Honoring the Black TV moms who raised us

When it comes to Black TV moms, Clair Huxtable, played by Phylicia Rashad on “The Cosby Show,” still reigns as queen mother. Mrs. Huxtable was educated, well dressed, caring and no-nonsense. 

For many of us, she reminded us of the women in our lives; the ones who scolded us with passion and served every meal with love. 

One of the most notable things about Clair Huxtable was she was more than Cliff Huxtable’s wife. She was a working woman who still managed to prioritize her family, a woman many of us have grown to become. 

The poise of Clair Huxtable is one that has been talked about and cherished often. While highly revered, she is not the only sitcom mother who deserves her flowers. Keep reading for a few of our other favorite sitcom moms we learned from and laughed with, from the ‘90s to today

Deidra “Dee” Mitchell, “Moesha” (Sheryl Lee Ralph) 

Our introduction to Dee came through the eyes of her 16-year-old stepdaughter, Moesha Mitchell (Brandy Norwood). While Moesha felt like Dee was infiltrating her family and attempting to replace her late mother, quite the opposite was true. We saw the high school principal empathize with her grieving stepdaughter during Mother’s Day and we watched her struggle blending into her family as an authority figure.

What Dee Mitchell taught us was that love knows no bounds. She embraced her stepchildren, despite their reluctance and became a source of dependency and comfort for them.

She acknowledged she could never replace their mother, but continued to make sure love, compassion and care were something they didn’t lack.

Lisa Landry, “Sister, Sister” (Jackée Harry) 

Spunky fashion designer Lisa Landry is a TV mother we don’t talk about enough. When we met Lisa in the 1994 premiere of “Sister, Sister,” she was a 30-something single mother of her adopted teenage daughter. Lisa was fun, eclectic and stylish, but she was also sensitive, caring and protective. 

She perfectly balanced out the always cautious and stern Ray Campbell (Time Reid), when it came to raising their teenage daughters, Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell (Tia and Tamera Mowry), separately and together.

The most admirable thing about Lisa Landry was her ability to listen to her daughter and parent her accordingly. As kids, we loved the moment when Lisa pulled the girls out of school for a family emergency, which really was a day of pampering and shopping because she noticed how stressed they were about their tests.

And if anything else, Lisa taught us motherhood can be stylish.

Rochelle Rock, “Everybody Hates Chris” (Tichina Arnold)

One thing for sure and two things for certain, Rochelle Rock did not play with her kids or about her husband’s money. She’s a mother we all knew, the one who would go off all day on her children, but cut into anyone else who tried. She did the most with very little.

Despite her blunt personality, she valued teaching her children lessons and providing a better life for them. When she found out son Chris (Tyler James Williams) wanted to cheat his way caring for an egg by leaving it in the fridge for a week, she made him properly complete his school assignment so he could understand the challenges of parenting.

A caring disciplinarian, Rochelle showed us a mother’s tough love isn’t always difficult.