"Queen Sugar" is the Best Representation of Black People on Television!

The Black community has had the worst PR since Europeans landed on the shores of Ghana. From 1619 to now, Black women, men and children have been portrayed as basic stereotypes on film and television. Award winning writer/director, Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar -- a television adaptation of Natalie Baszile’s novel of the same name -- masterfully deconstructed many of the infamous stereotypes that have plagued our community for decades.

Ralph Angel Bordelon, Nova Bordelon & Charlotte (Charlie) Bordelan-West from OWN's Queen Sugar

I know… I know I’m super late to the Queen Sugar fandom but... I am here. With COVID-19 running rampant in these streets and the start of a mass movement for racial equity, I desperately wanted to see humanistic images of my skinfolk. I finally logged onto my newly subscribed Hulu and started watching Queen Sugar. Why didn’t anyone tell me about this show!? As of today, I’ve only watched the first 2 seasons. Here are my current thoughts. No spoilers, I promise.

Every human emotion is expressed...Blackness in its entirety portrayed.

Breaking Down the Stereotypes

The Black Male Criminal | Absent Father | Sexual Predator Archetypes

These three stereotypes of Black men are extremely pervasive in American cinema and television. From the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation to long-running shows like COPS (1989-2020) and The Wire (2002-2008), Black men are depicted as “savages who will deflower dainty White women”, “absentee fathers” or “drug dealers and gang bangers”. Early cinematic creations skillfully sowed the seeds of these modern day archetypes. The use of media as propaganda to systematically dehumanize Black men in the eyes of society would prove consequential to the actual impact of institutions in Black communities. Television, in the midst of the War on Drugs, would soon recycle and exploit the very realities of the disparate impact of these stereotypes for profit. Baszile’s lead Black male character reverses this centuries-long tide.

Ralph Angel Bordelon, the youngest of the siblings followed in the series, has a history of involvement in the criminal justice system. Currently on parole, he finds himself dealing with the responsibilities of his family legacy. What I love about this character is that his past doesn’t define his character. Instead of being hardened, he is emotive, compassionate, forgiving and empathetic. Instead of being selfish, he is a humanitarian who gives his all to his family. Instead of being inpatient or “searching for a quick hustle”, he is patient, business-minded and extremely hardworking. DuVernay’s portrayal of Baszile’s lead male character doesn’t ignore the past, present, and future impacts of structural racism. Racism is part of his story but not his whole story.

The Jezebel | Social Justice Warrior Archetypes

The Black woman is often looked at as The Jezebel, a temptress without a soul with a body that yearns for and cannot go without sexual performance. We are “sex-crazed” and use our femininity as a “weapon” to destroy “the purity and/or integrity of men”. From Saartjie Sarah Baartman, the South African Khoisan woman also known as the “Venus Hottentot”, and the centuries long rape of enslaved African women and their daughters to films like Sweet Sweet Sweetback’s Song (1971), Harlem Nights (1989) and Monster’s Ball (2001), we’ve been viewed and treated as such. This very stereotype has even attached itself to young Black girls. The voluptuous and/or well endowed development of our breast and hips has robbed many Black girls of their childhood. Now what of the recent archetype of the social justice warrior? This archetype portrays us as masculine and void of all our femininity. The media’s messaging never ends as evidenced by this year’s July issue cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. It blatantly reinforced the image that Black women are warriors, masculine leaders of the Black community.

According to Western media, these two stereotypes of Black women can never coexist in one woman. But in comes Nova Bordelon, the eldest daughter. She is a community activist and investigative reporter. Her character is on one hand, assertive and inflexible and on the other regal and feminine. Her sensuality is celebrated and not presented in a merely physical way. In scenes where she is physically intimate, it is tender and still private. She commands the screen with her presence and is a love interest to everyone White or Black and male or female. She is not void of her sensuality and enjoys sexual intimacy and is not defined or confined by it. She has her own style and dresses to accentuate her feminine charm in an artistic and regal way. She cares about her appearance and still fights for the rights of the Black community. She is unpredictable and cannot be changed by anything or anyone. She’s a freethinker and free spirit. She is sexually liberated and empowered all while lovingly nurturing her community. Her emotionality is shown organically as she shows her humanity to those she trusts and loves the most.

