Crossing The Colour Barrier - The power of visualising social integration and the African American Dream in advertising 1940s – 1970s

Advertising portrays a fantasy world to its target market, a life to be desired and aspired to. This became more significant to the African American population when this fantasy portrayed a world of racial progress. This dissertation investigates advertising and printed media in the United States from the 1940s to the 1970s. During the Civil Rights Movement the advertising industry both reflected and encouraged changes in society. Printed media in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s visualised the division in society and reinforced ideas of segregation and discrimination. Advertising was a divisive force regarding racial politics, where African Americans were marginalised and only the white population was encouraged to join in the pursuit of the American Dream. The American Dream is a belief that each person has the opportunity to achieve a life of luxury and success. In the 1960s the advertising industry changed to a progressive force for economical and political reasons, this was the first step on the road to equality where the African American population was considered a viable and distinct consumer market. In the 1970s advertising progressed further and became an inclusive force promoting equality and racial integration, where the cultural values of an African American dream were recognised and portrayed through advertisements. The African American Dream was a dream of success and opportunity in a world of equality, free of racism. This dissertation will analyse these changes in accordance with the attitudes and aspirations of society at the time seen through the window of advertising and the visual consumer landscape.