Black Men in Life Space: A Change for the Better

Photo Source: Showtime

The late great Chicago soul singer, Sam Cooke sang and announced that "A Change is Gonna Come." On season five of Showtime's, "The Chi," the award-winning writer, creator, producer, actor, and CEO Lena Waithe is helping to change the way everyone views Black men in life space. The APA Dictionary of Psychology defines Life space as a representation of the environmental, biological, social, and psychological influences that define one person’s unique reality at a given moment in time. The physical and psychological environment of Black men in life and in film has been in jeopardy for decades but Waithe is helping to change that perception while maintaining characters who are flawed but redeemable.

On the eighth episode of The Chi, Season 5 “Sweet Thing” (S5E8) the overriding theme is all about change. For some, change can be painful. Change means that things will not remain as they were; in fact, change can mean a shift that is sometimes so dramatic it can transform a person’s life for the long

Photo source: yolondaross.com/bio

 term. I have watched “The Chi” since the first season, and I have been more than pleased with the creative plot twist presented by director and creator, Lena Waithe. This Showtime American drama about the lives of Black people living on the Southside of Chicago has provided some of the most entertaining and riveting storylines that I have ever viewed and experienced in television. Character development since the first season has been both refreshing and true-to-life. For example, the character Jada (Yolonda Ross) and her progressions as a single mom navigating dating life, the pain of loss, and nearly loss of life as a cancer survivor, finally reaches a redemptive point when she rekindles her relationship with high school love and son’s father, Darnell (Rolando Boyce).

Photo source: Showtime

Darnell’s transformation (as a Black man) from the mannish boy that Blues legend Muddy Waters screamed about to a man, father, and possible loyal husband is a rare sighting in television and film. Why is that important? Arguably, without looking at “The Chi” ratings based on race, gender, etc., it is safe to say that a majority of the viewership reflect the characters on the show – Black people. Some of those Black viewers are likely between the ages of 18-33. It is important (for a change) that those viewers and others see Black characters -- in all of their imperfections -- develop or change into people who make better life decisions. In other words, they are redeemable characters. This is important in a society that views many Black boys and men as oversexed, unredeemable, and completely lost. This counternarrative presented by Waithe and her team of writers demonstrates that even though characters like Darnell, as well as his son Emmett (Jacob Latimore) started as flawed, disloyal men, they were more than capable of changing for the better. Like anyone, they are capable of becoming loving fathers and husbands if they are given a chance to develop and make a change for the better. Bravo to the cast and crew of "The Chi". You are creating television that is worth watching and this is definitely a welcomed change. ~Peace