<p>Mass Media has not been kind to women, almost from inception. The “fairer” sex has often been subject to the whims of leading men, objectified and used to push product. Black women in particular have historically gotten the short end of the stick, relegated to roles rife with stereotype projection and negative imagery, from Hattie McDaniel’s courageous portrayal of Mammie in <em>Gone With The Wind</em>, to Halle Berry’s “interesting” role in <em>Monster’s Ball</em>.</p><p>In the history of film however, there is one image of Black womanhood that stands as iconic and immutable in its majesty. One whose visage has been etched in the minds of her contemporaries and whose effectiveness has cemented itself in the genetics of generations of film heroines of all races that followed her precedent. Such is the towering legacy of Pam Grier.</p>
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