Why do black characters, in particular, black women of color, have to have some curated, Huxtable-like experience? Why can’t black women, like every other human on earth, be sexual, nerdy, outrageous, or flawed? Why aren’t we allowed to share our stories of affairs, unrequited love, career failures and sexual diversity on camera?

For Blavity, Kayla Stewart writes on the progress made in 2015 in representing more diverse stories for black women in media, and how much further these stories must go.