I just wanted to send my love and appreciation to all the great fathers out there who are sacrificing for and inspiring their little cubs all the world over.
My dad died when I was eleven but I always remember him coming home tired from a hard day's work, taking his evening shower, sitting down to dinner, watching The Mets games on channel 9 here in NYC, (Yes, we were a National League household) and drinking a cold miller beer. His presence and the feeling of safety and protection I felt with him around was very real. My father was from a generation where the child rearing was almost totally left to the mother but he provided and cared for all 6 of us no matter what. A jazz musician by trade, he could have left to live a bohemiam life and seek out a life that only satisfied his own pleasures, but he chose to be a family man with a predictable routine and to deal with the everyday problems that come with raising a household full of kids. None of us knew the indignities and crap he had to endure just trying to work honest jobs and be the provider, he took a lot and never complained about his life.
Honestly, I tire of hearing father's day shout outs that include props to the moms who are doing double duty or just mentioning the old addage"moms are moms all their lives", gets on my damn nerves. Moms who may be widows or abandoned and left to hold the bag are warriors but they're not fathers. Mothers Day was in May and mothers should get all their accolades and praise on then (and honestly, throughout the rest of the year), but Father's Day is in June and it seems like they get some acknowledgment but end up sharing their shine with single mothers. Can we just give an unequivocal "happy father's day" to the men? Period. And how about all the brothers who are raising other men's kids and claiming them as their own. They hardly ever get a mention when all the conversation is on the dead beat dads dodging their child support payments. As a cat once told my brother, "really, we're all raising each others kids".
We can't let our men be replaced with thin air or overwhelmed women tired of holding it all together. We need YOU!! And right now. You are irreplaceable and your children are different because of your presence and guidance. Now there are some men who have no business raising kids as they currently are. And some men are better men because their fathers weren't in their lives. For instance, if your father was a pimp and he believes women should be slapped around just to remind them to stay in their place, your father is not a good role model and really shouldn't be around kids. But for all my brothers trying to be better men and better fathers, I send you a big kiss and for those who know they should be doing better, seek some support from your church or link up with a men's group. Not knowing the way isn't a sin, not caring or trying to know the way is.
Yay!!! Awkward Black Girl is back for a 2nd season online and I'm looking forward to see how her choice of White Jay over her cute-as-hell coworker is gonna go, her sweet but nutty BFF, Cece and that crazy bunch of coworkers that lightened my days with laughter last summer. Just happy to see that Issa Rae was able to raise enough money and continue telling her story her way. Would love to see her on tv, maybe TVOne would be a good look, but she's great on any medium. Look for new episodes with the season two premiere jumping off on Thursday, June 14th.
I hope we're all watching the ABC drama, "Scandal". It stars Bronx-native, Kerry Washington and a strong supporting cast including the very cute Columbus Short. This political drama is written and produced by the prolific Shonda Rhimes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. As happy as I am for her success, I've been a little disappointed by her shows' black female characters. They tend to be accomplished and polished but without any life balance. Meaning: no man or long term romantic relationships or marriage. Or they're just plain non-existent like on than silly medical drama in Latin America that was short lived and I can't even remember the name of that had no black female character. It always feels like her black female characters never seem to have any inner life worth showing on tv: family connections, lovers or even "viable" lovers. They seem to just simply support the lives of their White BFF. It was just sad when Audra McDonald's character on Private Practice was wooed by a dying older white guy with terminal cancer and a white paraplegic researcher. Like really. I mean a healthy man of any race is a good start, but I was always curious as to why she never paired her with a hot brother on her level with a good heart. Was that too much to ask for?
But I digress. On the new tv drama, "Scandal" all that I felt was lacking in the development of her black female characters gets some redemption in this tight political thriller. The lead character, Olivia Pope, is a serious political DC power broker with sharp instincts, extreme confidence and a tender heart. She's strong but not too much so that we don't see a human being with needs and tenderness. Kerry Washington's portrayal is so dead on with her expressive doe eyes and flawless skin, you believe her every line revealing Olivia Pope's strength and vulnerability. In the story, Olivia Pope ended an affair with the current President and left the White House to start her own PR firm or otherwise known, crisis managment team. I've enjoyed the way Ms. Rhimes has allowed the history of the main characters to unfold with their relationship to Olivia, including the passionate affair between Olivia and The President that she's still trying to pour water on to put out the obvious fire that still smolders between them.
It was interesting how the network handled the episode that showed the build-up and consummation of their illicit romance. ABC had actually had a parental warning about the show having "a sexual nature" and for "mature audience" and "parental discretion is advised". Blah, blah, blah... I was expecting something really shocking, maybe even partial nudity like they gave us with NYPD Blue, but it was just a steamy scene but nothing that needed a parental advisory. I believe it could only have been that it was an interracial love scene that ABC felt the need to prepare the audience for what they were about to see. Our history is full of similar stories that mix race, sex and politics. Just think Thomas Jefferson or Strom Thurmond, and all the others who've fathered many mixed children and then donated guilt money to HBCU's so their progeny would have a decent shot at life. Most of these herstories involve violence - as in rape, abuse and exploitation since African women came to the shores of North America. But this wasn't the exploitive relationship we've seen before. She's an accomplished "fixer" saving his campaign and while working so closely together they fell for each other. Her character pauses and really contemplates what she's about to do before heading to his hotel room and goes in eyes wide open. She made a conscious decision to sleep with him while standing on her feet. She is not a victim.
But what I really appreciate most are the writer's crafty plot twists that kept me on the edge of my sofa dying to see the next episode. And the character development is the best you'll see on network tv. The writers are teasing out the critical facts about the supporting cast nice and slowly and the personal histories of Olivia's team while we gradually see Olivia Pope as a flawed, complex woman who hides behind her job while she heals her heart and let's go of a man she can never ever have. Also, the honest quality of the writing hits a nerve of authenticity that's rare on tv. There was a powerful scene in the season finale that includes the confrontation of the First Lady and her husband's former mistress, Olivia, and the dialogue was something I didn't really expect from network tv. Let's just say it was very raw and something I'd imagine a real power wife would actually say to the mistress. If you didn't watch it, you owe it to yourself to watch it OnDemand. So it's essentially a sad love story in the middle of this political thriller with murder, pregnant White House interns, hitmen, political maneuverings and tightly guarded secrets.
What I'm curious about though is how will mainstream America respond to this story. Will America be able to handle a story with a strong female lead that is Black and romantically pursued by the very married President who is White...and Republican? That's a lot for America to handle all in 60 minutes once a week. But I'm hoping black folks and the rest of America will tune in to watch some very good writing and characters we've never seen before and consider how likely these situations are to actually happen. I mean the lead character is based on the very real Judy Smith, a DC power player who also worked in George Bush's White House. And you know there were rumors that Bill had a child of color back in Arkansas. Who knows? But a well done dramatic television show with a powerful Black female lead that is in control and handling her business is something to watch no matter how you feel about left/right politics, swirling or how likely the story is to actually happen.
