Introduction
Soul food was a series that revolved a black family living in Chicago. The two families consisted of the Van Adams and the Chadways. The Chadways had one son while the other did not have a chance of getting a baby. The family was faced with various problems such as, members of the family being framed for committing a crime, incidences of racism, cases of unfaithfulness in a relationship, alcoholism, occurrences of crime such as murder and kidnapping, police harassment and issues relating to adoption.
Body
Black families did face a challenge of unemployment. Lem had tried to look for a job, but his efforts were not rewarded. He simulated a situation that he had a job, where he woke up early and left the house. Bird discovered what Lem was doing and decided to confront him. The manner in which she confronted him was wise because she knew how protective he could get. She decided to help him to look for a job and told no one about his unemployment. Lem agreed to be helped so that they could become financial stable.
It has been recorded that crime related problems have been associated with black families. When a crime was committed, the police assumed that the first suspects were of minority descent. When an arsonist burned down the grocery, Lem was arrested and jailed while the investigations were conducted. The rest of the family turned their back on him but Teri defended him. She did her job well to the extent that the judge offered bail. The bail was so much that the family could not afford to raise it. Lem remained collected while the rest of the family tried to find ways of raising the amount.
Ahmad was framed for snatching a purse from a woman. The entire school perceived him as being a criminal to the extent that police officers were brought in to question him. It was at this point that Ahmad faced Problems associated with being a black man. Ahmad was calm during the whole time and told none of family about it. This was a wise decision since it would have sparked conflict between the school and his family.
As Ahmad walked home, he witnessed a drug related murder. He decided to tell Lem about it because he was the only person that could help him deal with that issue. Lem decided that it was best for Ahmad to remain silent about it because if Teri knew this, He will be forced to testify. This would lead to the endangerment of their lives. Lem decided to do that because he knew the consequences of testifying against drug dealers.
The families are also faced relationship issues ranging from cheating cases to lack of commitment. This was witnessed where the Chadways were about to celebrate their 13th anniversary, Maxine found a letter that was written to Kenny by Lila. She drove all the way to Milwaukee to confront Lila together with her three children. She did that because she thought Kenny was cheating on her. That was an irrational move because she would have confronted her husband before deciding to visit Lila. With her, lack of trust to men, Maxine advised her friend who was about to get married to sign a pre-nuptial agreement with her partner. Maxine told her that the pre-nuptial agreement was good for her marriage because it was prevent her husband from cheating.
These problems have led to individuals turning to drugs or to some cases developing diseases associated with stress. Damon developed a drinking habit, which finally made him an alcoholic. Most men turn to alcohol as a solution to their problems. The whole family decided to help him deal with the problem and get him a job that would keep him busy.
The following issues are still prevalent among black families. Issues pertaining to relationships do form a huge percentage. Mistrust amongst partners have led to several cases of divorce and has encouraged most young couple to sign pre-nuptial agreements before they are married. Lack of commitment in a relationship is still a problem. This has resulted in disagreements that have catastrophic consequences. Lack of commitment has led to raising cases of abortion cases among black families.
Prejudice is still prevalent among black individuals. The unlucky fellows are framed and jailed for crimes they did not commit. Their rights are violated by the police force. In some case, police brutality is imposed on them. Most black families have lost their members to prisons or death just because the law believed that, behind every crime, a black man was involved.
Alcoholism and panic attacks are mostly associated with families that faced those problems. Alcoholism was mostly associated with men but rarely to women. Women mostly succumbed to panic attacks that affected their health.
Conclusion
Lem was one the characters that a young man would love to copy. With his tainted background, he was able to adjust with the whole family. The manner in which he solved his problems was professionally done. Damon was an alcoholic but was wise to accept rehabilitation. Young men were encouraged to solve their problems professionally and seek assistance.