Modern Day Huxtables

As a child, I always had trouble staying awake past 8pm. The only thing that could inspire me to keep my eyes open past that hour of the day was the thought of seeing the latest adventures of the Huxtables. When this family first hit NBC in the early 80’s, I was a young girl. On the Thursday nights that I could manage to stay up, I enjoyed every minute of this family, for they had all the elements of a traditional American family and they were Black. What was more encouraging to my young eyes was the fact that they lived in Brooklyn which seemed real to me. He was a doctor, she was a lawyer. Their children went to public school; they drove regular cars, had arguments and lived in a modest Brownstone. (I know now they lived in the fabulous Brooklyn Heights) The Cosby show gave me something to look up to that was outside of my own house. Claire had qualities like my mother; she didn’t take any mess from her kids. Cliff was the fun loving dad who could never really take a hard line with his kids and loved them to pieces, much like my own dad. I admired this family from my living room and by watching this show I believed that I could be a lawyer, marry a doctor and live happily ever after. That is what children are supposed to believe, that the sky is the limit. For black children, that saying is often given a little different; more like the limit is the sky. So when I think back to those years of seeing Cliff and Clair who were fictitious characters, I smile at how much they inspired me at such a young age. Fast forward to present day where the Huxtables are long gone from television, to a new source of inspiration for me, the Obamas.

To be a young child of color right now is to be blessed with a fantastic image being placed in front of you. Here we have a family, mother, father and two daughters who appear loving and committed to one another – oh and the father of this family just happens to be running for President of the United States of America. This family is rich in love, values and overall cohesiveness. And did I mention they are Black. If I was that same young girl who fantasized about being a Cosby kid, today I would be obsessed with the Obama Family. I would be dizzy with thoughts of seeing Malia and Sasha running across the White House lawn. I would aspire to be First Lady, something I never would have thought about. It is my prayer that these young children who are planted in front of the TV being beat across the head with images of Black women as sluts and whores in music videos, single struggling mothers in TV sitcoms and overall victims on CNN Black in America turn the channel. I want them to focus on the story book that is playing out in real life right before their eyes. I pray that these young boys can be inspired to be at least a Harvard Educated attorney and at best President of the United States. I pray these young girls can believe that they too can be Harvard Educated lawyers who marry another Harvard Educated Black lawyer and live in the suburbs. I want our young girls to be encouraged to reach for stars and beyond because it is real. I want our young men to walk with the confidence that says I want to be the next President because that is not a dream, it is a goal. We are turning the page in our history from having to create characters on TV that portray images of Black people to having the real life Huxtables on the cover of Essence Magazine.

As an adult, I am inspired by this family as well. I see Michelle Obama as a poised, confident, educated, strong Black Woman who embodies the type of grace and class of the First Lady of her family. She is that Black woman that CNN will tell you cannot find a good black man to marry and should consider dating outside her race. She clearly doesn’t take any crap from anyone (including her husband and kids) yet is charming and likable. No matter how much the media tries to destroy her image, Michelle is in the category of many other Black women before her who provide positive images. I admire her strength as a woman, wife and mother. She and her family make me beam with pride every time I see them on TV because I know that somewhere someone who never thought one positive thing about the black family is seeing them and hopefully their mind can be changed. Malia and Sasha are the modern day Huxtable kids, children who are growing up in the traditional American family who just happens to be black. And while Barack Obama doesn’t focus on his family as a “Black” family, we can all see it and are oh so proud. Trust me when I tell you, I will be sure to stay up past nine to catch the Obamas whenever they are on!