Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 20 March 2008 — Page 29

The Muncie Times • March 20, 2008 • Page 29

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News Briefs

Compiled By Andre ’ Scott Black women lament on loss of Girlfriends WASHINGTON - Joan Clayton was the image of the contemporary Black woman. The former corporate lawyer, turned successful Los Angeles Restaurateur was not only a style icon of vintage, urban chic, but a daughter of successful African-

Tracee Ellis Ross

American professionals, the fiance of a man whose salary was a third of hers, and a friend of three women that were welcomed into our homes every Monday night for the past eight years. Joan Clayton, Mya Wilkes, Lynn Searcy, and Toni Childs were characters on the CW network’s Girlfriends. The show broke records as one of the longest running AfricanAmerican sit-coms, next to NBC’s The Cosby Show, which also ran for eight seasons. Like The Cosby Show, the sit-com was also one of the few of its time that portrayed African-Americans in a progressive and positive light, airing shows with racially charged insight and socially critical

humor. Last month, the CW Network announced that the NAACP Image Award and Emmy nominated sitcom would be cancelled. In light of the recent Writer’s Guild of America strike and the loss of millions of dollars, the network does not plan to film a season finale for the show’s faithful viewers. In a release from publicist Paul McGuire, the

Golden Brooks

network stated, “To better focus its creative and financial resources, The CW will only resume production on shows that are in consideration for renewal next year.” Although it was cited as a “difficult decision” that “was based solely on the considerable cost to license each episode”, Black women around the country are frustrated at the discontinuance of the landmark series. “It was the only show that I felt that I could really see myself in. I am a Black woman, but neither me or my friends were ever loud, ghetto, or angry like other media portrayals of Black women suggested,” says Charlotte Yoakum, a

Reggie Hayes social worker residing in Houston. Roxanne Starling, a flight attendant and parttime teacher sighed heavily at the news. “It was an exciting time. I remember when Girlfriends first came out, I watched it religiously. We could all see some of the characters in ourselves. That was refreshing. To be able to see yourself is always nice. But once again, it gets taken away.” Girlfriends was created by Mara Brock Akil and produced by Kelsey Grammer. The show initially aired on UPN in 2000, and later moved to the CW. While critics at first dismissed it as a Black emulation of HBOs Sex in the City, the char-

acters, played by actresses Tracee Ellis Ross, Persia White, Golden Brooks, and Jill Marie Jones formed unique and identifiable personalities of their own. Their individual and inimitable representations of a lawyer, a real estate agent, an artist, and a teen mother, contributed largely to the success of the UPN and CW, and gather skepticism as to why such a successful

Jill Marie Jones

show had to be cancelled. “I didn’t even know that it was cancelled,” said Ashleigh Staton, a photography teacher in New York. “And it’s horrible that there’s no season finale. I’ll miss it. I thought the show was already going downhill though, after Toni left.” Toni, or “Toni Childs”, as most women’s favorite character called herself, was written off of the show after season six, when actress Jill Marie Jones decided to take her career on a different path. Jones’ exit received mixed reviews from both viewers and other cast members, including a semi-contro-versial statement from costar Tracee Ellis Ross in an interview with Vibe

Vixen. Ross stated that “when the calls went out about the new contracts, Jill gave a quick ‘no’... However, like anything, the show is bigger than one person.” Yoakum disagrees. “I have to admit that when Toni left, I didn’t watch it as much. Everyone thought that after that, it wouldn’t be that much longer until it completely went off the air.”

Persia White

The show however, successfully completed its seventh season, and was halfway through its eighth. “It was a decent attempt at portraying liberated and successful Black women,” Staton continues, “but it was annoying that they all had issues with men. But that’s what annoys me about all depictions of successful Black women. I think it’s what people think we want to see. It’s easier to imagine a successful woman without love.” Anna Johnson, a Howard University student agreed. “I liked the show, but I think that some of the illustrations were frustrating. Joan was continued on page 31