Thank You to “The Chi” from Chicago with Love

The television series “The Chi” was all about family and community over everything. Photo from “The Chi” official Facebook page

For the past nine years, a television series that showcased the beautiful parts of our city and gave a voice to communities that are rarely heard from aired for millions to see. “The Chi,” created by South Side native Lena Waithe, had us soldered to our televisions, talking about episodes on social media, reliving memories, or inspiring us to live a full life in Chicago. Focusing on just a few neighborhoods on the South Side, “The Chi” made us fall in love with characters we could relate to. It had us weeping over traumas most of us have experienced. It made us laugh at the reality of living in Chicago and dream about the potential that Chicago still has.

I didn’t start following the show until two years ago. But when I did, I binge-watched and was hooked just like everyone else. Seeing my beloved Chatham featured so heavily in season one made me beam with pride. Smokey’s was set just three blocks from where I lived for the first 40+ years of my life, across the street from Curt’s Bar-b-Que. I spent much of the first couple of seasons in awe of the show’s wonderful cinematography. Everyone knows we have the best skyline in the world, and the series often showcased it. But “The Chi” showcased our neighborhoods as well. Neighborhoods that too often only have television cameras focusing on them when some horrific crime has taken place. Although much of the storyline focused on the city’s culture of violence, “The Chi” humanized the victims and the perpetrators in a way no other show has ever done.

For that reason, you can watch the series without feeling too heavy afterwards. You find yourself not only pulling for the characters who are victims of crime but also for the criminals. You hope they can change their wicked ways and use their skills to better their community. As evil as Bakari (Ahmad Ferguson) was in the show, there was a sense of solace that he was still young enough to turn his life around. Here was a kid who murdered one of our favorite characters (Ronnie) and, in the final moments of the show, became a victim of a shooting himself. While the series could have ended with him suffering the same fate that he inflicted on so many others, which he would have deserved in the sense of karma, the writers gave him grace. We see him in a new city, with a new chance, with a new family member on the way.

“The Chi” wasn’t just a television show. It brought much-needed jobs to the communities in which filming was taking place. I wonder how many businesses benefited from the show filming in South Side neighborhoods. How many people got their big break into the entertainment industry from “The Chi?” My high school classmate Deanna Reed-Foster, a talented actress and singer, appeared in several episodes. I often thought about the sound technicians, lighting people, catering services, set designers, and other local artists who have been employed for the last nine years. Thank you for that, “The Chi.”

I sincerely thank the casting agents and actors themselves. You all portrayed a portion of Chicago’s Black community in such a raw and powerful way. From scenes at the Chosen Few Picnic to highlighting how the Chicago Police Department operates, the show felt genuine because the actors pulled off the task of becoming Chicagoans.

Tai Davis and Yolanda Ross played the characters Tracy and Jada on “The Chi” and they personified the friendships of mature Black women. Jada’s character highlighted cancer in women of color and the limited treatment options, while Tracy was a grieving mother trying to stop senseless killings, like the one that took her son. Both characters were mothers trying to raise young Black men. Photo courtesy of “The Chi” Facebook page

Thank you, Tai Davis, for your portrayal of the frustrating, complicated, beautiful soul that was Tracy Roxboro. Her son's murder was the show's genesis and set the pace for what followed. You were missed in Season 8, but your ability to play a grieving mother who lost her child to Chicago’s violence was incredibly real. As a journalist for over 25 years, I have sat with too many grieving parents, and their lives were as shattered as you portrayed them. I will never understand the whole Douda relationship, but people who are traumatized don’t always make solid decisions, and identifying with our oppressors is common in communities besieged by violence.

Thank you, Jacob Latimore. Even though you are from Milwaukee and are probably a Packers fan, you brilliantly portrayed what it is like for young Black men in Chicago who are not street dudes but who think with the wrong head too much. Your character went from an immature, irresponsible brat to a respected man in the community and a man who realized that family came first. Jacob embracing the opportunities that come with entrepreneurship was one of the most important storylines of the series. Many of our young people don’t want to go to college and pursue a “good job.” Many would be better off starting their own business. Jacob had to navigate those waters and learn from the mistakes in his personal life and his business.

Thank you, Barton Fitzpatrick; your portrayal of Reg was very effective. His callous and cavalier attitude about life represented many of our city’s gang members. It was only when he lost his mother and his brothers turned their backs on him that he started to realize the damage he was causing. He stepped up in the end, which I hope gives some in our community who think they have gone too far to ever change their wicked ways a reason to believe they can change.

