Toya Carter's A Family Affair

I watched the ever so highly regarded BET Network as Toya Carter's (Lil Wayne's ex-wife) version of Keyshia Cole's reality show projected on the tube.  What I saw was a far cry from the commonly seen strictly negative stereotypical ghetto portrayal of the trials and tribulations of another struggling and broken black family.  Toya's show mirrors that of Keyshia Cole's formerly successful show "Just Like You" where she featured the struggles of her family members that involved alcohol and drug abuse, abandonment, and financial hardships.  Like Keyshia Cole's mother Frankie, Toya's mother Anita has also been a drug addict for many years and has several children that she has neglected throughout the course of her disease.  The big difference is that all of Anita's children are all by the same father, the man whom intially introduced her to crack.  The family was originally living in New Orleans, but were encouraged by Toya to move to Atlanta so that they could all be together.

When I say I didn't see the stereotypical portrayal of a ghetto black family struggling through life's hardships, I didn't mean that the show does not portray extremely hood moments.  For instance, the show displays Toya's two youngest brothers fighting and one later ends up being hauled off in a police car.  Also, when Toya's youngest brother Rudy confronts his father in a disrespectful and aggressive tone it leaves Toya in tears in the wake of the aftermath. 

All families fight and all families have resentments and grudges to bear.  However, what I did witness was a young woman fighting ever so valliantly for the betterment of her family.  Not only has Toya written a book about her experiences throughout her life, but she is actively persuing an acting career and is opening up a boutique in her old stomping grounds in New Orleans.  I also saw a big brother, working to gain his brothers' respect, along with their ear, as he seeks to guide them through life's ups and downs and show them the right way to handle things.  Seeing this family trying to better itself and seek resolution despite their past is so admirable.

People always seem to bash reality series like this and judge BET for producing them, but what they fail to realize is that reality shows like this are touching millions of families across the nation that have either been through the same thing or are going through it now.  Reality shows like Toya's "A Family Affair" can shed light on the real struggles of real families behind the facade of entertainment and the glitz and the glamour.  Behind her pretty face and connection to rap superstar Lil' Wayne, Toya is a mother, a sister, and a daughter, doing her best to bring her family together in love and in progress.  If that is not positive I dont know what is. 

So before you judge these shows before you even see them and write them off as a stereotypical portrayal of black people in a negative light, try watching the show in a positive mindframe and maybe you will see the positive attributes that it can provide to those who need it most.  You never know, it just might motivate you to do something better with your life, to reunite your broken family, or to be a source of positive influence for your family members who need it most.  Becanse after all, Family Comes First!