This week we are taking a look at game, film and TV characters that have helped bring the Black community into the mainstream spotlight. These characters have made us laugh, cry and relate
to them as we follow them through their respective adventures.
Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) commands the 99th Precinct and is a beacon of guidance for the rest of the squad. The show uses Captain Holt to address difficult social issues head on such as the
fact that despite his hard work and competence, he was held back in his career due to being a Black homosexual man trying to progress through a system geared against him. Now that he finally leads his own police squad, he strives to
prove himself via the success of his precinct. Inwardly, he is a kind & empathetic man who cares deeply about those under his command. Though he is often lampooned by his colleagues for his lack of displaying emotion or facial
expressions, he is held in the highest regard by them.
One of Wakanda's greatest warriors, Okoye (Danai Gurira) is the General of the Dora Milaje and the head of Wakandan armed forces and intel. Her role is as the Black Panther’s personal bodyguard and
protector of the nation of Wakanda as a torchbearer of tradition and virtue. Okoye is as deadly as she is wise, and stands as one of T’Challa’s most trusted allies and companions. Following the aftermath of the battle with Thanos, and
with the Avengers now defunct, she returned to her role protecting Wakanda. Okoye has been praised as a positive icon of female empowerment across mainstream media.
A brand new addition to Streets of Rage 4, Cherry is Adam Hunter's daughter. While she inherited her father's fighting skills, she didn't wish to follow him in his steps of becoming a police officer,
instead, deciding to pursue a musical career, becoming a guitarist and performing at the city's night clubs. When Blaze Fielding calls upon her dad to assist with taking on the new Syndicate, Cherry goes in her father's place! Cherry is a
badass on stage and on the streets and a welcome addition to the Streets of Rage franchise.
Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is a Brooklyn-based 14 year old born to an African-American father and a Puerto Rican mother. He takes up the mantle of Spider-Man after the death of his dimension’s Peter
Parker. He was a regular teenager until he was bitten by the radioactive spider who gave him the same powers as Spider-Man. 2011 saw the introduction of Miles to the world. Upon his launch, Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee proclaimed,
“Doing our bit to try to make our nation, and the world colour blind is definitely the right thing.”
Allison Hargreeves (Emmy Raver-Lampman), also known as Number Three and the Rumor, is one of the seven adoptive children of Sir Reginald Hargreeves who were raised and trained to save the world from the
apocalypse. Allison is often the voice of reason in an otherwise wildly dysfunctional but loveable family. In season two, (without spoiling too much) the family is accidentally transported back to 1960’s Dallas Texas. During this timeline
Allison becomes directly involved in civil rights protest, these events prove testament to her character as a powerful female figure standing against a tide of oppression with many reviewers and fans drawing comparisons to the issues we
still face today.
