2009 Black History Month: Favorite Black TV Characters (#26)

By: Luke Florence

My Favorite Black TV Characters

#26 - February 3rd - Cleveland - "Family Guy"

Just a mere three days in and we already have a cartoon on the list. Without spoiling too much, this is the first of two occasions where a cartoon character makes the cut.

Family Guy is not a show for those who blush easily. A big part of its humor is poking fun at stereotypes of all shapes and sizes. Whether it be religion, race, or cultures, nothing is off limits. Thankfully for me, I don't blush too easily, and therefore it would only make sense that we have a character from one of my favorite television shows.

Enter Cleveland, who is Peter Griffin's best friend and next door neighbor. His slow way of talking make for some memorable lines. Cleveland also has a way of playing the "black" card with his friends that reminds me of Barnes at times. As you will notice, the black-white relationship will reappear quite often during this journey. The Cleveland-Peter relationship is the first of many.

My favorite Cleveland line is actually the last clip in the above video when Peter and him are playing a special version of Monopoly. It's perfect and has me laughing every time I watch it.

Okay, that's all she wrote for today. Make sure you check out Barnes' blog (over on my sidebar) to see his daily thoughts on my list and to get a black history quote.

Starting today, I will be giving you a hint for tomorrow's black television character.

#25 is a judge, but I have yet to see him in court.

Until tomorrow, "read it, roll it, hole it."