The American Association of Magical Negroes, often abbreviated as AAMN, is a fictional organization that refers to a common trope in literature and film where a black character possesses mystical or magical powers and uses them to aid the white protagonist. This term "magical Negro" was first coined by filmmaker Spike Lee in the early 2000s and has since been widely discussed and critiqued. The concept of the magical Negro character can be traced back to the era of slavery, where African Americans were often portrayed as subservient and existing solely to assist and support white individuals. This portrayal perpetuated the harmful stereotype that black people are only valuable when they can provide some kind of magical or superhuman assistance to white people. In contemporary media, the magical Negro trope has been criticized for its continuation of racial stereotypes and its failure to give black characters depth and agency beyond their magical abilities. Many argue that this trope reinforces the idea that black people exist only to serve and support white characters, rather than allowing them to be fully realized individuals with their own desires, struggles, and motivations.

'The American Society Of Magical Negroes': Focus Features Sets Date For Film Starring Justice Smith, David Alan Grier And More

The directorial debut of Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Directors Lab alumnus Kobi Libii, The American Society of Magical Negroes stars Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver, Michaela Watkins, Rupert Friend and Nicole Byer. Footage from the film that debuted also reveals Aisha Hinds has a role.

Libii was most recently seen writing and performing on Comedy Central’s The Opposition with Jordan Klepper.

“The American Society of Magical Negroes is a fresh, satirical comedy about a young man, Aren, who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier,” the official description reads.

Julia Lebedev and Eddie Vaisman of Sight Unseen, Angel Lopez and Kobi Libii serve as producers on the film.

The American Society of Magical Negroes is among several films on Focus Features’ slate, which includes Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Robert Eggers’ reimagining of Nosferatu and Zelda Williams’ feature directorial debut Lisa Frankenstein.

The American Society of Magical Negroes will arrive in theaters on March 22, 2024.

Watch a teaser that was released for the date announcement below:

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES. Only in theaters March 22, 2024.

Wow: 'The American Society of Magical Negroes' Trailer Backfires in Epic Fashion

A controversial new movie trailer appears to have had the opposite of its intended effect with its intended audience.

Focus Features released a trailer for its upcoming drama-comedy “The American Society of Magical Negroes” on Friday, and it did not go over well at all, if social media reactions are anything to gauge.

You can watch the trailer for yourself below:

The premise of the movie, insomuch as what can be gleaned from the trailer, appears to be a magical society of black people who exist to keep white people content.

Why do they want to keep white people content?

“What’s the most dangerous animal on the planet?” one of the key characters in the trailer asked the main protagonist.

“Sharks?” the as-of-yet unnamed main character asked.

“White people,” the mentor figure stated. “When they feel uncomfortable. White people feeling uncomfortable precedes a lot of bad stuff for us.

“That’s why we fight white discomfort everyday.”

The trailer then shows a magical “white tears” meter appearing next to a white police officer. The implication appears to be that “white tears” can hit critical mass, and thus black people must work to prevent that from happening.

Later on in the trailer, it appears to introduce a conflict when the protagonist begins to fall in love with someone he’s supposed to be making happier — an apparent no-no for this magical society.

The immediate reaction to the YouTube trailer was not pretty.

“It’s nice to see so many of us come together to express how disappointing and terrible just the concept of this is and how baffling it is that it was ever made,” the top liked comment on the YouTube trailer read.

Another YouTube comment called out the movie’s director, Kobi Libii.

“I get it now. This is how we stop racism,” the comment began. “By making modern entertainment media so terrible that we all come together trash it. Thank you Kobi Libii, your lack of creative talent has brought us all together!”

Reactions were not any better when Huffington Post Sr. Editor Philip Lewis posted the trailer on X.

“No, how do we as a community get this film cancelled?” one X user asked, alongside a meme captioned with “[collective Black disapproval.]”

Another X user was upset that it appears the black protagonist will fall in love with a white character:

Yet another X user lamented that she thought she was getting a historically black college/university version of “Harry Potter.”

“I was so excited this was going to be HBCU HOGWARTS,” the X user bemoaned.

It’s worth calling out that the “magical negro” is a long-established literary and film trope meant to describe a character that specifically exists to support white characters.

The movie appears to be trying to turn that trope on its head, but it’s clearly not resonating with swathes of social media users.

The racially charged film is currently boasting a March 22, 2024, release date.

An Urgent Note from Our Staff:

The Western Journal has been labeled “dangerous” simply because we have a biblical worldview and speak the truth about what is happening in America.

We refuse to let Big Tech and woke advertisers dictate the content we share with our community. We stand for truth. We stand for freedom. We stand with our readers.

We’re asking you to help us in this fight. We can’t do this without you.

Your donation directly helps fund our editorial team of writers and editors. If you would rather become a WJ member outright, you can do that today as well. Your support means we can continue to expose false narratives and defend traditional American values.

Thank you for your support!

