'GIRLFRIENDS': Hitting at Home

By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

The long running black sitcom 'Girlfriends' (starring l-r Golden Brooks, Tracy Ellis Ross and Persia White) tackles the subject of domestic abuse on the Feb. 12 episode. Though one of the beloved characters is no longer in the mix, the show continues to go on for the long running sitcom 'Girlfriends.'

And the Mara Brock Akil created series -- which centers on black woman in Los Angeles -- always hits home with tackling topics and issues that affect their target demographic, such as adultery, paternity, sex addiction, interracial dating and HIV/AIDS.

On the Feb.12 episode, domestic abuse will be at the center of the plot.

While dining at Chili's, Maya (Golden Brooks) and her husband Darnel (Khalil Kain) meet another couple Alicia and Ray (played by 'Boston Public's' China Shavers and television veteran Carl Anthony Payne) in the episode titled "Time to Man Up." Excited at the prospect of befriending another Black couple in their new neighborhood, it seems like destiny.

The attractive couple hails from Atlanta and turns out to live right next to them, and after spending some time with the couple, the always over-the-top Maya (best-selling authoress of the self help book 'Oh, Hell Yes') grows suspicious that Ray is abusing Alicia. When she tells Darnel, her friends and even calls the police, no one believes her and she is told to "mind her own business."

If you watch 'Girlfriends,' you know that words like that don't bode too well with Mrs. Wilkes.

An explosive scene of 'Girlfriends' dealing with domestic abuse. However, when Darnel overhears violent yelling from Ray and Alicia's house he can no longer ignore the signs and decides to "man up." Get it? That's the title of the episode.

"I believe the measure of a country is how well women and children are treated, protected and revered," Akil told The BV Newswire today regarding her motivation for dealing with domestic abuse on the show. "In America four million women a year are assaulted by their partners. By this number alone and my theory, America has a lot of work to do and it's not in Iraq."

Okay!

"So we at Girlfriends thought we would, one, shed some light on domestic abuse and it's continuing problem, as well as offer a solution to the problem - men in the community have to get involved and make these abusers know that abusing women is not all right. Not only will this help to end abuse, but perhaps salvage the American family."
The episode, well executed and masterfully done -- as always, leaves the door open for continued discussion surrounding this topic.

It's definitely worth seeing.