Donald Glover’s Best Actor Win At The Golden Globes Is An Example Of Why Representation Matters For Black Men #Atlanta

Donald Glover created his show “Atlanta” with a vision, “I wanted to show white people, you don’t know everything about Black culture.” Yet, the vision turned out to be bigger than he probably expected it to be for the culture. 

In the year where #CareFreeBlackBoy became a thing, it’s great to see black people, especially black men, enjoy themselves and succeed in their respective fields. Last night at the Golden Globes, Glover won twice, one for Best Actor in a Television Series (Comedy), and the other for Best Television Series (Comedy) for “Atlanta.”

“Atlanta,” a show that has an all-black writing staff, helps portray a real representation of the African-American community. It shows the city of Atlanta in a realistic light, it shows the regular city, not the city that has been drowned by popularity in the entertainment industry. You can feel the vibe; see the culture and the people.
The premise is about a young father named Earn, Glover’s character, who wants to help manage his cousin Paper Boi’s new career as a rapper to provide for his family. Paper Boi, played by Brian Tyree Henry, sells drugs with his friend and adviser Darius (Keith Stanfield). Earn knows all about the drug world, but does not participant. “Atlanta” shows Earn balancing between his origins and a life often spent in predominantly white settings, much like Glover himself.

It was extremely warming to see a black man with a dream and a vision succeed with his morals and character in tact, not just Glover, but the entire cast. For 30 minutes a night, you forgot you were watching TV. While watching Glover accept his best actor award, Henry (Paper Boi) and Stanfield (Darius) can we seen watching in amazement, tears in their eyes watching not only their friend, but their brother make history and continue to open doors for the community. There was genuine emotion watching Glover accept his award. On and off the show, a theme of brotherhood can be seen through the cast.

That moment, like many of the moments that night that displayed black excellence, were extremely significant because as black men, we are told to not show emotion, “be strong.” In our community, jobs/careers in the creative arts are also looked down upon for men, or they are classified as “gay,” and because of that, they aren’t many black male representations in film/media in positive lighting. “Atlanta” showed different versions of black people, something everyone could relate to.

Even in Glover’s acceptance speech, he spoke about being inspired and inspiring other kids to become magical and that they too can follow their dreams and make it a reality.

“I grew up in a house where magic wasn’t allowed. So everybody in here is like magical to me,” he told the star-studded crowd. “Every time I saw a movie or Disney movie or heard your voices or saw you, I was like, ‘Oh, magic is from people. We’re the ones who kind of in a weird way tell a story or a lie to children so they do stuff that we never thought was possible.’ My dad used to tell me every day, ‘You can do anything you want.’ And I remember thinking as a kid in first grade, ‘You’re lying to me.’ [And now I do] stuff and he’s like, ‘I didn’t think that was possible.’”

Glover created, co-wrote, executive-produced, and acts in the show, which he calls a dramedy. One of the original suggestions from the FX network was for Paper Boi to live in a run-down and “traplike” house/apartment. “We were like, ‘No, he’s a drug dealer, he makes enough money to live in a regular apartment,” Glover stated to Vulture. “There were some things so subtle and black that people had no idea what we were talking about.”

The show is authentic, the situations are real, and the language/articulation of words is a real representation of how we talk, how people from Atlanta talk and act. When watching the show, you don’t see people trying to act, you see people portraying what they know/what they’ve experienced in their lives. The fact that most of the actors in the show are up and coming helps add to the realness of the show, you’re not distracted by the celebrity of people; you’re genuinely drawn in. It gives black people, especially black males, the courage and opening to be their creative and authentic selves. Representation does matter, and it’s shown with Glover and “Atlanta.”

“I wanted to show white people, you don’t know everything about Black culture.” – Donald Glover