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As long as theres been TV, the family has been one of its favorite go-tos.
All week long, Vulture is exploring how its been represented on our screens.
The arc of American history is undergirded by a continuous, pointed degradation of the black family.
The crux of this is the pervasive mythology surrounding the missing black father.
Despitestatistics and studies that contradict this mythology, this archetype continues to cast a shadow on the black community.
Its because of this that the representation of the black father in television holds so much weight.
When watching The Emissary recently, the chemistry between Brooks and Lofton was immediately apparent.
They moved and touched one another with a familiarity that struck me as having a deep, emotional history.
They felt like a family with an immediacy Ive seen few actors able to match on television.
Lofton later said, Avery was that same role model for me in real life.
It wasnt a pat relationship or an easy one, and it was very realistic.
AsDeep Space Ninecontinued over the course of seven seasons, Sisko and Jakes relationship took on new dimensions.
Jake grows into an empathetic young man who inherits his fathers interests in the arts and becomes a writer.
Sisko evolved into one of the most complex characters in all of science fiction.
Brooks gave Sisko his trademark bombastic intensity and gravitas.
He made his monologues feel theatrical while never sacrificing the core of their emotional impact.
Siskos love for Jake provided a poignant contrast to the temerity and flinty brio he portrayed as a captain.
Conversations about representation in pop culture often feel like too much of a numbers game.
The impact ofDeep Space Ninegoes beyond the casting of black actors like Brooks and Lofton in these pivotal roles.
The series boldly interrogated blackness within the arc of American history through their characterization.
It was the opportunity to have a conversation about succeeding generations [that] intrigued me, Brooks said.
Last fall, I went to Syracuse University to speak with a small group of journalism graduate students.
In the 1950s plotline, Jake isnt Siskos son, but a slick-talking street hustler known as Jimmy.
He barrels toward Jimmys lifeless body, covered in blood.
When Benny grows angry, the cops take the opportunity to brutalize him.
Why didnt this man win any Emmys?
The beauty of their relationship is perhaps never better portrayed than in the season-four episode The Visitor.
