shape our judgment of others, and negative ones can consciously or subconsciously affect the way we treat others. Typically this results in avoiding entire groups of people and equating them to a negative experience. Stereotypes, whether we view them as positive, negative, or funny, dehumanizes those they are about. Making them a caricature of the person they are because there is a substantial lack of representation to combat these stereotypes. As minorities, this is a battle we constantly face when entering a predominately white space because stereotypes tend to determine others' perception of why we are here. 

“When an anonymous Black person enters the white space, often the people there immediately try to make sense of him or her – to determine “who that is”, or to figure out the nature of the person’s business and whether they need to be concerned.” (Anderson, 2022)

        I think of these tropes whenever I am entering predominately white spaces, starting a new job or am interacting with a new group of people because the life I live requires me to constantly enter spaces in which I’m the minority. And if nobody has been around different cultures of people, then they are more likely to believe the tropes or stereotypes that exist of them. While minorities are expected to exist in white spaces with no complaint, white people are rarely, if ever, asked to step outside of their comfort zone. Because of this, I tend to find myself in situations and places where I am one of the only Black people in the room. This usually means that the people around me are actively viewing me as the exception to the rule or a default character. I’m here because of an error in the system, I’m the outlier. This is only reinforced by those who only experience Black people through stereotypes. So now, I am representative of a whole race of people and it’s my job to either reinforce or completely deconstruct the idea they have Black people, while also proving I deserve to be in this space. This is a common problem I face in academic, professional, personal, and work settings.