Before reading, you already know that this is an impossible task – choosing the Top 5 movies and TV shows that celebrate the brilliance of Black women.
Truth be told, though this quest is admittedly insane, it would be quantumly harder if Hollywood’s gatekeepers didn’t make it so near impossible for the bevy of talented Black women in the TV and movie arts to get jobs.
Be that BS reality as it may, soul sisters have still managed to let their celestial lights shine when given the opportunity.
So, here are my “Top 5,” though arguments can be made for 50,000 other entries.
13 th , Ava DuVernay (writing, directing)
This sister here does the damn thing with grace, elegance and zero Fs to give. I could have easily chosen any of her other works – “When They See Us,” “Selma,” “Queen Sugar,” “August 28th,” “Naomi” and/or her latest movie getting all the buzz, “Origin.” But I chose “13th” because of how she frames the ever-important and highly relevant subject matter. I won’t spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen “13th“… Wait. To hell with that. All Blackfolk should have by now seen this documentary, discussed it and organized to do something about the over-incarceration of our people.
Black Panther, Ruth Carter (costume design)
If I’m not mistaken, Ruth Carter has won multiple Oscars for costume design. If I am mistaken, and she’s only won one, shame on the Academy. This sister right here created the costumes for darn near every Spike Lee film from “School Daze” to “Chi-Raq.” And she’s worked her magic with a gazillion other projects including “The Five Heartbeats,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” the 2012 remake of “Sparkle,” “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” the 2000 remake of “Shaft,” “Dolemite Is My Name,” “The Butler,” “Selma” and countless more. And yes, she did win two Oscars – for “Black Panther” (2018) and “Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever.” I chose to highlight “Black Panther” because her work contributed to that movie becoming a straight-up moment for the culture.
Mo’ Better Blues, Robi Reed (casting)
Reed is another industry superstar who did most of her early work with Spike Lee (yo, Lee deserves way more respect and love than he gets). But along with making those on-point casting decisions for the movies and TV shows “Girlfriends” and “Soul Food,” Reed’s eye for talent also helped jumpstart the careers of Halle Berry and Derek Luke. Yes, you read that right. It was Reed who gave Berry her first role as the crackhead running buddy of Samuel L. Jackson in Lee’s movie “Jungle Fever.” Reed also cast Luke in the movie that garnered bruhman national attention, “Antwone Fisher.” I could have easily chosen to focus on Reed’s casting in Lee’s “Malcolm X.” I mean, for-real-dough; for that movie, Reed nailed Malcolm (Denzel Washington), Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett) and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad (the late Al Freeman Jr.).
But for “Mo’ Better Blues, she absolutely showed out. A huge part of the movie involved the ongoing conflict between two alpha males, Bleek Gilliam and Shadow. And she chose literally two alpha males (FYI, I hate that term), Washington and Wesley Snipes. They were arguably two of the biggest Black male stars of that time (early 90s). So having them go at it on screen was powerful. But Reed didn’t stop there. She got Giancarlo Esposito (Left Hand Lacey), the late-great Bill Nunn (Bottom Hammer), and Jeff “Tain” Watts (Rhythm Jones) to round out the Bleek Gilliam Quintette. Still, Reed continued to show out employing the following legends: Samuel L. Jackson, Charlie Murphy, Robin Harris, John Turturro, Nicholas Turturro, Ruben Blades, Joe Seneca, Branford Marsalis, and legends Dick Anthony Williams and Abbey Lincoln. As well, Reed introduced us to Cynda Williams (Clarke Bentacourt) and allowed Lee to bring back family (Bill Lee and Joie Lee) and friends who had been with him in his earliest movies (Raye Dowell, Tracy Camilla Johns, John Canada, Leonard L. Thomas and Monty Ross).
Next year, the Academy will start giving Oscars for excellence in casting. They need to award Reed a retro Oscar or two for the work she’s done.
A Different World, Debbie Allen (directing)
The TV show “Fame” became must-see TV back in the day because of the presence and power of Houston legend Debbie Allen. And with all the excellence in the arts Sister Allen has graced us with over the years, we could be celebrating her for choreography, acting, etc. But what she did for the “Cosby Show” spinoff, “A Different World,” was other-worldly. She took a show about an HBCU that some TV exec chose to shoe-horn in a white actress as a main character, and that the show’s original director treated like any other low-grade sitcom, and turned it into a relevant, powerful, uplifting cultural force. Not only did she reshape Kadeem Hardison’s character Dwayne Cleofis Wayne from a “JJ Evans” punchline type, to a brother we all knew and could relate to and cheer for, she gave us real depth. The show dealt with real issues Blackfolk and others have and still are dealing with. And even while hard national and international issues made to the screen, challenging audiences to care, Allen still managed to keep the show uplifting. And the proof is in the pudding. The enrollment in HBCUs skyrocketed during Allen’s run as director, creating a “life imitating art” situation. How brilliant is that?
The Woman King, Viola Davis (acting and producing)
With Davis, I could literally pick anything she appeared in. Because no matter how great or mediocre the project, she always brought (and brings) her A-game. If her only work ever was done on “How to Get Away With Murder,” that would be enough to label her legend. But her unforgettable roles in movie after movie after movie merely cement her spot as an all-time great. But sister-girl didn’t stop there, doing great things in front of the camera. She and her husband, Julius Tennon, created a production company (JuVee Productions) to go beyond complaining about Hollywood gatekeepers refusing to greenlight Black stories. Their company was created to give Black people (actors, directors, writers, etc.) the agency and the space and opportunity to do great things. One of those great things was “The Woman King,” a project Davis took to several other companies and execs who thought the idea ridiculous, and believed no audience existed that would pay to go see it. But with JuVee, Davis had the power to give the project the okay. And the rest is history
Addendum
And if you’re wondering why Shonda Rhimes isn’t included, it’s because she deserves her own list. Plus, like I said earlier, there are thousands of other individual soul sisters and projects that could have appeared on this list. I guess I’ll just have to make more.
