New Narratives for Black Actresses Would be Appreciated

Quick, name all of the films you’ve seen in the past decade featuring black women. Now eliminate the roles that included those black actresses playing maids, slaves or subservient wives.

How many fingers are you still holding up when you eliminate the films featuring black women who aren’t suffering some sort of trauma at the hands of their male counterparts?

Viola Davis believes that there should be more roles for black women as the love interest of white men. I tend to agree with her. So often, black women are typecast into roles where they must endure, endure and endure.

Davis’ new film “Widows” features the celebrated actress alongside Liam Neeson; even kissing the actor. As in many of her roles, Davis has a very empowering storyline alongside some real Hollywood heavy hitters.   

“He’s not my slave owner, I’m not a prostitute, it’s not trying to make any social or political statements, we simply are a couple in love,” she explains to BBC. “And what struck me about that in the narrative is that I’ve never seen it before. And you’re not going to see it this year, you’re not going to see it next year, you’re not going to see it the year after that. And most people who look at it, most critics … will probably not even acknowledge that as anything novel. They’ll say, ‘OK, so what? It’s not making a political statement. So, if it’s not making anything then why isn’t it done?”

Why don’t more roles like these exist for black actresses? Of course arriving at the point of kissing a white male on the big screen is neither the goal nor the objective. Displaying one’s talent, without the only narrative being incredibly difficult triumph, however, should be an achievable goal for black actresses.

The industry needs new writers, new narratives, new plots and new intentions to celebrate the talents of both new and seasoned black actresses.