The Racially Ambiguous Trophy Wife/Strong Woman Archetypes

Let’s face it, there seems to be a trend amongst famous, well to do, Black men in entertainment and sports. They often marry non-Black and/or racially ambiguous women. Hey, that is their prerogative. The depiction of biracial women of African descent and light-skinned Black women haven’t always received much depth. These women are either portrayed as unintelligent or docile, accessories for male characters and eye candy for the male gaze. Too often they have no passion or identity of their own. In Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion (2002), the lead woman rarely uses her voice and succumbs to every ill-intentioned thing because of her proximity to her male counterpart. Popular series like Martin (1992-1997), mirrors the casting priorities of Hollywood and used the trophy wife character to fulfill a double purpose: serving as an example of a colorists’ ideal mate and further placing the masculinized Strong Black Woman trope on darker-skinned Black women. In later Black shows like Black-ish (2014-) and Black AF (2020), light-skinned, mixed and ambiguous Black women become the full representation of Black women.

Charlotte “Charley” Bordelon-West, the middle child, beautifully gives voice to the depth of biracial, mixed and light-skinned Black women all while empowering them to a “full human” status. She is the mastermind behind not only her husband’s success but her family’s business ventures. Wife of a celebrity, she doesn’t live the life that her counterparts do. She is feminine AND assertive in ways that are similar to her dark-skinned sister, Nova. She understands her weight of light-skinned privilege and has never shown (at least in the 2 seasons I’ve watched) colorist ideas towards her darker-skinned siblings and neighbors. Yes, she can maneuver White spaces more easily than her sister BUT it is her gravitas that commands attention, not her skin tone. She dresses classy but not flashy and exudes an aura of bossdom. Her anger is readily shown. Her strength is often on the forefront when tackling racism. She is exactly like her sister and acts to enact justice. Unlike her sister, her methods are somewhat tactical, long drawn and indirect.

The Mammy/Asexual Woman Archetypes

I am beyond annoyed at the portrayal of older Black women in television and films. Older Black women are often disregarded and only uplifted when they sacrifice for others. Portrayals in Gone with the Wind (1920), The Color Purple (1985), Soul Food (1997) and The Help (2011) all attempt to show this sacrifice as the “redeeming” trait of their Mammy characters and ignores the struggle, pain and hardships associated with such selflessness. This stereotype has vilified the nurturing aspects of feminine expression. It has removed the sensuality and vulnerability of seasoned Black women. In later years, this archetype has even evolved to impact younger Black women through the Single Black mother trope. The independent, don’t need a man or any other human bein to make it mindset was meant to counteract the Mammy archetype. Unfortunately, it solidified the foundation for the worldview of Black woman as the mule for her family and society.

Violet Bordelon, the matriarch of the Bordelon family, is a mature, beautiful older woman full of life, dreams and sexual desires. She is unrelenting when it comes to her freedom. She shatters the “perceived limitations” and expectations of older age. Women are often devalued if no longer of child-bearing age. Her storyline shows that she is a sexual being that is cherished and protected by the men in her life and independently minded. What’s more? Her character portrays the balance of nurturing others AND being nurtured. Her man does everything for her and we can actually see how she breaks down her internalization of the Mammy archetype in real time. She shows how Black women must be cared for and protected. Her character works hard to establish healthy boundaries to mind her own life and not bear the burdens of her family and neighbors.

Black Women Prove Better at Representation on Screen Period!

It is by no surprise that this story was written by a Black woman, visually created by a Black woman and made available to us all by a Black woman. As evidenced by the Black men artist who created and directed many of the mentioned films and artwork in this article, it would seem we are more readily able to portray the fullness of the Black experience. I pray that soon changes but for now, I look forward to growing closer to each of the Queen Sugar characters this binging season.

You can catch up on all four seasons of Queen Sugar on Hulu or Amazon Prime Video and watch new episodes on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).