Recently, on the social media app Threads, where many ex-X users have found as an alternative to the Nazi-owned site, a user made several posts claiming that Issa Rae was not able to relate to working-class Black Los Angelenos because of her privileged upbringing in Senegal and that the film “Just One of Them Days,” was a disrespectful portrayal of Black women.
Interestingly enough, Issa Rae did not write the film, only produced it. In fact, Issa has produced a lot of things, and when she said she was rooting for everybody Black, she meant it. Rae’s production company, Hoorae Media, formerly known as Issa Rae Productions, has produced over a dozen projects since 2016, including Rap Sh!t and a Black Lady Sketch Show, with several films set to be released in the coming future.
As many know, Rae’s rise came from her YouTube series The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, which became a phenomenal hit, and thrust Rae into the spotlight and was later adapted into the show Insecure. In a world where many Black women struggle to make it to the top, Rae made it and brought other Black people with her, including her friends. Even with her issues with Amanda Seales, she remained pretty mum and allowed Seales to talk herself into people not choosing her side.
She’s unproblematic and different and we love her for it.
Stating that Rae grew up privileged and therefore can’t possibly understand the plight of working-class Black LA residents, even though she did live in greater Los Angeles a good majority of her life and went to a predominately Black middle school after having lived in Senegal and Maryland, is unfair. Additionally, it should not disqualify her from helping to produce those films, and no one had any problems with her upbringing when they were enjoying her bad decisions over Lawrence’s trifling ass because, at the end of the day, that shit was relatable.
As many people pointed out, many of the greatest filmmakers were not immediately associated with the activities of their movies. James Cameron wasn’t on the Titanic, nor has he ever been blue. I doubt Jerry Bruckheimer was in the Air Force, was a police officer, or a pirate and yet has made billions at the box office producing films of that nature. How many Black girls have had dreams bigger than their budgets and found that even the easiest peace felt unattainable?
Still, what a gift it was to be surrounded by friends.
If that ain’t the story of my life, I don’t know what is, and if anything, Insecure was Rae rooting for me.
I lived in the middle-class suburbs of Orlando; I also lived on the Southside of Chicago. Hell, I’ve been broker in my adulthood than I have in my childhood, and it being in my adulthood doesn’t disqualify the experience. All of those experiences are equally as important to who I am today—an awkward Black girl.
Issa is funny, super talented, extremely relatable and unproblematic, and at the end of the day, I’m rooting for everybody named Issa Rae, just like she’s rooting for me.
