Working While Black: Essays on Television Portrayals of African American Professionals

In recent years, there has been a rise in diverse racial representation on television. In particular, Black characters have become more actualized and have started extending beyond racial stereotypes. In this collection of essays, the representation of Black characters in professionally defined careers is examined. Commentary is also provided on the portrayal of Black people in relation to stereotypes alongside the importance of Black representation on screen. This work also introduces the idea of Black-collar, a category which highlights the Black experience in white-collar jobs. The essays are divided into six parts based on themes, including profession, and focuses on a select number of Black characters on TV since the 1990s.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface: Why Black Professionalisms, Why TV and Why Now? Introduction: Defining ­Black-Collar Professionalisms Part I—Black Love: Families and Friendships Battling Impostor Syndrome: Authenticity, Urban Realities and the Black Bourgeoisie in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air LaToya T. Brackett ABC’s Black-ish: A Critical Analysis of the Black Professional Parent Mia L. Anderson Black Brotherhood, Professionalism and Entrepreneurship as Depicted in Martin, The Wayans Bros. and Malcolm & Eddie David Stamps “I’m glad I got my girls”: Black Women, Working, Friending and Seeking Love in Fox’s Living Single LaToya T. Brackett Part II—Publicly Figured Characters Tackling Stereotypes: Portrayals of Black NFL Athletes on The CW’s The Game and HBO’s Ballers Darnel Degand #IamMaryJane: Blackness, Womanhood and Professionalism in BET’s Being Mary Jane Malika T. Butler and Kristal Moore Clemons Capital Codes and Money Moves: The Ironies of Professionalism in Empire Natalie J. Graham Part III—Medical Professionals Shonda Rhimes’ Grey’s Anatomy and My Year of Saying Yes to Everything Adelina Mbinjama-Gamatham Sapphires with Stethoscopes: Black Women Practicing Medicine on Television Phokeng Motsoasele Dailey The Curious Case of the Black Male Doctor: Character Actualization and Moderate Blackness of ER’s Peter Benton LaToya T. Brackett Part IV—Educators and the Educated Anti-Blackness and Colorblindness in Post-Cosby Sitcoms: Likeable Black Teachers, Exceptional Black Students but/and Everybody Hates Chris Amir Asim Gilmore “Dear White People: It truly is A Different World”: Representations of Black Male Faculty in Television Series Dominick N. Quinney Part V—Policing and Politics Not So Black and White: Race, Police and Double Standards in The Shield Saravanan Mani Mammies, Jemimas, Jezebels and Sapphires: Deconstructing Representations of Black Women Coroners on Crime Dramas Tammie Jenkins Black Woman: High-Powered but Not Balanced in Shondaland Adelina Mbinjama-Gamatham and Eleda Mbinjama Part VI—New Television Awkward and Black: Redefining Representations of Black Women on The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and Insecure Regina M. Duthely Behind Their Masks: Complex Black Superheroes on the Small Screen Christopher Alanye Covington About the Contributors Index