Racializing Redemption, Reproducing Racism: The Odyssey of 'Magical Negroes' and 'White Saviors'

Recent research on the intersection of race and media describes a trend of progressive, even antiracist, narratives that showcase close inter-racial friendships and camaraderie on the silver screen. Films in which one character saves or helps another from some unholy or disastrous plight are common in films like The Green Mile (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003), Amistad (1997) and The Blind Side (2009). While these films present a stark change from the patently racist and on-screen segregationist history of Hollywood cinema, these films often trade on racist meanings and expectations. Many of these films are what critics call ‘‘Magical Negro’’ or ‘‘White Savior’’ films – cinema in which implicit and explicit racial stereotypes are employed to structure the inter-racial interactions where one character labors to redeem another. In comparing these two genres, this article provides an overview for how both cinematic forms reproduce racist messages by naturalizing the supposed cerebral rationality, work ethic, and paternalistic morality of select White characters while normalizing Black characters as primordially connected with nature, spiritually connected to the carnal, and possessive of exotic and magical powers. Together, these films subversively reaffirm the social order and relations of racial domination by reproducing centuries’ old understandings of racial difference.

Related Papers

Recent research on African American media representations describes a trend of progressive, antiracist film production. Specifically, “Magical Negro” films (cinema highlighting lower-class, uneducated, and magical Black characters who transform disheveled, uncultured, or broken White characters into competent people) have garnered both popular and critical acclaim. I build upon such evidence as a cause for both celebration and alarm. I first examine how notions of historical racism in cinema inform our comprehension of racial representations today. These understandings create an interpretive environment whereby magical Black characters are relationally constructed as both positive and progressive. I then advance a production of culture approach that examines twenty-six films as resonating within mainstream audiences’ understanding of race relations and racialized fantasies. I find that these films constitute “cinethetic racism”— a synthesis of overt manifestations of racial cooperation and egalitarianism with latent expressions of White normativity and anti-Black stereotypes. “Magical Negro” films thus function to marginalize Black agency, empower normalized and hegemonic forms of Whiteness, and glorify powerful Black characters in so long as they are placed in racially subservient positions. The narratives of these films thereby subversively reaffirm the racial status quo and relations of domination by echoing the changing and mystified forms of contemporary racism rather than serving as evidence of racial progress or a decline in the significance of race.

This is a Literature Review about characteristics of whiteness seen in contemporary films today, which are considered to be called "White Savior Films." I discuss Color-Blind racism and how its the new form of invisible racism that we use today's society. I describe aspects of whiteness and how it effects our media, popular culture and Hollywood cinema. Films discussed is the review include; Avatar, City of Joy, Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, The Blindside, The Soloist, Hard Ball, Gran Torino, and The Help.

©2 20 00 05 5--2 20 00 07 7 Q Qu ua al li it ta at ti iv ve e S So oc ci io ol lo og gy y R Re ev vi ie ew w V Vo ol lu um me e I II II I I Is ss su ue e 2 2 w ww ww w. .q qu ua al li it ta at ti iv ve es so oc ci io ol lo og gy yr re ev vi ie ew w. Abstract Through a narrative analysis of movies confronting issues of race and racism in the post-civil rights era, we suggest that the movie To Kill a Mockingbird ushered in a new genre for movies about race which presented an image of a white male hero, or perhaps savior, for the black community. We suggest that this genre outlasted the era of the Civil Rights Movement and continues to impact popular cultural discourses about race in post-civil rights America. Post-civil rights films share the central elements of the anti-racist white male hero genre, but they also provide a plot twist that simultaneously highlights the racial innocence of the central characters and reinforces the ideology of liberal individualism. Reading these films .

Qualitative Sociology Review

Through a narrative analysis of movies confronting issues of race and racism in the post-civil rights era, we suggest that the movie To Kill a Mockingbird ushered in a new genre for movies about race which presented an image of a white male hero, or perhaps savior, for the black community. We suggest that this genre outlasted the era of the Civil Rights Movement and continues to impact popular cultural discourses about race in post-civil rights America. Post-civil rights films share the central elements of the anti-racist white male hero genre, but they also provide a plot twist that simultaneously highlights the racial innocence of the central characters and reinforces the ideology of liberal individualism. Reading these films within their broader historical context, we show how the innocence of these characters reflects not only the recent neo-conservative emphasis on “color blindness,” but presents a cinematic analogue to the anti-affirmative action narrative of the innocent whit.

Howard Journal of Communications

Films play a critical role in shaping public perceptions of historical and contemporary racial relations. Unfortunately, Hollywood often relies on narratives that romanticize racism, recuperate stereotypes, and promote the ideology of a postracial society. One common and harmful narrative is that of the White savior, a prominent trope in the 2011 film The Help. By reading The Help as what Kenneth Burke would describe as a “statement about motives,” the authors of this article argue that the White savior narrative operates by constraining constructions of scene, agency, and purpose. When these elements are constrained, they limit the options of who can be the main agent, or hero, of the film. This, in turn, defines the act itself. This article extends research on racism in film by illustrating how the White savior functions to simultaneously erase and romanticize racism.

