Sanaa Lathan is an inspiration: her movie choices, her artistic talent, her tabloid anonymity, her beauty, her grace, and what she represents. She is my favourite actress, and someone who has consistently been a fabulous on-screen representation of class and Black female self-awareness and identity.
"Brown Sugar" has been my all-time favourite film from the day I saw it, in 2002. A budding journalist fresh out of university, the character Sidney Shaw represented everything I wanted to be. She was a high-profile magazine editor, embedded deep in hip hop and "urban" culture. She was slightly "tomboy-ish" and passionate about her work, yet strong in her convictions and pure in spirit. I would watch the movie repeatedly and think to myself: now here is an example of a strong Black woman who hasn't lost sight of what drives her. The combination of music, writing, and pop culture meant everything to me. "Brown Sugar" was my blueprint.
Then there was "Love & Basketball"...it was my favourite movie in 2000, until "Brown Sugar" was released. Again, there was a passionate female character who was dedicated to pursuing her life goals and ambitions. Driven and talented, Sanaa's character Monica Wright was witty and strong, yet also still maintained a sensitive and loving side. Within her relationship, she never compromised herself or her aspirations. She was focused!
Other movies that resonated with me were "The Best Man" that came out in 1999, and focused on the fictional novel and its impact on a group of childhood friends, including Sanaa's character Robin. As a story writer, this movie is particularly funny because I think all of us who engage in fiction writing are often questioned about the origins of characters, storylines, and intent. Not only was it amusing as a writer, but it was entertaining because of the interaction between the characters and their complex relationships.
The movie "Something New" was released in 2006, and featured the impeccably organized Sanaa Lathan as Kenya, who was forced out of her comfort zone and into an unexpected relationship. It was one of the more charming and memorable films about an interracial relationship featuring a Black female lead: something we rarely see in life and on screen.
This weekend I had the pleasure of watching "Nappily Ever After" on Netflix, and Sanaa starring as Violet Jones, a beautiful Black sister who was dedicated to maintaining an exquisite exterior, and through a series of events and heartbreaks ends up discovering her inner beauty and understanding the effects of her hair and related activities on her development as a woman. Now just days old, this movie has already had an impact. Black women everywhere are identifying with the scenarios, the thought processes, and outcomes of this character's life and related choices.
Before knowing her name, Sanaa was a young familiar face in African-American centred productions like "Moesha" and "Family Matters" on television. Now, with a range of films and Broadway accolades in her repertoire, she has become a beloved member of the Hollywood elite. She is a certified role model, an impressive thespian, and a legend of her craft and our culture.
I take entertainment and the arts very seriously, because these are real-time representations of social opinions, trends, and ideologies. After watching "Nappily Ever After," I re-confirmed that the players behind the scripts, and the faces behind the messages are equally as important when it comes to very specific representations on screen.
Admittedly, I am biased when it comes to how I consume film, and 9 times out of 10 I will support a majority-Black cast in any form. Growing up, I had an exclusive collection of Spike Lee and John Singleton VHS movies, and believe that these narratives very specifically formed the way I tell stories, the way I view storytelling, and the images that I endorse and communicate. Pop culture, embedded in example and recommendation. These stories meant everything to me. They still do.
With all due respect to the multi-cultural wonderfulness that exists in music, film, books, and other entertainment outlets, I will always gravitate towards stories of and about "Blackness" in various forms, because I know how deeply I have always craved these stories, and how much of an impact they can have if used correctly.
From Brown Sugar, I witnessed a young Black woman taking on a power role at a top hip hop publication. It was everything I'd hoped to become, and yet nothing I had ever seen with my own eyes. Being able to visualize this lifestyle was an important part of how I envisioned my own career, and for that reason I will keep this movie memorized and dear to my heart.
To see Sanaa's commitment to a particular type of female character speaks not only to her talent as an actress, but also her awareness of what these particular images mean to women like me, and younger women who still heavily rely on media images to form their ideals and identities.
One of the greatest things about Ms. Lathan, is that for over 20 years she has managed to keep her personal business out of the media spotlight. While we know the day-to-day happenings, beefs, relationships, and other details about most of our females in high-profile careers, Sanaa has kept her private life private, and has let her work speak for her values and behaviours. This has allowed her work to speak for itself, and to represent the messages she is communicating to her audience and fans.
Through her movies, we can see that the independent woman is a recurring character, and often conflict between self and career, or self and love, or self and family are common. While the female characters are always strong in their convictions, we see them put to the test through choices in relation to the world around them. Whether falling in love with her best friend in "Brown Sugar," or an unwillingness to step out of her comfort zone in "Something New," we are able to go through these journeys in self-awareness with Sanaa's characters, and watch her navigate the decisions and outcomes.
With the addition of just enough humour, light-heartedness, and historical reference, challenges are presented, navigated, debated, and inevitably resolved...all while the female character maintains her dignity and strength.
Sanaa is a woman dedicated to her craft, who received a Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley, as well as a Master of Arts in Drama from Yale University. This formal training, in addition to an impressive filmography shows her to be selective yet deliberate in her processes and choices.
"Nappily Ever After" was such a pleasant movie, and I imagine that I'll have it on a steady rotation, much like her other films that have moved me over the past two decades. On trend with the natural hair movement for black women, and crafted in the spirit of women's empowerment, it is a film that women of all ages can enjoy and relate to in regards to their hair, their relationships with family and image, and also in terms of romantic relationships.
I commend Sanaa Lathan for being "that face" for me over the years, on film. A face that I can trust to communicate progressive messages only. A face that in all of its beauty, is not afraid to be vulnerable and doubtful. She has consistently represented growth and strength for black women, and I imagine all women can appreciate the messages her work has sent out. As an artist, this consistency is a reminder that her body of work speaks for itself, and is an awesome represnetation of her spirit and her intention.
Thank you Sanaa for being an amazing role model, and for contributing these pieces of work to our cultural archive. I look forward to enjoying the ongoing evolution of her projects and messages, as well as seeing her continue to take on production roles and continue to break barriers and carve paths for the black women who follow humbly in her carefully navigated footsteps.
Written by
Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's "Urban Toronto Tales" blog.
Through her movies, we can see that the independent woman is a recurring character, and often conflict between self and career, or self and love, or self and family are common. While the female characters are always strong in their convictions, we see them put to the test through choices in relation to the world around them. Whether falling in love with her best friend in "Brown Sugar," or an unwillingness to step out of her comfort zone in "Something New," we are able to go through these journeys in self-awareness with Sanaa's characters, and watch her navigate the decisions and outcomes.
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