I was introduced to The Boondocks when I was around 11 years old. My cousin was in her room watching it and it caught my attention while I was attempting to bother her. I immediately identified it as a cartoon with people of my skin color that actually talked about controversial topics. I immediately fell in love. I am now 19 and I can say that the character Huey Freeman, yes specifically Huey, has been extremely influential in my life.
For those that do not know, the show The Boondocks follows the life of brothers Riley and Huey Freeman who live with their grandfather, Robert Freeman. My interpretation of the show makes me believe that Riley Freeman is on the road to being what society sees as an average man within the black community. He constantly shows toxic masculinity traits by thinking every thing that requires emotion and male contact with another is gay, and religiously lives by 'Fuck Bitches, Get Money".
Huey Freeman, whose character is named after the illustrious revolutionary, Huey P. Newton, depicts people within the black community that sees the error of our own ways. His protesting against what was happening in the country at the time, and his criticism towards his own community, earned him the title "Domestic Terrorist" which is going out in a Black Panther-like style. He is a true revolutionary in his own right, and he has my heart.
The older that I have gotten, the more that I have realized that there is a lot that I want to see changed in this world. To bring about those changes I must take some sort of action. Huey Freeman being a young child, who is also from Chicago, trying to change this largely corrupt world spoke to, and inspired, me.
The Boondocks have an episode surrounding R-Kelly and his 2008 trial, where he was acquitted of several counts of child pornography. In it, Huey directly addresses the courtroom and the generalized public of black people that stood by the obviously guilty R-Kelly just because they were huge fans of his work. He acknowledges how idiotic it is to blindly stand by the artists side just because he makes some decent music. While the rest of the community either brushes him off or contemplates violence towards him, I on the other hand listened to every word that came out of his mouth and took it to heart.
Now in 2019 where child pornography is the least of R-Kelly's problems, the things that Huey Freeman said still stand true more than 10 years later. Several individuals in the black community have decided to stand by R-Kelly whether it be because they really love his music or because they don't want to see society tear down another black man, even if he is clearly guilty of the several crimes.
The big point here is that Huey Freeman was an anarchist not only largely before his time and before the black community was anywhere near ready for him, but he is also someone that has steered me to be the nosy, well written activist that I am today. He is extremely underrated so let's change that.
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