Being And Writing The Voice That Is Unapologetically Black
Being black on purpose - that's what Mara Brock Akil refers to someone who's unapologetically black. This was also the types of characters that she wrote and created for her shows 'Girlfriends', 'The Game', and most recently, "Being Mary Jane'.
That will more than likely also be the type of character Akil goes on to create as she leaves 'Being Mary Jane' as its showrunner at the end of the current third season, and joins Warner Bros. TV to develop a show for a major network.
Akil has had great success, however with her shows airing on networks such as UPN, CW, and BET, they don't have the same "promotional muscle", as the New York Times puts it, which is why Akil is rarely mentioned alongside her contemporaries. The deal with WB, which includes husband Salim Akil under their 'Akil Productions' banner, will see Akil going from a showrunner to an executive consultant.
This is an amazing opportunity and exciting for us viewers to see what new relatable character(s) come to life. Stephen Hill, BET's president for programming says "she has an authentic way of writing black voices. It sounds simple, but there just aren’t many African-American characters written on TV by African-American writer."
[Related: Issa Rae's Story & The Importance of YOUR Black Girl Story]
The same holds true for Issa Rae who's also recently got a deal with HBO, the ability to write authentic black voices, even if that black voice is unconventional. Both Rae and Akil graced the cover of Essence back in May as part of 5 black women writing and creating black characters, dubbed "The Game Changers."
I would say that all these ladies create characters that are black on purpose, and they've all managed to find success in what they do. What I love, and what this shows is that there's room at the top for all of us. Being a successful black writer and creator is not a title whose success is limited to just one. I quoted Issa Rae last week saying that she doesn't ever want it to be just her, "people expect you to be the voice for everyone."
[Related: Ava DuVernay on the Shortage of Black Female Directors]
Just as no one person can speak for everyone, being 'black on purpose' allows you to keep it real, whatever your "real" happens to be. I'm a black African who grew up in Sweden, and I've never had grits. I know, shocking, lol, but true. My limited experience in soul food however, doesn't change the fact that I'm black, and proud of it. What's your being black story? Cause guess what, however odd you might think it is, another black girl out there can relate, and it's when we stop imitating (even other black women), that we find that uniqueness that will set us apart and lead to our own success.
Similar to the characters in Akil's show 'Girlfriends', black women have diverse stories, Lynn was quite different from Toni, who was quite different from Maya, but they all got along (most of the time anyway). The notion that black women can't get along is so sad, because it's when we help one another and lift each other up that we'll actually get somewhere.
As Akil leaves 'Being Mary Jane' she's trying to find a female showrunner to build on the foundation she's established. “I would love to find that next fresh voice, a female voice to empower and keep ‘Being Mary Jane’ going,” she told New York Times. And although she doesn't know who that will be, she's excited about the opportunity to help her get her voice out there. Could it be you? Only if you've ever put yourself out there and shared your unapologetically black voice.
Be blessed!