Black History Month, Week 2: 3 Unconventional Black Heroes

They may not have been out on the streets or in court fighting for our rights, but through their own successes, mentality and drive they’ve opened the doors for various black Americans today. There is so much more to black history than our oppressive past. We are a people filled with a talent, power and passion that constantly influences not only the black population but the population at whole. Our stories and accomplishments expand far beyond that of slavery and segregation, and I think it’s about time we pay homage to those who (knowingly or unknowingly) have helped sculpt the people of today.

Mara Brock Akil

Mara Akil, 46, is a screenwriter as well as a TV show producer. If you’re not familiar with CW network’s series, “Girlfriends,” I wouldn’t blame you because it’s not your fault. Representation is everything, especially as a black person in the US. For the past couple of decades, the main type of representation black people have gotten in film has been centered around the slavery, hood, or bougie narrative. Most of the movies that have come out in the past couple of years have been centered around our past and our stereotypical present and

future.

If we’re not being beat mercilessly on the fields in “12 Years a Slave,” we are black confident women too busy working to find love in a Tyler Perry movie. Mara Akil saw this and said “Fine… you don’t want to portray the complex nuances of black women on TV? I will.” There’s power in that. There is power in changing the narrative. Not all black people listen to rap, not all black people can dance, not all black actors want to constantly represent a single narrative. Shows like “Insecure” on HBO wouldn’t be a thing if not for the steps Mara Akil took to create not so much a new narrative, but one that’s never been represented.

Richard Pryor

Referred to as “the Picasso of our profession,” by Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor was a stand-up comedian that used his personal tragedies and realities of the world he lived in as material. Pryor’s jokes weren’t simply shallow, they dug deep, criticized the events of the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement, and somehow still managing to leave the audience

with tears from laughter. He is regarded as one of the greatest stand-up comedians of our time because he managed to use this comedic presence as a way to address current events without the audience losing interest. Without comedians like Richard Pryor creating this space for hilarious black men to have a voice we would not be able to enjoy comedians like Kevin Hart today.

Grace Jones

Although born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Grace Jones spent most all her life in the United States. Grace Jones (still alive today) was everything from a singer to actress to model. There were no boundaries on what she was capable of, and there were also no boundaries on her identity. Androgynous is the single word that encompasses all that is Grace Jones’s being. Jones broke down gender roles

on stage and in front of the camera while offering no explanation for any of it. Grace Jones was, and still is, unapologetically herself whether that be while in a suit or a glamorous dress. It’s not spoken about often but the black community at large has not always been accepting of anything outside of heterosexuality, gender roles and the rest. So for Grace Jones to just pop up and be this unapologetic black woman who constantly moves along the spectrum of what it means to be a man or woman was powerful, not only for the black community but for the LGBTQ community as well. We shouldn’t have to wait for her death to recognize her as the hero she is.