Spring has sprung, bringing a whole crop of new and returning shows we’ve been waiting all winter to see! This season’s gripping dramas and thought-provoking comedies give us all reason to put in some serious streaming time, thanks to several Black supporting actresses playing pivotal roles in their series. EBONY reached out to a chosen few to find out why their characters are so major. And, in honor of Women’s History Month, they celebrate the women who have had a major impact on their lives: Mamas and besties, please stand up! Read on and get to know these supporting ladies.
Bonnie Mbuli, Parish (AMC) premiering March 31
Bonnie Mbuli. Image: Stephanie Girard.
On the new thriller series, Mbuli plays Shamiso Tongai, the protective older sister of a Zimbabwean criminal mastermind. “My character is sharp and pragmatic, never backs down from a challenge and is highly ambitious,” she tells EBONY. “She’s extremely protective of her family and will do whatever it takes to protect them.” Her female inspirations “depend on what I’m focused on in that particular season of my life,” she reveals. “Right now, all the women in film and television who are breaking ground by pioneering in telling their stories and setting the stage for the empowerment of their communities.”
Christina Elmore, The Girls on the Bus (HBO)
Christina Elmore. Image: JD Barnes.
In the role of Kimberlyn Kendrick, an Ivy League-educated Reagan Republican, Elmore is delivering, “Peak Black excellence,” the actress exclaims. “Kimberlyn is smart, ambitious and a perfectionist. As a conservative reporter at Fox News-like network, she feels out of place with the left-leaning reporters she works with on the presidential trail. But her willingness to have uncomfortable conversations helps her forge relationships and a family even on the road.” Elmore loves her character’s thoughtfulness, tenacity and willingness to stand in the truth, even when it’s hard. The actress shares that her girlfriends inspire her. “I have such a wonderful circle of friends who have become sisters at the top of their games in mothering, careers and their spiritual lives. I’m so blessed to do life with them. It really feeds me.”
DomiNque Perry, Diarra From Detroit (BET+)
DomiNque Perry. Image: Akintayo Timi.
Perry plays Diarra’s bestie Aja, a serial entrepreneur who always has a prayer and a plan. “Aja is the definition of Detroit’s finest. She is super bad and super bought, but she will still get down with the best of them and pray for them afterward,” Perry declares. “Most of all, she’s celibate and focused solely on God which is why she stays blessed. She is a living example of a cute woman from the streets who can rise up and stand on business and show everyone that there are beautiful young Black entrepreneurs in Detroit that are successful.” It’s all about Mom for Perry. “I’ve never seen a woman that can match her intellect, her discernment about people and her strength.” Perry sees her mother as a great counselor for all and a great provider for her daughter. “I had the most amazing childhood because of her, and I just admire how beautiful she is while juggling it all. I love her very much.”
Iantha Richardson, Will Trent (ABC)
Iantha Richardson. Image: Jonathan Adjahoe.
Now in its second season, Richardson plays special agent Faith Mitchell, who is partnered with eccentric Will Trent at the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. “Faith is compassionate, thoughtful, direct, ambitious, and although I hesitate when labeling any woman, but especially a woman of color, she is truly resilient,” Richardson shares. While her character sees the worst of humanity, she still approaches people as people and not just as cases, “an absolute superpower in my book.” Richardson gives flowers to her mother, Antoinette Marcella Cross. “She was the epitome of grace, love, strength and joy,” the actress shares. “I aspire to be half the woman, mother, friend, wife and human she was one day.”
Jodie Campbell, Boarders (Tubi)
Jodie Campbell. Image: Mug Photography.
Boarders follows a witty group of Black inner-city scholars navigating adolescence in a new, affluent boarding school. Campbell plays Leah, the only girl in the quartet. “Leah is smart, justice-driven and upfront, her presence is felt in any space she’s in; way cooler than I was at 16,” Campbell exclaims. “She has a strong sense of self at such a young age and she’s firm in what she believes in, and we both share the experience of what it’s like to be a young black woman in the UK and what that means for us when entering spaces in which we are a minority.” The actress is part of the ‘mum’ club regarding her personal female hero. “She has done so many things in her life to be proud of all while raising me with constant love and support,” Campbell exclaims. “She’s always gone above and beyond in everything she does for herself and me, and it’s a very admirable trait of hers. She’s awesome and a true inspiration.”
