Renée Cherez, this is a beautifully written piece! You’re absolutely correct. All people need to experience more Black love stories that go beyond struggle-love and the ride-or-die narrative — I saw “Queen & Slim” last year and I’m still having a difficult time shaking that imagery, btw 😖.

Black love should be normalized and shared in media. Hopefully, it can help reshape harmful narratives and, when dealing with in-house issues among Blacks, aid in eliminating the gender wars Black people often have these days. Media is a powerful tool. Showcasing and supporting Black love is necessary, especially when the world doesn’t show much love to to Black people.

I encourage you to keep sharing positive and diverse Black love stories. Hopefully, you can create some in the near future. Thank you for this wonderful read!

J. Stokes