A picture of black entrepreneurship?

Nashawn Wade, the protagonist played by actor Kevin Hart in the MGM/United Artists film Soul Plane, says, "I'm an entrepreneur. I'm going to do something I can be proud off."

Unfortunately, that sentiment is the only thing in the film that is true to the legacy of black entrepreneurship. The remaining hour and 25 minutes of the film--a comedy about what happens when a black man uses a $100 million civil judgement to start an airline--goes on to present some of the worst, most racist depictions of African Americans in recent memory. The film runs the gamut of stereotypes, presenting black people as foul-mouthed, fried chicken-loving, sex-obsessed, shuckin' and jivin' hoochies, hustlers, and buffoons.

It's a sign of the persistence of racism in the film industry that, in 2004, studios continue to resist investing money in quality films about black life. Instead, they finance movies, such as Soul Plane, that perpetuate the same false, damaging, and dangerous stereotypes of African Americans promoted by the notorious Ku Klux Klan propaganda film Birth of A Nation nearly a century ago. In fact, there is not one positive portrayal of a black person in the entire movie. And perhaps the most damaging stereotype of all is that of Wade himself, who, as the CEO of the airline (he allows an unqualified, drug-abusing ex-convict to pilot, his plane), portrays black entrepreneurs and black-owned businesses in the worst possible light.

"What's the problem?" you may ask. "It's a comedy. Everybody knows that the characters in the film don't represent all black people." The problem is that too many people learn most of what they know about black people from images promoted in film, television, music videos, and even video games. Those distorted and often racist images are then exported to countries around the globe to be consumed by people who become convinced that the images they see are completely accurate representations of African American people and culture. Although Soul Plane was a flop in U.S. theaters (fortunately, the film was roundly panned for being truly unfunny, as well as racist), the fact remains that it will be promoted heavily in movie theaters in foreign markets, via DVD/video rental, pay-per-view, and home video.

Soul Plane's depiction of the black entrepreneur as irresponsible, incompetent, and unqualified can be all too believable to people unfamiliar with the reality of black entrepreneurship. Such negative portrayals can have a chilling effect on the efforts of black entrepreneurs to raise $100 million in capital in the real world, or deal with people (including those who decide what films will of will not be financed) already unwilling or unable to see past the stereotypes.

While funny, irreverent, and honest movies that portray black-owned enterprises are painfully rare, we know they can be made. For example, Eddie Murphy's 1992 film Boomerang was set against the backdrop of a polished, chic, and successful black cosmetics firm, not unlike the types of businesses that can be found among the BE, 100s. And O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson's 2002 film Barbershop perfectly captured the important connection between black-owned businesses and the communities they serve. It's no coincidence that both films were box office hits--and not just with African American audiences.

As we celebrate the 34th anniversary of the publication of the first issue of BLACK ENTERPRISE, eradicating false and negative stereotypes of the black entrepreneur and black-owned enterprises remains at the core of our mission. Our commitment to our readers is to produce honest and accurate portrayals of black entrepreneurs and their businesses. Whether our stories are fictionalized or factually reported, our black business legacy requires us all to do something of which we can be proud.