A male or female of African-American heritage that appears in a movie, story, or
play, often with some sort of magical, sage powers, strictly for the purpose of providing such wisdom to the white
hero, for no apparent reason, but just when he or she needs it the most. They often then immediately depart from the story altogether.
The Magic Negro has no life of his or her own, but seems to see all, know all, and divine all, due to their
humble roots and avoidance of the
racist white power structure that our
hero-of-European-heritage so nobly rebels against. Typically appearing in 19th century- or early-20th century period pieces, the Magic Negro has more recently been seen dispensing his or her powers from within the existing white establishment, as with the character of Morpheus in "The Matrix."
Not to be confused with Barack Obama, who had a lengthy career as a lawyer and state senator which was often overlooked by many American conservatives, eager to pass him off with a dismissive
stereotype, despite the fact that upon assuming the Presidency in 2009, had more
government and legal experience than George W. Bush did in 2001.
See also, Magical Negro.
John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) in "The Green Mile," Bagger Vance (Will
Smith) in "The
Legend of Bagger Vance," and Cash (Don Cheadle) in "The Family Man" are all textbook examples of the
Magic Negro.
