Written by: @_BlairMoon
Avera DuVernay’s new series on NBC titled ‘Home Sweet Home’, premiered on October 15.
‘Home’ dives into the lives of two different families who come from different walks of life, who swap houses and lifestyles for a period of time. The goal is ultimately a social experiment for each family to observe the differences in racial, economic, religious, gender and identity backgrounds of the other family, by way of assumption. Each episode concludes with both families coming together and meeting each other to discuss their thoughts at the beginning of the experiment and their view of the overall experience.
The first episode of the series sees the Wixx family swapping homes with the Vasiliou family. The Wixx family is an African American, two-mom household raising 3 kids, while the Vasiliou family is a greek family.
The episode shows the reactions of each family witnessing not only how different other cultures could be, but how fun as well. Aside from trying new hobbies like piano lessons or dance lessons, both families also got the opportunity to meet friends and family of the opposite family to learn more about the roots of their culture.
One of the most shocking realizations for the Wixx family was when Yndia opened the pantry and saw how different their food options were for the Vasiliou family. Yndia felt that the Vasiliou family had more foods within their culture, while noting that in black households sometimes you have to pull foods from different cultures in order to have a meal with sustenance and to survive.
As for the Vasiliou family, the father, Nick Vasiliou, was more shocked at the realization that a two-mom household didn’t have a dad in the picture to help raise a family. He expressed that realizing there’s a household without a father, made him realize that he (or any father) necessarily didn’t have to be in the picture to raise children up in the right direction because all that was truly needed was love, whether there be a woman and man, two men or two women.
‘Home’ joins a list of shows helping break down the barrier and remove stereotypes regarding black people in today’s society including ‘We Got Love: Teyana & Iman’, and ‘She’s the Boss’.
‘We Got Love’ follows Teyana and Iman’s life showing us that we can have it all. Teyana is a multi-talented entertainer who is a singer, dancer, model, actress, and director; while Iman is a super famous NBA player and aspiring musician. Together they show us the behind-the-scenes of their day-to-day lives in their perspective fields, while also raising their children.
While ‘She’s the Boss’ on the other hand, showcases an interracial marriage with an African American woman, Nicole Walters, and her husband Josh Walters, a caucasian man, raising their 3 adopted African American daughters. The Walters took the three siblings in after their mother revealed to them that she was going to jail. The Walters opened their home to the sisters in need as well as the cameras, as they navigate through life with work for the parents and school for their girls.
Whether it’s showcasing different aspects of black culture on ‘Home Sweet Home’, or Teyana and Iman blazing through the entertainment industry showcasing their black love and showing us the real-life definition of a power couple, or even the Walters family being an interracial family with a gay, African American nanny these shows are breaking down walls and removing stereotypes about black people when it comes to issues such as race, sexuality, religion and economical status.
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