Dear Cadence Wright,
Oh my gosh! I agree with you about the shows from the 90’s. I love them. I remember my first time watching “A Different World” when I first started the 5th grade. Just like you, I had only passed in the room and I ended up getting caught into the show. I remember how Whitley and Dwayne hated each other at first and then they fell in love. People should be more like them with each other. Like you, I also enjoyed the Cosby Show! When I saw Dr. Huxtable, I saw not only a hilarious man, but a loving father and a loyal husband. I loved the fact that the Huxtable family was happiest when together. Dr. Huxtable reminds me of my dad. My dad looks like an old man, but in the inside he’s really just a kid! He plays around with us and he likes to sneak food too. (I think we can all relate to sneaking food.) Do you remember the cartoon, Lil’ Bill? I would watch it in the morning and sit dazed at the T.V. There was a character on the screen that had the same skin as me! He looked like my brother! I recommend you try to find some episodes of it; I really liked that show when I was younger. I even had Lil Bill books!
What about “Fresh Prince of Bel Air!” Will Smith’s cray-cray personality and the way he dresses is so much like my cousin, JT. JT is the playful one in my family and he dresses like Will with the intricate designs. Will’s impressions of Carlton, Uncle Phil, and other people is the funniest! Like you wrote in your article, I also like seeing how Uncle Phil was more like a father to Will when he didn’t have one and he showed you don’t have to be a biological parent to treat a kid like a son. I also liked the way, that even though Will was from the rough side of Philadelphia, he wasn’t gang affiliated and he was in school. I loved to see how Uncle Phil taught him how he was supposed to treat women.
More television shows from the 90’s should be played because our generation needs to know how to treat each other so we can make the world a better place. The characters from these shows never showed hate for each other; they just avoided each other and only had confrontations when necessary. Instead of letting someone be abused, they protected the woman or man. I loved how the men stuck together and you never saw a true couple cheat. This was teaching us how relationships should be in a real way. I loved to see HBCUs filled with anyone, and everyone enjoying their time together and not looking at each other differently because of their race. These 90’s shows presented the truth about the Black community and not what stereotypes show about us.
Cadence, I think you may have just started a revolution, my man. Let’s call it Bring back the BlackTube! A revolution that will be televised. I agree with you not only are the shows funny, but they show the true nature of the black community and it can teach everyone how life is supposed to be. I think of myself as a Will from the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” (although I’m a girl…so I’d say Willamenia), a Denise from the “Cosby Show,” and a Lena from “A Different World.” Will because I am a burst of sunshine. Denise because I like to try new, odd things. And Lena because no matter who I’m with, I’m going to always stand my ground on what I believe in and never change my style or who I am for anyone. These characters are great images for our community. Let’s watch more.
Sincerely,
Condoleezza Semien
Baton Rouge