In Hollywood, perhaps the main source of controversy historically has been the issue of representation for nonwhite groups. Though the industry has certainly made strides since its inception, people of color still are not recognized, paid, or represented as much as their white colleagues. In recent years, however, this conversation has started to become more relevant with certain events and issues triggering a national discussion on how Hollywood can provide more opportunities for POCs in front of and behind the camera. Through this discussion, it is possible and necessary to reflect on how both Hollywood stories and news stories are told through a white savior lens.

Frames Cinema Journal

Journal of Black Studies

Hollywood films reflect the racial order in which they are made. The sociological significance of understanding racial representations within films is highlighted in this study as it recognizes that films offer a useful site for contentious views of the racial order—colorblind and colorconscious—to be played out. Focusing on films with an African American actor and/or actress, this study will highlight how actors and actresses in these films demonstrate the pervasiveness of racial inequality, as well as how the films still maintain a colorblind framework. Although the colorblind framework persists, acknowledging the presence of colorconscious themes is a new perspective that can help challenge the colorblind framework.

To begin with, I do not use the phrase “race traitor” in its negative or pejorative sense, but instead I use it as an emblem of a certain kind of selfless artistic heroism that honors an individual white filmmaker’s sacrifice of immediate commercial interests in the effort to shift narrative focus from whites to African-Americans within a film. In the analysis that follows I am primarily concerned with white filmmakers who have taken it upon themselves, so to speak, to explore universal humanist themes by shifting narrative focus from whites to African-Americans. This deliberate choice that goes beyond the commercial considerations of the film reveals that the auteur of the film is using the work as a means of personal expression and not just as a means of generic entertainment. Moreover, in my analysis of the form of the films we will see that how these filmmakers break familiar and conventionalized film grammar is how they actually establish their authorial voice and express themselves within the medium of film beyond just the content and the shift of narrative focus from whites to African-Americans. Two films from two White filmmakers will be the major focus of this study: John Cassavetes' SHADOWS (1959) and Rainer Werner Fassbinder's WHITY (1970). I will also discuss perhaps the first genuine race traitor filmmaker in American Film History, King Vidor and his film HALLELUJAH, as well as, a more recent race traitor filmmaker, Lance Hammer and his film BALLAST (2008). Yet the overall aim here is not to separate out friend from foe in regards to racial sympathies throughout the canon of highly regarded auteurs, but rather to examine the strength of particular auteurs to surmount certain ideological, political and financial obstacles as they made the narrative shift of racial focus. This is a chapter from my book: Slave Cinema: The Crisis of the African-American in Film 2nd Ed.

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

Many argue that this trope reinforces the idea that black people exist only to serve and support white characters, rather than allowing them to be fully realized individuals with their own desires, struggles, and motivations. Critics also point out that the magical Negro trope can be seen as a form of white savior narrative, where the white protagonist is elevated and saved by the magical abilities of the black character. This type of storytelling perpetuates a power dynamic that further marginalizes black individuals and fails to challenge or subvert traditional racial hierarchies.

Despite its negative implications, the existence of the American Association of Magical Negroes as a fictional concept highlights the ongoing need for critical analysis and discussion of racial stereotypes in media. By confronting and challenging these stereotypes, it becomes possible to create more diverse and inclusive stories that accurately represent the experiences and complexities of different racial and ethnic groups. In conclusion, the American Association of Magical Negroes is a fictional organization that represents a problematic trope in literature and film. This concept highlights the need for greater awareness and scrutiny of racial stereotypes in media, in order to create more authentic and equitable representations of diverse communities..

Reviews for "Magical Negroes and Intersectionality: Exploring Multi-Dimensional Characters"

1. Jane - 2 out of 5 stars - I was really looking forward to reading "American Association of Magical Negroes" as I loved the concept. However, I found the execution to be lacking. The story felt disjointed and the characters didn't have much depth. I also struggled to connect with the magical elements in the book, as they were not well explained or integrated into the plot. Overall, I was disappointed with this novel and wouldn't recommend it to others.

2. John - 1 out of 5 stars - I found "American Association of Magical Negroes" to be a confusing and unengaging read. The plot was convoluted and hard to follow, and the characters lacked development and relatability. Additionally, the magical elements in the story felt forced and out of place, almost like they were included just for the sake of it. I struggled to connect with the narrative and found myself constantly losing interest. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to my expectations and I wouldn't recommend it.

3. Emily - 2 out of 5 stars - "American Association of Magical Negroes" had an intriguing premise that initially caught my attention. However, as I delved into the story, I quickly realized that it lacked cohesiveness and depth. The characters were one-dimensional, and their actions often felt arbitrary and disconnected from the plot. Additionally, the writing style was awkward and inconsistent, making it difficult to fully engage with the story. While the concept was promising, the execution left much to be desired, and I was ultimately left unsatisfied with this novel.

The Ethics of Magical Negroes: Do They Perpetuate or Challenge Racial Stereotypes?