In an effort to continue to appeal to the masses American Idol has limited the number of blacks who make it through to the final rounds. Out of the twenty four finalist this season only three African American males have made it through (another appears to be biracial) and there no African American females. Are we, the audience, supposed to believe that (1) there were no black women singers good enough to make it through this year or (2) none of the good black singers tried out?
Throughout the years both blacks and whites have won. So it would seem that American Idol is an equal opportunity for all. Many will argue that it is the American people who choose the winner not the judges. This is true. Ultimately it is left up to the viewers, but before it gets in the viewers hands it is the judges who decide. If the judges only allow mediocre African Americans (with the exception of one really good one) to make it through then who will America vote for?
By limiting the number of blacks who make it through to the final rounds the chances of an African American winning decreases significantly. Why would American Idol use this strategy? The answer is simple. They want variety. If talented African Americans continue to win year after year they will lose some of their viewers. The goal is to increase their viewers and the best way to do that is to have a variety of winners and to go with music trends. Future white pop and country artists are what’s hot right now. So the winner will reflect that. As the season continues we will see what songs will be selected for the artists and whether this will have any bearing on who wins this year.
American Idol has opened the doors for many African Americans including Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, Jennifer Hudson, and Jordan Sparks, the last African American to win. There will be other African American winners in the future but not until enough time goes by to break the monotony.
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