This past Tuesday, two new shows that I have been eager to watch premiered. They were Atlanta and Queen Sugar. Queen Sugar which comes on The Oprah Winfrey Network is based on a book of the same name by Natalie Baszile. I only read the first couple of chapters of the novel, but it’s overall about a woman who inherits a sugar cane plantation from her father and how she deals with the obstacles in trying to farm the land. Set in rural Louisiana, the series follows three siblings, Nova, Ralph Angel and Charley Bordelon that inherit sugar cane farmland from their deceased father. Nova Bordeleon is a writer, and is the leader of the three siblings. Ralph Angel is a single father who is flawed but determined to do right by his family. Charley is a successful woman that lives in Los Angeles and is the manager of her husband who is a star basketball player. Over the course of the two night premier, issues such as rape, single fatherhood, May-December relationships, and being the other woman are examined all with the overarching theme of the importance of familial bonds and remembering where you come from.

Atlanta is a show created by actor Donald Glover, also known as rapper Childish Gambino. It follows the life of Earn who becomes the manager of his cousin, an aspiring rapper named Paper Boi. It also illustrates life in Atlanta, Georgia. First off, as a Montgomery, Alabama native, I really appreciated hearing Doe B’s “Let Me Find Out” being played in one of the scenes. Whether he is just acting or writing, Glover’s comedy always flows really well and this show is no different. I found myself laughing at one scene and within the next couple of minutes I was blown away at discussions of hard-hitting subjects. Even with this show being labeled as a comedy, serious topics such as white people and their use of the n-word, transphobia, and mental health and how it is treated are still discussed.

These shows are specifically important to the black community because both were created by black people, star black people, and from watching the first couple of episodes of each, tells the story of black people in a non-stereotypical way. I am excited to watch the rest of both seasons and see what they have to offer viewers.