by Sam Holmes

On my first day of kindergarten, I encountered the consequence of poor representation in media. I remember how terrified I was as I entered the classroom. All my friends from pre-k had gone to other schools, so I didn’t know a single person in my class. When I finally found the courage to sit at a table with a group of girls, I was met with a series of glares. Some even pushed their chairs away from the table. The girls remained skeptical of me until I offered to share my crayons with them and the spell was broken.

Later, I asked one of my tablemates why they had acted so oddly. She hesitated and explained, “Well, people like you are the mean ones.” I was confused. I had never met any of them before, so they had no reason to believe that I would be mean. In retrospect, I realize that everyone at that table had most likely only been exposed to black people in television shows or movies. Throughout the years, I have witnessed the media depict girls like me as “the mean ones,” or the super sexualized ones, or as the shallow ones.

I’m tired of an entire group being viewed as a one dimensional stereotype.  African American women are so much more any of the clichéd personas that the entertainment industry loves to use. At the moment, it seems that many media giants are choosing to ignore this fact. But there are artists who are working hard to promote representation for women of color. Issa Rae, creator of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, is one of these awesome visionaries.

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl is fairly self-explanatory. The web series follows the life of a black girl named Jay who shares her daily experiences with embarrassing situations. The other characters that Jay interacts with span the personality spectrum–with a broad representation of African American women. Along with Jay, Nina, Patty, and Dolores offer opinions, flaws, and idiosyncrasies that differ from the media’s stereotypes of black women. Nina fulfills the role of the antagonist, but instead of having her as an unnecessarily sassy and malicious character, ABG highlights Nina’s other traits such as her career aspirations. Patty, the perpetually sick colleague, adds humor to the show. With Dolores, also known as Sister Mary, Issa puts a spin on the stereotype of the uber pious judgmental black woman. Sister Mary has a past history of questionable relationships, but she also won’t hesitate to recite Bible verses in uncomfortable situations. Issa references the stereotypes that movies and television have forced upon African American women and uses comedy to prove their absurdity.

Because Issa created the show, she is able to influence every aspect of Awkward Black Girl with her creative and personal views. The show’s female characters are not excessively glamorous. The show’s dialogue isn’t centered on fashion and aesthetic. Although there are many conflicts about men in the show, friendship, workplace woes, and hobbies are explored in numerous episodes as well. At the same time, the show does an excellent job at depicting micro-aggressions. Jay’s boss, known as Boss Lady, is a fan of cultural appropriation as she puts her hair into cornrows to force a connection with black culture. Boss Lady attempts to use stereotypical black slang and tries to feel Jay’s afro. The interactions between both women are never short of cringe worthy. Boss Lady represents ignorance, and she illustrates how it can lead to extreme discomfort.

Because of Issa’s brilliance, networks have been scrambling to have ABG become a sitcom. Originally, networks tried to fit ABG into the mold for a stereotypical borderline Blaxploitation show. Jay would be replaced by a girl with lighter skin, a fancier wardrobe, and a lot of that classic sass that Hollywood loves to add. Issa refused, and I am so grateful for that. As I learned in kindergarten: representation is vital. The media need to stop putting out problematic stereotypes for women of color. It creates false images that lead to prejudice and bigotry.