#aaron mcgruder

[z34l0t]

[boondocktalks]

I really wish they would’ve kept Jazmine’s backstory in the series. It would’ve showed that she was complex like Huey was, and that even she had her own struggles, despite their challenges being different from one another.

As written in the comics, Jazmine had issues with her identity, particularly when it came to her hair. Although she was biracial, she didn’t inherit her mother’s hair texture and instead, she had an Afro. This caused her to feel self conscious about herself and wonder why she didn’t share that similar feature with her mother.

She was always trying to straighten it, and even tried denying that she had an Afro. Instead of her parents telling her to embrace her hair, they tried many products to make it look more socially acceptable, and none of them worked.

Even in the script of the original pilot episode of “The Boondocks,” Uncle Ruckus made insulting comments about her hair, and condone the bullying that she was dealing with at school.

This dialogue between Ruckus and Robert takes place after Huey and Riley get into a fight with some boys who were making fun of Jazmine, and they end up in detention because of it. Although this scene doesn’t appear in the clip that was released, here’s a screenshot of the part where Ruckus made those remarks about her.

With this, as well as other examples, it confirms to me that Ruckus never truly liked Jazmine. He might have tolerated her a little more than the boys, but he rarely said her name, and pejoratively referred to her as slurs that describe those who are mixed race.

The only one that made her feel good about her hair was Huey. He even advised Tom, Jazmine’s father, to educate her about the beauty of her black roots, but Tom didn’t listen. He even compared her hair to the clouds, big but pretty. That compliment flew over her head, but it was still cute regardless. Also, he still viewed her as black, and didn’t treat her as if she was different.

I love the Jazmine we got in the show, there’s no doubt about it. However, I can only imagine how powerful her character would’ve been had they given us an episode exploring her background, and watching her build her self esteem. It would’ve been really touching to watch her transform from someone that was unsure of herself to a person who was confident in the skin she was in.

[indeedgoodman]

[miss-rum-hee]

[loserb1an]

really old riley doodle

[l3ithium]

Can we get a crossover of this before the world ends?

[justanotherdumass]

If Jazmine has a million fans, I am one of them. If Jazmine has 5 fans, I am one of them. If Jazmine has 1 fan, that is me. If Jazmine has no fans I am dead.

[docgold13]

Cartoon Heroes Paper Cut-Outs

Huey Freeman

The main protagonist and narrator of both The Boondocks syndicated comic strip as well as the animated TV sitcom, Huey R. Freeman is an especially astute 10-year-old boy who recognizes the various absurdities and injustices of the society in which he lives.  As cynical as he is intelligent, Huey rarely veers from the opportunity to comment on all manner of controversial subjects, ranging from politics to religion, the media, racism, sexism, consumerism, African-American culture and American society as a whole.  Huey’s outspoken attitudes, coupled with the hi jinx of his younger brother, Riley, results in all kinds of trouble and misadventure. 

Singer/actress Alicia Keys provided the voice for Huey in the pilot episode; with actress Regina King voicing the character in the subsequent episodes.  The animated version of Huey first appeared in the debut episode of The Boondocks, airing in November of 2005.  The Boondocks was created by Aaron McGruder.