Thank You Shondaland! A Love Note

As I sit at my desk, blasting a Scandal inspired playlist, It is with heavy heart that I say goodbye to the end of an era in television. An era, that women, especially women of color needed but never knew it. We needed Olivia Pope, Shonda Rhimes, and the Writers and Production staff of Scandal. We needed those clothes, the soul music, the giant wine glasses, the family strife, the love triangles, all of it.

I’ll go on record to say, never before has a black woman received the opportunity to be at the forefront of a prime time drama, created by a black woman, with a seasoned ensemble cast that has lasted for the stretch that Scandal has. (7 SEASONS) I was and still are a fan of Grey’s Anatomy so I must say it was not a challenge for me to pick up on her next hit.

This one though, this one encapsulated me because it was the perfect realm of all of MY interests, politics, fashion, Motown classics, wine, and CHAOS. Not to mention, I watched Kerry Washington work tirelessly as a supporting actress, to finally become a lead. NO MORE NIKKI’s for KERRY!!!

Oh Thank you so much Shonda, thank you Kerry Washington, for being everything and all over the place at any given time. Thank you Papa Pope, for helping me put a name to the extended rants where my spirit transcends clarity. (I now ask people if they want to be Papa Poped/or Joe Morton’d, before going H.A.M on a diatribe)

Thank you for allowing me to believe that if Judy Smith is real, that somehow, we can rewrite the way Washington is ran. We could recreate the vision of what leadership in America looks like,  I’d also like to applaud you for letting me in on the depth of secrets that were merely hearsay before the Shondaland Team named them B6-13. Thank you for not letting Hollis Doyle win the Presidency, and allowing Mellie Grant to be the first woman President even though it’s not real life, I honestly think this show cushioned the blow for the reality of the State of our Union.

Thank you creating a space for Columbus Short, Scott Foley, Joe Morton, Guillermo Diaz, Jeff Perry, and Khandi Alexander a place to shine brighter than I’d ever seen them. Shondaland to me is a place where socio-political-economic issues have a free space to be just as liberal and divisive as they like. There were episodes where I would watch and have to look behind my back to see if a black woman could say certain things on television and get away with it. “Cyrus are you a bitch baby?”

Shondaland is a place where a black man can call a full grown white man son.. It’s a place where we put a microscope on private black conversations, that we didn’t want anyone to know about , but in Shondaland we shared: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgpq2Rqjg4c It’s the place where Momma Pope can “Aint that a bitch” while contemplating if being a black woman “is admirable or ridiculous” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgm9X3BDeT0. It’s a place where the right person gets to the oval. Where sexuality is a real thing for all ages and demographics. Where women reign SUPREME.  

So supreme that Shondaland can do wig snatching-sistagurl-hallelujah type things like, THE HOW TO GET AWAY WITH SCANDAL CROSSOVER. I wanted to take a moment to share with you guys  the impact that episode had on me, and all the women I know who watched it. Earlier I mentioned that I would shout at the tv. Let me further explain the degrees of shouting, there is a shout similar to a hollar, and there is a coveted COME ON GIRL!!

Where you have to sit in an upright position, to lean towards the television because you think you’re going to miss something, just when you’ve reached the apex of joy you throw your body backwards and bellow, ,COME ON GIRL. That pretty much described our reactions to that episode. I’d never seen in my entire life women that strong, being that fiercely BLACK at the same time in my whole life. At one point I counted 4 WHOLE Black people in one scene, on ABC, during a prime time slot. That’s major. I hope you guys know that.. So again. THANK YOU.

 

I cannot express how incredibly sad, and grateful to know that tonight is the last night I’ll be watching a new episode. So if I haven’t said it enough. THANK YOU!! I now will struggle with what to do with my LIFE on Thursday when Grey’s goes off.. Lol. How shall I live?

With much love, admiration, and immense respect. Thank you for gifting me with a Thursday night routine, that made me feel like I could fly!

Xoxox

Capt SistaGurl Out!

Laura Miller is the founder of The SistaGurl Blog which she uses to empower women to be their true selves; Confident, Strong, Honest, and most of all POWERFUL.  She is a freelance writer at Ebony Magazine and an official media correspondent for The Six Brown Chicks. She continues to utilize her empathetic nature and love for the arts as a tool to inspire the masses.