Since it’s beginning, ESSENCE has been a proud supporter of Black love. It’s more than just a hashtag or an Instagram movement. It’s how we love each other and how we always have. A new docuseries on OWN titled Black Love Doc premieres tonight and it aims to highlight beautiful love stories from the Black community and answer the burning question: What is the secret to making our marriages work?
In recent years, partly thanks to having a Black president and first lady in the White House for eight years, more and more images of Black love young and old have become mainstream and provided more of the positivity needed in our communities with all of the recent injusitce and civil unrest.
Here are four reasons why we’re tuning in to tonight’s premiere:
Newlyweds Created the Series – Black Love Doc is directed by newlywed filmmakers Thomas and Codie Elaine Oliver. The couple started filming the docu-series while they were engaged up until they said “I do” in February 2015. The impact of being able to hear the stories of other black couples has influenced on and off camera. Tommy told Philly.com, We started doing this when we were engaged. We’ve essentially been shooting these interviews the entirety of our marriage, or our relationship. So there’s no way you canâ’t be affected by what you’re taking in. It informs sort of how we operate.
You’ll See Some Hollywood’s Favorite Black Couples – The docu-series will feature some of our favorite couples, including Oscar-winner Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon, Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin, Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict, Flex and Shanice Alexander, along with Erica Campbell and Warryn Campbell.
There Will Be Honest Conversations on The Good and The Bad, and How to Prevail – Although the series showcases many Hollywood couples, the Olivers made sure to focus on love without the glitz and glamour of showbiz. We didn’t harp too much on celebrity status, or what does it mean to be in the spotlight and married. We really tried to tell everyone’s love story as honestly as possible,” Codie shared with Philly.com. The series also made sure to include everyday couples from across the country to share their stories.
The Couples Featured Have The Reciepts – Most of the couples featured in the docu-series have been together for at least 10 years. That’s a decade of love, romance and struggle. Viewers will get a glimpse of couples being candid about their love tribulations and how they worked through them.
Will you be tuning in tonight when Black Love Doc airs on OWN at 10 P.M?