Commentary

Robin Givens: Iconic Actress Stars in OWN’s “Ambitions”

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Givens stars in the new OWN series, “Ambitions,” as ‘Stephanie Carlisle,’ the wife of Atlanta Mayor Evan Lancaster (Brian White), whose true loyalty is to her family’s prestigious law firm, where she is the latest in a long line of distinguished lawyers.

Published

6 years ago

February 12, 2019

Oakland Post

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Entertainment and Culture Editor

Enduring actress Robin Givens spent the day promoting her new OWN television series, “Ambitions” at the 2019 SCAD a TVfest film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia Feb. 7-9. Produced by Will Packer Media, in association with Lionsgate and Lionsgate-owned distributor Debmar-Mercury, and starring Givens (“Riverdale,” “The Fix,” “The Bold and the Beautiful”), “Ambitions” is a multi-generational family saga centered around one woman who, having recently relocated and intent on revitalizing her marriage, finds herself going head to head with some of the most powerful and deceitful players in the city of Atlanta.

Givens stars as ‘Stephanie Carlisle,’ the wife of Atlanta Mayor Evan Lancaster (Brian White), whose true loyalty is to her family’s prestigious law firm, where she is the latest in a long line of distinguished lawyers.

Givens, who has had a long career in television and film is excited about her role as a dynamic woman fighting for position in a power-hungry city. “Ambitions” is a soapy, kind of campy family saga, about a woman who tries to take over her dad’s law firm and everything that goes on in this town,” says “The Fix” actress. “I use the word delicious to describe the role because it’s so fabulous. I really feel blessed to be able to play her.”

Givens, whose professional acting career spans three decades, stepped back from Hollywood in order to raise her two sons. Now that her youngest is in college, she’s ready to get back to her career at full throttle. “I’m becoming an empty nester. I’m making my way back into the business, falling in love with this all over again and I’ve had the opportunity to play some great women recently.”

Givens played Mayor Sierra McCoy on “Riverdale,” (CBS) and will play Julianne Johnson on “The Fix,” (ABC), a crime drama executive produced by former prosecutor Marcia Clark, debuting in March of this year. Givens also stars in the indie film Gully (Romulus) about three teenagers in dystopian Los Angeles.

“The mayor of Riverdale is sort of a strong woman. The character I play in ‘The Fix’ is also a strong woman but in an entirely different way,” says the Boomerang actress. “Stephanie Lancaster is definitely strong and terrible and wonderful and all of these things. I find that stepping out of the characters and looking at them from outside, that they’re all sort of strong and connected.”

Not to worry, although Givens will be playing strong women, there’s still a little humor, at least when it comes to the character of Stephanie Lancaster in “Ambitions.” Givens says, “I love comedy so I’m giving Stephanie a little humor which I really love,” and hopefully audiences will too.

“Ambitions” debuts on OWN this year.

This article was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., entertainment and culture editor for NNPA. She is also founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire, an award-winning news blog covering news of the African Diaspora. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.

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Activism

The Best Advice for Raising Children: Discipline That Makes Sense

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Published

9 hours ago

May 13, 2025

Oakland Post

Headshot of Dr. William A. Thomas. Photo courtesy of Dr. William A. Thomas.

By William A. Thomas, Ph.D.

In many African societies, the primary aim of socialization is to raise children to be socially responsible and eventually provide economic support to their parents and extended families. Ghanaian philosopher Kwame Gyekye taught that children are raised to be respectful of the wishes of their parents and extended adult family members.

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Effective disciplinary strategies appropriate to a child’s age and development teach them to regulate their behavior; keep them from harm; enhance their cognitive, social, and emotional executive functioning skills; and reinforce the behavioral patterns taught by their parents and caregivers.

Below are some specific guidelines for disciplining children.

Listen to what children are talking about with interest and show them you understand their feelings. Remember, children mirror and learn about their emotional selves by hearing their feelings reflected back to them. Staying on target also means avoiding labels. When children fail to do what is expected, discussing it is helpful rather than saying how stubborn, lazy, dumb, or bad they are. By the same token, more positive labels can be helpful.

Dependability is another essential component of the discipline process. When parents are dependable, their children learn what to expect and are helped to feel secure. When parents are consistent, children learn to trust, that is, predict their parents’ behaviors with certainty. A child thinks, “When I spill something, I will always be asked to wipe it up.” A child thinks, “If I use foul language, I will always be corrected.” A child thinks, “If I take something that doesn’t belong to me, I will always have to give it back.” The ability to predict with certainty leads children to rely on their parents and the village/community in which they live. Children feel safe when they know what to expect.

Conclusions

It takes a village/community to raise the divine gift that is the Black child. Parents look to therapists for guidance concerning a variety of parenting issues, including discipline. Keep in mind that evidence suggests that corporal punishment is both ineffective in the long term and associated with cognitive and mental health disorders. When parents want guidance about the use of spanking, a child therapist can explore parental feelings, help them better define the goals of discipline, and offer specific behavior management strategies. In addition to providing appropriate education to families, the Bay Area Association of Black Psychologists (Bay ABPsi) can refer them to community resources, like parenting groups and classes.

About the Author

Dr. Thomas is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in the SF/Oakland Bay Area and Beaumont. He is a member of Bay ABPsi, a healing resource committed to providing the Post Newspaper readership with monthly discussions about critical issues in Black Mental Health. Readers are welcome to join us at our monthly chapter meetings every 3^rd Saturday via Zoom and contact us at bayareaabpsi@gmail.com.