Hey AJ: How to Portray 'Black Imagination'
When I first learned about Hey AJ, I was cautiously optimistic about it. I wasn't leaping up and down, waiting for the day it was set to release, nor was I thinking about all the ways it would go wrong. I was moreso focused on two other preschool shows I was looking forward to at the time, which were Kindergarten: The Musical and Lu and the Bally Bunch respectively. Ironically, both Lu and KTM have ended their runs, and Hey AJ is the last show standing out of the three. In honor of today being the last day of Black History Month, I'd like to talk about the newest addition to the Black preschool show universe- and a great addition, on top of that.
Hey AJ, created by former NFL star Martellus Bennet and based on the life of his real-life daughter, is built off of both pure imagination and Black culture. It had been in development since 2017, starting life in the form of a book: Hey AJ, it's Friday! Similarly to the show, the books relied on imagination and real-life scenarios to hook children all across America, and eventually, the series was picked up for a short-form 'pilot,' and eventually, a 25-episode season order.
Every episode follows AJ facing some sort of classic childhood dilemma that most seven-year-olds like her go through, whether it's being afraid to go to the dentist, not wanting to eat her vegetables, or trying to figure out where she misplaced a beloved toy. In order to deal with these issues, AJ travels into her imagination, whether as an astronaut, a superhero, or even a princess. The power of playtime often teaches AJ morals and lessons she uses and applies towards her everyday life.
At the time of writing this post (2/14- happy belated V-Day!), Hey AJ sits at a 8.6 out of 10 on IMDB with overwhelmingly positive reviews and ratings across most demographics; this is for good reason. When I like about Hey AJ is the way it seamlessly weaves Black culture into its plots, characters, and designs without shoving it into our faces. Unlike other Disney properties who have cheapened versions of representation (COUGHCOUGH the little mermaid 2023 COUGHCOUGH), Hey AJ flawlessly depicts how to properly do representation without even trying.
AJ herself is a perfect example on writing a black girl. She's not perfect, but she isn't annoying to the point of brattiness either- she's human. AJ's hair is styled differently in each episode, reflecting how versatile and diverse Black hair is. She wears extensions. She wears her natural hair out; she wears it in a bonnet when she goes to bed. She wears puffs and braids of all different types, just like most other black girls do. Black cultural staples such as jazz music, roller skating, and the ever-so-infamous large extended families are incorporated into episodes.
Hell, AJ' favorite superhero's name is 'Captain Durag'- how cool is that? I remember when I was younger feeling insecure about the bonnet I wore to bed, thinking my friends would make fun of it when in reality, nobody cares. The insecurities black girls face are real and internalized heavily when not dealt with soon enough. Seeing this representation of bonnets and durags (and, most importantly, how normalized this representation is) comes off as amazing, especially in a world as diverse as ever.
And yes, I am aware of the controversy surrounding the Captain Durag character. While I do agree that making his number-one characteristic his durag was a bit bogus on the creator's part, I believe and know that their intentions were good, and at the end of the day, if this is the 'wort' piece of representation they could give us, then we won big-time overall with this show.
But, even in the midst of their culture, AJ's family is shown as a regular family. They have regular laughs that all families do. They have their downfalls. We get to see how Marty's status as a retired NFL player impacts him mentally and physically- from his recurring back pain from old football injuries to his sadness he still occasionally feels being off the field. Not only does AJ get focus, but her dad, mom, and her best friends Jessie (who lives in a single-parent household) and Jazz (who has two interracially married moms) do too, a testament to the importance of a diverse community in the lives of African-Americans.
Black imagination isn't built off of stereotypes like big lips, loud voices, and overly curved bodies. It is built off of the things that make Black people unique and special, in conjunction with the things that make everyone else human. It is built off of the good times and the bad. It is built off of the hair mishaps and the collard greens. It is built off of the jazz music sessions and the freestyle rap battles, the moments that unite us not just as 'Blacks,' but as a family. We are human, and we deserve to be seen as that and that primarily.
So often in the media, black girls are adultified. They are made to seem 'mature' for their age, just as society has always relegated us to be. A black girl who shows the typical quirkiness that a white peer of hers can have without any issue is seen as 'weird' and 'white-washed.' Hey AJ defies that by embracing the very imagination we are relegated to ignore, and I applaud Martellus for showcasing that creative side of black excellence the media sometimes refuses to glorify.
But even more do I have to give kudos to Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh, who despite his differing race, successfully took such a fragile project and turned it into something amazing. You've met to make a bad show, Swampy, first with Phineas, then Milo, and then Pete. Good on you.
And good on every black person who engages with fandom media. We often are neglected in the fandom talk hemisphere, but I know that with shows like Hey AJ, we will one day receive that representation we truly desire. So, Happy Black History Month to you all. February may be over, but true black excellence never dies.
