Tichina Arnold: From Sapphire to Matriarch to Nina Simone??

Tichina Arnold was on the Mo’ Nique show this week looking as glossy and fly as ever. And all I wanted to do was just pour some tequila out for her because it’s so hard out here for women of color actresses. She was up on that stage talking about acting for food and for free and admitted to the audience that she was out of work for 10 years. 10 YEARS! And for the first time, some light was really shed on the down-ass sister that was before my eyes and the characters that I have been embarrassed by throughout the decades. Put your feet up as we take a mini-tour through two of her most prominent roles which also happen to be the most accurate personifications of some of the most damaging stereotypes about Black women.
Tichina Arnold is best known in her portrayal of Pam on Martin. If your feminist caution flags have been raised, it is with good reason. Despite having some funny moments, to say that the Martin show wasn’t exactly known for positive portrayals of women is an understatement. In fact, Pam’s character was the go-to example when the Sapphire stereotype came to mind with signature tirades at high decibels complete with hands-on-hips, head waving and threats of imminent violence. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Martin Lawrence–who was sued for sexual harassment, and verbal and physical assaults on set–also got in on the Sapphirisms in his role as Sheneneh.
This scene is one among many that demonstrates these Sapphire portrayals: (See 2:00-4:30)

After playing Pam on Martin, Tichina classified her next real role as “Rochelle” on Everybody Hates Chris where Tichina admitted on the Mo’Nique show that she is cast as the matriarch, a woman who “sets the tone for everyone else.” Although she touted this label as a badge of honor and revealed some of the redeeming aspects of the matriarch’s role, the downsides are not to be dismissed. I have only seen a few episodes of this show, but in all of them Rochelle’s role as the matriarch was prone to fits of rage and violence that are simply not a good look for Black women.
Check out these tirades here (See .08-1.47 or 7:37-8.24)

Everybody Hates Chris was officially canceled in May 2009, and a change in Tichina’s acting career was already underway. Despite the Sapphire and Matriarch roles that Tichina has played in when Black male comedians have been the creators and at the center of Black sitcoms, as recent as April 2009 she was the lead actress in Hope & Redemption: The Lena Baker Story. This narrative that tells the story of Lena Baker, the only woman to be sent to the electric chair in the state of Georgia, is definitely on my to-see list.
These days, she is less seen in these problematic portrayals and more seen giving voice to many of her creative talents. She is in the blogging family, has a music album coming out soon and dreams of acting in the role of Nina Simone, another strong woman of color whose story needs to be told on the big screen. Her blog reveals that she is far more than a caricature. She is a single mother who is occupational, funny, honest, in touch with her Queens, New York roots and she can saaaaang too.This all just goes to show that when women are given real opportunities to define themselves for themselves, very rarely do they assume the role of caricatures; they embrace the complexity that lies within them. It is my hope that Tichina continues to land roles where the stories of Black women are at the center and they are afforded the complexity they deserve.
*Transcripts forthcoming.