A Self Reflection on Jahmela Biggs Yarbrough’s “First The Web Series”
It feels like I've seen EVERYTHING good on Netflix, so a few days ago, I decided to venture outside of the popular streaming service for something new to watch. High off of the season finale of Insecure, I decided to check out Issa Rae's Youtube channel.
The moment I started watching, I was drawn in. The level of diverse content and creativity was just what I was looking for. I watched until I fell asleep, and when I went to work the next day, my mission was to put my co-workers on to the channel, but they were already plugged in.
One of my teammates suggested that I watch "First The Web Series." He said his wife, Jahmela Biggs Yarbrough, plays the lead character. I went home and watched it the same night, and to my surprise, this wasn't my first time coming across “First." I immediately recalled the catchy theme song and a scene from episode one where Robin and Charles, the two lead characters, go on a very interesting date. They're led through an intimate poetry experience and writing exercise by a poet played by James Bland. (You might know him as Kelly's baby daddy from season 5 of Insecure). The first time I tuned in I must’ve stopped there because everything was new to me after that scene. Before I knew it, I'd watched the whole season. When I finished, I was more than satisfied because everything about "First," from the storyline to the storyteller, encouraged me to look at myself and imagine what my future could be from a different point of view.
When I think of my future, I rarely dream of being the lead character in a show, but I dream of creating, writing, producing, and directing one, and before I watched "First," that dream always felt so out of my reach. Then, at the end of episode one, I saw Jahmela's name roll across my screen as the creator, writer, and producer of "First," and at that moment, a little bit of fear and doubt left my body. All of a sudden, my dream felt a lot less impossible. I said to myself, "Here's a Black woman, only one connection away from me, doing exactly what I dream of - using her gifts to make a lane for herself, to tell important stories, and to create opportunities for others to express themselves. She didn't need riches and fame to do it. All she needed was to believe that she could.
And, to me, that's what "First" is. A story about self-belief. A story about what we can achieve when we believe in ourselves first. Yes, "First" is a story about Robin and Charles falling in love, but more importantly, it's about Jahmela Biggs Yarbrough falling in love with herself. A black woman who let her light shine and unconsciously gave all of us permission to do the same.
To be inspired by First or to learn more about Jahmela Biggs and Yarbrough Studios visit:
https://www.yarbroughstudios.co/who-we-are
~ Miki