Dear Hollywood…you do know black couples exist right?

I remember growing up watching reruns of some great black sitcoms like the Cosby Show, the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, etc. and what they all had in common were strong black couples with strong morals. 

Just look at J Cole on his song No Role Modelz the first line is “First things first: rest in peace, Uncle Phil

For real/You the only father that I ever knew/I get my ***** pregnant, I'ma be a better you.” Not only did we have parental figures to look up to through movies & TV shows but the main reason we looked up to them in the first place was cause they looked like us. 

I gotta admit the 2020 era of movies are my least favorite decade of film so far. Everything is either a gory horror film, a depressing film, or a blockbuster remake/prequel/sequel/live action version/comic book movie of something that is rarely excellent & is usually just ends up being…okay. 

Something I began to notice especially in this decade & in the later movies of the 2010’s was, where did all the black couples go?

Look at the Little Mermaid live action, Wicked, Spider Man: Across the Spider verse, Bumblebee, The Batman, etc. what do all of these movies have in common? One black lead but not two. 

I know what you’re thinking and I am 100% for interracial relationships. The last relationship I was in was interracial, 2 of my nephews are mixed (Mexican & African American) while 2 of my nieces are not (they are African American) & guess what? I love them all equally. 

With that said though…why does Hollywood think that people can only handle one black lead & not two? 

Take Zendaya for example, great actress who is biracial (African American & White) & I’ve enjoyed a lot of her work, however it almost feels like it’s in her contract that if she has a love interest in the movie, they have to be white or it’s not alright. 

Yes we have Malcolm & Marie but we also have Spider-Man 1-3, Dune 1-2, Challengers, & even Euphoria.

Funny thing is in real life when you look around there are a ton of successful black couples like Denzel Washington & Pauletta Pearson, Steph & Ayesha Curry, Barack & Michelle Obama, etc.. So shouldn’t this be the norm in film too?

The last blockbuster movie I think I saw that had two black leads in it that were a couple was probably Creed & Black Panther, funny enough both of which were made by Ryan Coogler who (by no coincidence I’m sure) is married to an African American woman. It just might be a possibility that through his personal life experiences he discovered that since a successful black couple was possible in real life it just might be possible to portray this on screen too.

It seems to come down to that a lot of the movies I mentioned above have non-black writers and directors.  Not gonna lie it’s cool to see black people on the screen period but I don’t think they realize that the lesson they’re conveying (maybe they do) that by refusing to put black couples on screen the message is: “You can be portrayed, but as long as it’s within the confines of how we want you to be portrayed in the first place.”

Something that feels like dangerous territory is seeing racial history getting erased like seen in shows like Fallout & Bridgerton that act like slavery & the Jim Crow laws never existed. I wish to God that all that stuff never did happen, but they did, & to rewrite/erase history not only dishonors the civil rights activists that helped to fight to give us the rights that we have today but it also teaches a false lesson to all young people of color that racism is ‘over’ and that it never actually existed in the first place. 

I say all this as a Christian who gave his life to Jesus not after seeing white pastors preach, not after listening to the newest worship song by a rock band, but when I went to a rap concert. When I got to see a Christian artist named Lecrae, a black man on fire for God who was living out the purpose that God put on his heart through the medium of hip-hop. 

I didn’t think God could use someone like me until I saw God use someone who looked like me. 

All of that said it would be ironic if I end up back in an interracial relationship after this, but even if that’s the case just look at Dave Chappelle & Jordan Peele. Both are in interracial relationships yet they honor black culture as seen in their shows & movies, & to honor black culture is to always honor black couples. 

Hope the message got through, I ain’t a racist haha, & I’ll leave it there. 

Peace.