Representation Essay

In "Everybody Hates Chris," the representation of Chris and his parents, Julius and Rochelle, plays a key role in shaping the show’s themes of race, family, and economic hardship. Chris, as the main character, navigates the challenges of being the only Black student in a mostly white school. Through him, we see the everyday struggles of fitting in while dealing with casual racism, stereotypes, and bullying. His experiences with teachers and schoolmates often highlight how society, even in seemingly small ways, can make someone feel like an outsider. Chris’s resilience and humor, however, make him a sympathetic and relatable figure.

Julius, Chris’s father, represents the hardworking but often overlooked figure in a family dynamic. Working multiple jobs to support the family, Julius embodies the grind of a working-class Black man in America. His constant concern with saving money might be played for laughs, but it speaks to a deeper reality for many families living paycheck to paycheck. Despite his quiet demeanor, Julius’s love and dedication to his family are clear, offering a counter-narrative to common stereotypes of Black fathers as absent or uninvolved.

Rochelle, on the other hand, is the strong, outspoken, and loving matriarch who keeps the family together. Her fierce love for her children and her no-nonsense attitude bring both humor and heart to the show. Rochelle is a complex character who challenges traditional depictions of Black mothers, combining toughness with warmth. Together, Chris, Julius, and Rochelle provide a multifaceted representation of Black family life, one that celebrates resilience and love while acknowledging the real struggles of race and class.

What we learned in class about representation is that it is about presenting content again, that it has 4 major factions that influence when doing a representation, Ownership, Creator bias, Governing factions, and Majority rule then we learned about construction, selection, stereotypes, exotizing, de-centered, and othering. The last thing we went through class was the Historically Unrepresented In Western Media, these are:

• Women
• LGBTQ+
• People of color
• Range/Size of body
• People with disabilities
• People with mental illness
• Elderly