Slideshow: 15 films that hurt black America

The Birth of a Nation (1915)

The movie that is often credited with creating modern narrative filmmaking is also responsible for recruiting Klu Klux Klansman all over the country and for cementing hateful perceptions of African-Americans that persist to this day.

(AP Photo/Harris Lewine Collection)

Stepin Fetchit in Hearts of Dixie (1927)

During Hollywood's golden era the only roles mainstream black actors were given the opportunity to play were humiliating and usually racist. Few were as successful as Stepin Fetchit. Billed as "the Laziest Man in the World", Fetchit was the first black actor to make millions in the film industry. He starred in dozens of offensive films and his name is synonymous with an era Hollywood loves to forget.

(AP Photo)

Gone with the Wind (1939)

This film is uniquely responsible for perpetuating racist romanticized myths about slavery and the Civil War. Although Hattie McDaniel won a historic Oscar for her role as Mammy, the role is undeniably demeaning and the 'Prissy' role played by Butterfly McQueen (pictured) is cringe-worthy.

(AP Photo/New Line Cinema)

Song of the South (1947)

Disney has long kept this film hidden in their vaults and with good reason. Aimed at children, with animation and catchy songs ("Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah") this film features the infamous and inflammatory Uncle Remus character. A product of post-reconstruction literature, Remus perpetuates the idea of blacks as docile and content to serve white masters.

(Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures)

Cleopatra (1963)

When producers originally conceived this big budget epic about the Egyptian ruler, they considered casting African-American actress Dorothy Dandridge. Presuming white audiences would stay away they cast Elizabeth Taylor in the title role instead. The result was one of the costliest flops in movie history. During the 50s and 60s, with the exception of Sidney Poitier and a few others, black performers were largely relegated to the sidelines or not seen at all. In film after film, parts that should go to actors of color were played by whites.

(AP Photo/Girolamo DiMajo)

Super Fly (1972)

A film that shamelessly glorifies and even worse, justifies the drug trade that was obliterating the urban landscape. The killer (and contradictory) soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield is this sleazy film's only saving grace.

(Image courtesy of Warner Bros.)

The Mack (1973)

This mainstay of the blaxploitation era has probably done more than any film before of since to glamorize the culture of pimps and prostitutes. Unapologetically misogynist and crude--this movie inspired some great rap but not much else.

(Image Courtesy of New Line Cinema)

Mandingo (1975)

Film critic Roger Ebert had it just right when he called this violent, sexually explicit blaxploitation film set on a plantation during slavery "racist trash." As you can see on the poster, the picture contains a scene where legendary actor James Mason uses a young boy as a footrest to cure his arthritis.

(Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

The Toy (1982)

Despite being arguably the most gifted stand up comedian of all-time, Richard Pryor can't redeem this embarrassment. Pryor plays an unemployed writer hired to be a rich white child's human plaything (some would argue slave). Panned by critics at the time of its release it was still a decent hit at the box office.

(Image courtesy of Columbia Pictures)

Scarface (1983)

Even though this gangster classic features an Italian playing a Cuban--its themes of greed and bloody climax have inspired far too many ignorant hip-hop boasts and turned an unrepentant criminal into an icon for black youths.

(Image courtesy of Universal Pictures)

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

This ultimate white liberal fantasy about an old Jewish woman befriending her kindly black driver during segregation--may have had good intentions but its simplistic narrative pales in comparison to the more intense exploration of race of the same year's Do the Right Thing (directed by Spike Lee). Ironically, Driving Miss Daisy won the Academy Award for best picture, while Spike Lee's masterpiece wasn't even nominated.

(Image courtesy of Warner Bros.)

Bebe's Kids (1992)

An impoverished single mother with three obnoxious, unruly kids are the butt of numerous offensive jokes and scenarios in this misguided animated "comedy." Here's a typical line: "She's so fine she make you want to get a job with benefits." Are you laughing?

(Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

The Green Mile (1999)

This film was one of several late-90s films (like The Family Man and The Legend of Bagger Vance) to feature what Spike Lee famously called a "magic Negro" character. A sweet-natured, mystical character whose only purpose in the film is to help the white character gain redemption in some way. Michael Clarke Duncan was nominated for the Oscar for his role in this film, but many black viewers were turned off.

(Image courtesy of Warner Bros.)

Soul Plane (2004)

The Austin Chronicle called this so-called satire about an African-American themed airline the "nadir of urban comedies" and described it as "trashy, crass and painfully unfunny." It also featured a ghastly array of demeaning stereotypes that would deter any viewer from making a return flight.

(AP Photo/Bruce Talamon)

Madea's Family Reunion (2006)

Tyler Perry's signature role as a gun-toting grandma might be amusing and endearing to some--but in this film and many that have followed, the performance struck some audiences as modern-day coonery.

(AP Photo/Lions Gate Films/ Alfeo Dixon)