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Tyler Perry’s new show She The People has received massive fan fare since it debuted on May 22nd on Netflix. The show might be Perry’s most ambitious yet, as he delves into political satire blended with his signature family-based comedy and surreal characters. But, Perry also blended HBCUs into his world via his main character and a legendary actress with a key role on the show.
Terri J. Vaughn stars as Lt. Gov. Antoinette Dunkerson, the first Black woman to hold the office that “runs a successful campaign and now must figure out how to thrive under a sexist and condescending governor while attempting to keep her family in line now that they're all in the public eye.”
The show is set in Mississippi, with Vaughn’s character boasting in one of the early episodes that she is a Jackson State alumna.
“I went to Jackson State,” Dunkerson says in one of the early episodes. “I’m a bright and intelligent attorney. I’m not doing this.”
Another early scene features her background and education being mocked before a character lets it be known that she went to undergrad at Jackson State before attending Harvard and returning to her community be be a public servant.
Mentions like this are important, as it provides Jackson State University with great earned media promotion and could even inspire people to attend the institution and even other HBCUs based off of Dunkerson’s journey. THe addition fo Jackson State to Dunkerson’s backstory gives the institution even more love, as Jackson State was briefly spotlighted in the Severance season finale in March.
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But, fans are also treated with a real world HBCU alumna who played a pivotal role in the first episodes of the series. Albany State alumna Jo Marie Payton, a seasoned actress, plays Dunkerson’s mom Cleo. She spoke about the character and the family dynamic portrayed in an interview with Director's Cut Radio
“[The family] is happy that their mother's in that position, but we still want to do our thing,” she said. “[My character] still wants to go to the casino, be with my friends, go fishing. I'm retired. I want to have a good time. I don't want anyone breathing down my back.”
Another interesting HBCU tie to the show is the fact that former Atlanta Mayor and Florida A&M alumna Keisha Lance Bottoms served as an executive producer on the show, a fitting role given the fact that the show is a political comedy and surely needed direction to ensure that the series was an accurate enough depiction of what happens in state governance. The former Atlanta mayor is also looking to become a governor in her actual political career, as she officially launched her bid for Georgia governor last week.
Bottoms boasted her role in the series via her Instagram account in April, saying, “I am SO happy to serve as Executive Producer of this incredible project, filmed in GEORGIA!!! Words cannot begin to express my gratitude. Won’t HE do it?!!”
The first eight episodes of She The People is available now on Netlflix.
