We ask for representation not because it’s the popular thing to do or because we want to exclude any particular group of people; instead, we want to show that yes, we belong in all rooms—from being CEOs of big companies to even being portrayed in animation. Seeing yourself at every level can literally determine the trajectory of how you dream your life can thrive.
Impact is a strong effect or influence on something or someone. Influences can live within a person as an aspiring, motivating tool, especially in the millennial era, where seeing yourself on TV was rare and far in between. So when Black girls like Kyla Pratt and Raven-Symoné were the only two Black girls we could look up to at one time on Disney Channel, we gravitated towards them—from the way they talked, the fashion, and the important messages in each episode—to knowing that we were being represented accurately.
Trust me when I say that impression runs deep, because you can only imagine the excitement I felt at 36 years of age when I recently ran into Kyla Pratt at the Bruce Glen pop-up show during this season’s NYFW. My mind immediately went to the 12-year-old girl inside me that could only reference her as Penny Proud. IYKYK that Kyla's character as Penny Proud is iconic—a teenage Black girl growing up in a two-parent household with siblings and a crazy but ride-or-die Suga Mama. The show highlighted the real struggles of what it meant to be a teenage girl dealing with friends, boys, and school, while throwing in real-life lessons with their Black history, religion, and homelessness episodes.
When introducing myself to Kyla, straight away I got homegirl vibes—down-to-earth, chill, something like her character Breanna Barnes on the hit sitcom One on One. She’s certainly a girls’ girl, so when I asked the actress what makes her a Woman for the Culture, Kyla said, "Because I celebrate everything us, baby! I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT OUR ANCESTRAL HISTORY, and I want all of us to feel the same way. So I’M DEF A WOMAN FOR THE CULTURE. PERIOD!"
Black HerStory is definitely Kyla Pratt! She represents the everyday girl—she’s the face of representation when there’s no one else to fill that void. Kyla def has it goin’ on!
Let us know—20 years after The Proud Family ended, what’s your favorite memory? I’ll start with mine... it would have to be watching the intro door scene to see who would be the guest on that week’s episode!
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