The Museum recently contributed to an NBC story about the representation of African Americans in advertising. Founding Director Glenn Pajarito spoke about the history and evolution of the portrayal of the African American community. See the full story here.
In fact, some of the earliest ads from 1707 until 1862 advertised the sale of African slaves or the reward of runaway slaves. It wasn’t until the 20th century that we begin to see a transition of African Americans portrayed as slaves and servants into everyday citizens, consumers and even pop culture icons. Racial equity in advertising and media isn’t just dependent on the work, but on the values of the organizations behind the work. The leadership of brands and agencies must be reflective of the communities and audiences they want to connect with. This is an important topic for the Museum which we’ll continue to address in future exhibitions and content.