In the early days of cinema, black actors found themselves relegated primarily to demeaning roles, usually as either servants or comic buffoons.
In 1939, Hattie McDaniel became the first black actor to win an Oscar. The black community would wait another 25 years for Sidney Poitier to become the first black performer to win Best Actor for the 1963 film "Lilies of the Field."
In the 1970s black film crews and actors began producing their own genre of films, entitled blaxploitation. Geared primarily towards black audiences, the films proved to be commercially viable.
The 1980s and 1990s ushered in a series of well-established black filmmakers, including Spike Lee and John Singleton. The majority of their films were well-received by critics.
While choice roles may still be hard to come by, the black community continues to make progress. In the 2000s alone, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry and Jamie Foxx have all won Oscars.