Many of the most culturally resonant television shows and films centering the lives of Black women place our friendships at the heart of the story—think Survival of the Thickest, Girlfriends, Waiting to Exhale, Hidden Figures, Living Single, and Insecure. These narratives remind us that sisterhood is not a side plot but a central force: a space where Black women find joy, affirmation, conflict, healing, and growth.

These Black-centered portrayals are especially powerful when juxtaposed against how Black women so often appear in mainstream media, where we are frequently overlooked, flattened into stereotypes, or pushed to the margins of other people’s stories. In those spaces, our inner lives and our relationships with one another are rarely given depth or care. What’s missing is the fullness—the intimacy, vulnerability, and everyday tenderness that define real Black women’s friendships.

In this episode, we explore why seeing Black women’s friendships on screen and in storytelling truly matters with Dr. Imani M. Cheers. An award-winning digital storyteller, director, producer, and filmmaker, Dr. Cheers is an Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University. A cultural curator, director, producer, activist and academic based in Washington, DC. she is the author of Sacred Sisterhoods: A Celebration of Black Women's Friendships on Television and in Film.

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