SISTAHOOD

I found myself watching a very interesting video on Youtube this evening. It was some behind the scenes footage of an Essence magazine shoot with Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Gabrielle Union. Now anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of Sanaa Lathan (she’s really my sister, she just doesn’t know it yet!) and I feel that Nia Long is grossly underrated.  What struck me about this video wasn’t it’s line-up of actress’, though that is what initially caught my eye, rather it was something that was said.

Nia Long started off by stating that there is no competition between the girls. The thought was further cosigned by both Sanaa and Gabrielle, basically stating that though they are all actress’, they are friends at the end of the day and support one another. One lady’s success is, as Nia put it, a victory for them all.

It got me thinking … Why don’t we see, and hear, and practice more of this? Whatever happened to sistahood? As an actress (you’ll notice I don’t refer to myself as aspiring – someone’s got to start drinking my Kool-Aid sooner or later, I may as well be the first!), and especially as a minority actress, I am under no delusions as to how difficult the path ahead will be. There are few worthwhile roles for people of color, especially women, specifically African American women.

Even in my relatively short career I find myself constantly weeding through the same crap: The Bitch, The Best Friend, The Prostitute trying to get on the right path but can’t escape her cootch slinging ways, The Abusive Mother, The Crackhead, The Abusive Crackhead Mother, The Angry Black Chick, The “Sassy” Black Chick, The Angry, Sassy, Bitchy, Crackhead, Cootch-Slinging, Abusive Mother whose child is taken away by her White/ or Light Skinneded Best Friend. It may sound like I’m being funny, but what’s not funny is it’s the truth. These are the roles that those us on the lower echelons of this industry often find ourselves competing over. And with so few good roles available to African American women, it makes sense that when one comes along, competition can become fierce.  

The thing is, this isn’t isolated to the entertainment industry. This is especially true where it deals with men. I have met girls who will lie, cheat, steal, rip out your weave and cut out your eyes over some dude. Not a man, a DUDE. Now just like a good role is hard to come by, I think many of us would agree that a good broth’a all too often seems near impossible to find (For all the good men reading this – I’m not talking about you). The good news is, they are out there … somewhere …  so, I’ve heard!

The funny thing is, I started writing when I was sixteen years old, completely on a whim – actually more like a dare from my mother.  WARNING: ANECDOTE ALERT IN 3… 2… You see it was a Sunday; I was flipping through the stations and landed on BET. I recall watching it for a few seconds then shutting the television off in disgust. My mother sat at the table, probably weeding through the mountain of mail that became a staple on our Dining Room table when I turned to her and asked, “Mom, why do they call it Black Entertainment Television, when there’s never anything entertaining on it?” My mother looked at me and laughed, as she so often does, and replied “Well, it’s entertaining to someone, Ne-Ne Bean, but if you don’t like it, then maybe you should create your own television station, and your own programming for it.” The wheels began turning in my head. I looked at her and smiled, then made a b-line for the computer. “Fine then. I’ve already got a show in mind!”

Little did either of us know, but that off-handed comment by my mother would change my life entirely. Through my writing, I rekindled my love of entertainment, my passion for acting. Now, here I am nearly a decade later following a dream I’ve dreamt since I was four years old. And though being a screen/playwright was never my intention, as I started down this path I soon realized that this new found talent could become a necessity. My way in. For I possess at my fingertips the ability to create roles and characters for African American actors. To tell stories we’ve never seen or imagined ourselves in.

I know how hard it is to find a good role in this industry, but as women, as sista’s we need to band together. This is a mentality I’ve adopted, though I won’t lie and say that I’ve never fallen victim to the system. When a really good role comes along, it’s natural that you want it. But the truth is, as Nia put it … a win for one is win for us all.

I keep my girlfriends who are taking this journey with me close. They are my support, they understand what I’ve been through and the hardships that lay ahead. The truth is, just as in life – in this industry – we are all we have, and if we continue to look at one another as competition to be overcome or enemies to be defeated, then the sad truth is – we have already lost.

So, let’s try to bring back a little Sistahood … 

MOVIE IDEA ALERT: next Oscar nominated film will be, “Sistahood Of The Traveling Hair Piece”, coming to a Tyler Perry film near you!


- Anubian