Real TV Black People

I don't know why I was thinking about this, but there I was, mind wandering while watching television, wondering who I would pick as the best black role models on television. I don't remember what I was watching, but I'm sure it was a show with typically stereotypical African-Americans.

So I thought about it for awhile. A lot of my favorite shows don't have many blacks in them. Sopranos? Only when they need a ghetto kid to make a hit (or recently a couple of rappers). Big Love? Forget it--are there any African-Americans in Utah? 24? Before they shot President David Palmer, he was pretty cool. My kids watch That's So Raven, which certainly has an appealing black family (but why do they all have to be overweight?). I don't watch any crime dramas, so I'm sure I'm missing out on some good black lawyers and detectives (along with the usual litany of criminals).

Then it hit me. American Idol. They're not characters, they're real people. And the African-Americans on this year's show are great. They include, of course, Randy Jackson, who as a judge is a good counterweight to Simon's nasty commentary and Paula's insipid boosterism. But better yet are the contestants. They range from Mandisa (does she have a last name?), the overlarge woman with the big voice, huge smile, beautiful face and fantastic singing talent, to little Lisa Tucker, a pretty, plucky 16-year-old who started out in the Broadway rendition of The Lion King. Then there's Paris Bennett, another youngster, whose doll-like speaking voice belies a mature singing voice well beyond her 17 years of age. The show also featured Kinnik Sky, from Columbia, S.C. (my old hometown), who preferred to sing country western songs in a cowboy hat, and Buckwheat look-alike Gideon McKinney, with his enormous smile and great humility.

What's so great about this group? They're real and they defy stereotypes. None of them are rapping. None of them come out costumed in outrageous bling. None of them speaks in ghetto talk. With the exception of Mandisa (and Randy Jackson), none of them are overweight. They're all quite charming--I'd have any of them over to my house for dinner, with the kids, any day. And none of them comes across as ignorant--something that can't be said about all the white contestants.

So, rest of Hollywood and TV Land, take note--the real black people on television are, well, real.