Dancis begins with criticizing how old "plantation epics" misrepresents the African-American slaves during the time.  For example, "Gone with the Wind" and "The Birth of a Nation" give the audience the distorted perspective of many aspects of history, including slavery, the Civil War and the Reconstruction.  However, he argues, many films have been improving this chaotic misrepresentation and begun to accurately portray African-Americans in history.  For example, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is considered "an attempt by Hollywood to make it right, and it works. It is a landmark Hollywood film that vividly portrays racism in the 1930s."  Dancis lists numerous movies that have done a much better job of depicting African-Americans.

Dancis, Bruce. “A Sharper Focus on Black History: After a Flickering Start, Filmdom Has Gotten Better at Portraying the African American Experience.” The Sacramento Bee (2008). <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=keh&AN=2W62W61571901384&site=ehost-live>.