A South Carolina State University professor who has authored a book about women in Blaxploitation movies says the late actor Richard Roundtree’s portrayal of “Shaft” was a pivotal heroic figure for young urban audiences in the 1970s. “John Shaft was so crucial to the development -- even though some would argue then and now that the character itself was stereotypical in terms of representations of Black masculinity -- of different kinds of African American heroes, especially for a young urban audience that wanted a change from the Sidney Poitier roles onscreen,” said Dr. Yvonne Sims, an associate professor of English.