In honor of Mother’s Day, we are recognizing some of the Black mom’s we love and admire throughout television history. While this list could go on and on, here are seven that we wanted to focus on:

1. Lucy Carmichael from Rugrats

Long before Michelle Obama, ’90s kids had Lucy Carmichael as the mother of Rugrats breakout character, Susie Carmichael. She was Harvard educated, made replica Tiffany lamps and trained at Le Cordon Bleu. She was also not bad at her job as a mother, as her kids didn’t wander off or get lost like other babies we know on the show.

2. Lisa Landry from Sister, Sister

Lisa Landry’s feisty and free-spirited persona was in stark contrast to her reserved daughter, Tia. Nevertheless, the intrepid fashion designer was always there to lend a listening ear to Tia’s growing pains and became a surrogate parent for Tia’s long lost sister, the equally free-spirited Tamera.

3. Vivian Banks from The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air

While Aunt Viv was classy, she was also not afraid to take off her pearls when it came standing up for her family. She taught Will about the power of Black history in one episode and delivered a memorable dance routine to C+C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat” in another.

4. Dr. Trudy Parker-Proud from The Proud Family

The more sensible and level headed of Penny Proud’s parents, Dr. Trudy Parker-Proud was a skilled veterinarian who didn’t mince words when it came to giving her daughter loving advice and putting her husband Oscar in his place when he was up to his shenanigans (such as selling his Proud Snacks).

5. Clair Huxtable from The Cosby Show

One of the OG of Black moms, Claire Huxtable’s role as one of the best Black TV moms of all time is all laid out for you in the video above. What is there not to admire?

6. Dee Mitchell from Moesha

At first, Dee got off to a rocky start with her stepdaughter to be, Moesha. But the pragmatic principal from Jamaica won her over in due time, as she did the many fans of the show.

7. Tanya Baxter from That’s So Raven

Like Raven, Tanya was a funny lady who helped her psychic daughter whenever her visions got her in some wild predicament. She also had aspirations of becoming a lawyer and was quite the singer. She was a perfect combination of the eclectic and cool mom.

READ MORE:

The Top 10 Black Fathers In Television History, Ranked

Photo by Matthew Rolston/United Paramount Network, ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images, Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank

T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh

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