by Tara Pringle Jefferson
Ever since the Obamas moved into the White House, people are convinced that the last time they saw a loving black woman with a wedding ring, professional degree and well-mannered children was back in 1992 when the Cosby show went off the air.
Even today, Claire Huxtable is considered the epitome of a Successful Black Woman. A lawyer, a strong mother and loving wife, and an impeccable sense of fashion and class ““ she had it all.
Just last week I asked BMWK readers ““ where are all the black wives on TV? If I have to look at one more “reality show” about someone D-list celeb either trying to find love or act a fool, I will scream. But it wasn’t always like this, wasn’t it? At one point, weren’t we able to turn on the TV and find some representations of black marriage and family (other than Claire Huxtable)? So I took a trip down memory lane and came up with a few:
- Harriet from “Family Matters” ““ You knew Laura or Eddie was in serious trouble when Mama Harriet cocked her head to the side. Watching the show, I often wondered if the actress who played Harriet had to get some deep-tissue massages after each show because she knew how to bring the attitude.
- Jerri Peterson from “The Parent “˜Hood” ““ Remember “The Parent “˜Hood”? Sure it had its corny moments (what “˜90s black sitcom didn’t?) but it also had a great underlying message about the importance of family and sticking together. Jerri was a smart, sophisticated woman ““ an excellent follow-up to Claire.
- Aunt Vivian from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” ““ Yes, I know there were two Vivians, and I think the first one brought it more, but both moms had to work overtime to keep those Banks kids in line. And wasn’t Will a handful by himself?
- Dee from “Moesha” ““ I know she was Moesha’s stepmom, but Sheryl Lee Ralph was not kidding around when it came to raising her stepdaughter correctly. She formed the perfect 1-2 punch with Moesha’s dad, Frank.
Who am I missing? (I realize this list is pretty much missing everything pre-1995″...I’m a young’un, what can I say?)
Tara Pringle Jefferson is a freelance writer, blogger and PR professional living in Ohio with her husband and two kids. She’s taking over the world, one blog post at a time, over at The Young Mommy Life (www.theyoungmommylife.com), where she talks about issues pertaining to young moms everywhere.
Aja says
Wanda from Bernie Mac- wasn’t the kids’ biological mother but still had the above qualities
Mary from 227- didn’t seem like the mom you could get much over on
Florida Evans from Good Times-People always hate on this show because they lived in the projects, but outside of the professional degrees I think theirs was one of the strongest families on tv.
AJ Bell says
Ok, Tara, you are clearly showing how young you are with your examples. LOL. What about Weezie from The Jeffersons? George may have been in charge, but she knew how to keep him grounded and she was a great mother to (both) Lionels.
I’m sitting here racking my brain for shows airing in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s and I can’t think of any others. There were plenty of shows with strong black single mothers, but not wives. We may need to expand this search to movies as well.
It is ironic, because my sister and I were just having this exact conversation yesterday. It was more about if Claire Huxtable was realistic, and if any woman could actually “have it all” as she appeared to. I’m not sure very many women could become a partner in a law firm, raise 5 sucessful and well adjusted kids (in NYC) and keep a busy husband satisfied. I loved her character and her image, and thought she was the perfect profile of what a woman could be, but as I grew up and matured, I realized that her lifestyle is not as possible as most of us would like to believe.
I would also have to add that the grandparents on the Cosby Show were also excellent examples of black love. They did a great job of encouraging and advising Cliff & Claire without “meddling” in their business, so to speak. They should also be admired.
Harriet says
Jay Kyle from My Wife and Kids (played by Tisha Campbell-Martin) was very in tune with both her husband and children. She was a housewife like Florida Evans, but created a strong family unit.
I think you already mentioned Ella Payne (played by Cassi Davis) as a housewife and the backbone of the Payne Family in House of Payne. She’s married to Curtis Payne, a retired fire chief. The story line now is she has quit her job and decided to go to school to be a social worker.
There are also two other wives on that show, Janine Payne (played by Demetria McKinney), a former drug addict and wife of CJ Payne, the current fire chief. She volunteers at a church help center. Then there’s Miranda Payne, a real estate agent and entrepreneur married to Calvin Payne.
There’s Eleanor (played by Ella Joyce) from the show Roc who portrayed a nurse, but they didn’t have any kids.
Rochelle (played by Tichina Arnold) from Everybody Hates Chris. I LOVED this show, the family unit was tight, and I appreciated the role she played as being focused on her family and children. What I didn’t like was her lack of professional focus.
Ummm…Sasha Brown (Denise Boutte) on Meet the Browns, a registered nurse and adoptive parent. Wife to a doctor, supervisor on the job.
Emperess Nisha says
How could we forget Julia (Dianna Carroll)? My grandmother raved about that show. From what I understand is that she was a widowed nurse raising her son on her own. They need to run reruns of her show!!
Tara, you are right about these reality shows. Understand that you have to be multi faceted in the world of entertainment but I like my singers to sing & actors to act. The networks (VH1 & BET) need to stop those shows because they are awful. Maybe if some of these women would stop having children out of wedlock and focus on their careers they won’t have to air their dirty laundry just to get a record deal. Yeah I said it!
cocoamommy says
1995 CBS tv drama called Under One Roof with Vanessa Bell Calloway and Joe Morton as husband and wife.
.-= cocoamommy´s last blog ..New Product Recall from McNeil =-.
Fran says
good list of black wives on t.v but claire was not a do it all mom because cliff was there as much as she was if not more. i thought she was a lil bit too much esp toward the end of the show. i guess there was a thin line btwn strong and harrasment. she crossed it often. i think florida evans is the epitome of a strong black mother,because even though her husband was killed off the show she stayed black and strong. she faced enough obstacles to take out alot of woman but she only wavered a time or two. if claire had faced 1/3 the obstacles she had she would have failed repeatedly. i liked felicia rashad on the other show called cosby. she was a bit more real to me. AJ is correct.
Damaras says
What about the Mom in Lincoln Heights? She was a nurse, mother of 3 and wife to a police officer, but did a great job with holding down the home front when the kids and her husband needed it.
Damaras says
And there definitely have been some Mothers who set a great example, even on reality shows. These are the only reality shows that my family watches! What about Justine on Run’s House? I was beyond shocked to find out that three of the kids weren’t her biological children. I would never have guessed before it was revealed. Also enjoyed Pilar Sanders relationship with her husband’s Deion’s children. And Rebecca Crews showed us all how to make it work when you make the choice to stay at home for the children, but never give up on your dreams to have a career, even if it is later in life. She did a great job communicating with her husband about her desire to return to the work force.
Funkidivagirl says
I LOVED the grandparents on The Cosby Show; they were such positive role models for Cliff and Claire and the kids too. And I loved that BOTH set of parents were still married. Yes, I agree that once I became a mother Claire’s life seemed a little impossible–without a nanny present. But, still I loved her character.
.-= Funkidivagirl´s last blog ..World Fitness Day =-.
TCB says
Hey Guys!! NBC is about to hop on the J.J. Abrams train (LOST, Fringe) and pick up a new series titled Undercovers, featuring Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Google it to check out the press release. Sort of like a Mr. & Mrs. Smith show? Very exciting.
Anna says
Aja May 3, 2010 at 5:45 am
Wanda from Bernie Mac- wasnt the kids biological mother but still had the above qualities
Mary from 227- didnt seem like the mom you could get much over on
Florida Evans from Good Times-People always hate on this show because they lived in the projects, but outside of the professional degrees I think theirs was one of the strongest families on tv.
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I am with you and say “Florida Evans”.