Thank you to all of the transgender characters and the thespians who brought them to life. While the scenes will always be uncomfortable for many people in the community, you brought the human element to the characters. The world as a whole needed that solemn reminder. People come in all different forms. Love has no boundaries and will always defeat hate.

Thank you to Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (Ronnie) for portraying a man who was battling alcohol addiction but was a military veteran who cared for his elderly mother the best he could while trying to be a father figure to the son of the woman he loved. Ronnie showed there is a bravery that lies within all of us when he heroically rescued Keisha from a violent sexual predator that was in the community.  

Keisha and Tiff had a complicated relationship on “The Chi.”

Thank you, Birgundi Baker (Keisha) and Hannaha Hall (Tiff), for representing the complicated friendships that Black women often have with one another. You represented both the best and worst qualities of how Black women relate to each other. You shared the same trauma, the same man, the same kids, the same poor decisions, and so much more. But there was also a genuine friendship, respect, and love that formed through the seasons that we all witnessed and can’t be denied. There is a reason why you were the two most popular characters. Many women in our community are dealing with hardships, such as Keisha losing a college scholarship due to her pregnancy after being raped and Tiff’s loose morals and worship of money constantly leading her onto the wrong path. These circumstances damage lives in real life and may continue to affect their offspring. I hope the hundreds of thousands of young ladies who connected with your characters have learned and will make the best choices they can.

Thank you to Michael V. Epps (Jake), Alex R. Hibbert (Kevin), and Shamon Brown (Papa). Watching you three grow up on the show is something I will always remember. You guys reminded me of growing up with my childhood friends and the wild situations we found ourselves in, even coming across dead bodies. Oftentimes, you don’t go looking for trouble in Chicago; trouble just finds you. Your characters had to go through puberty and those rough teenage years, where bad choices are common, fun is a must, and the allure of drugs and alcohol is everywhere. You all smoked too much weed, but I’m going to hold out hope that Papa is true to his word and quit. To see your career evolution from child actors to actors was wonderful, especially with just one of your characters having an active father in their life.

Michael V. Epps, Shamon Brown, and Alex R. Hibbert provided us with a ton of laughs on “The Chi” while always finding trouble. Photo from The Chi Facebook

Speaking of deadbeat dads, thank you to Rolando Boyce (Darnell), who has to be the funniest, realist, most loveable deadbeat dad in history. He was my favorite character on the show. His Bluetooth-wearing, still wanna be a player, Hennessy-drinking self reminded me so much of my own father. I couldn’t help but crack up laughing every time he did something I could envision my father, a proud Omega Phi Psi member, doing himself. You had so many characteristics of my dad, from all the womanizing that got you into trouble to getting conned by a stripper/magician. I couldn’t help but love you and shake my head. Darnell also knew how to have a good time with his dancing, awful singing, and terrible attempts at being romantic. He was one character that stayed true to who he was throughout the entire series.

My final thanks I’ve saved for the outstanding writers. The storylines were so relatable to Chicagoans. You could have explored so many more, but you chose to give a platform to those often ignored in this city. And for that, you get the biggest thank you of all.

David Thomas was only 32 years-old when he was murdered in Chicago’s Englewood community in a drive-by shooting.

While Darnell was my favorite character, Jake was the one I felt the closest bond with. You see, Michael Epps favors a player I used to coach on my church’s basketball team. David Thomas was a lifelong Chatham resident, a father, and a talented basketball player. He was a leader on our team that won a Lutheran Sports Association State Championship in 2002 and a member of our 2003 Lutheran Basketball Association National Championship team, along with current Big 3 superstar Jeremy Pargo.

David was murdered on October 16, 2015. He was the victim of a drive-by shooting at 7:30 in the morning in the 6000 block of South Aberdeen in Englewood. He was only 32. His killer(s) have never been captured. Not a week goes by that I don't think about Dave and what type of man he would be now in his 40s. I am haunted by his death, just as Tracy in “The Chi” was haunted by her son’s unsolved murder that began the series. If you have any information on the death of David Thomas, please contact the Chicago Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit for Area 1 at (312) 492-3810.

Art doesn’t always imitate life, but life always inspires great art. Thank you, “The Chi.”