'The Black Watch' Explores 'Miss Juneteenth' & 'Small Axe'

From a Texas pageant celebrating freedom to a vibrant London house party soundtracked by reggae classics, BOSSIP and Cassius’ latest episode of The Black Watch takes a global look at stories centering the Black experience on this Juneteenth holiday.

Today, the brands released a new installment of its editorial-led series examining notable films and television projects through thoughtful discussion and cultural commentary.

The latest episode brings together BOSSIP Managing Editor Dani Canada, executive producer Serita Wesley, and comedian-writer Richard Jones for a conversation centered on Miss Juneteenth and Steve McQueen’s acclaimed anthology Small Axe.

“We’re discussing films that cover the Black experience all over the world in today’s episode of The Black Watch,” Dani says at the start of the discussion. “Because it’s Juneteenth, we thought it would be only fitting to re-watch or maybe watch for the first time films about the African-American celebration.”

The conversation begins with Miss Juneteenth, Channing Godfrey Peoples’ acclaimed drama starring Nicole Beharie as Turquoise Jones, a former beauty queen determined to give her daughter opportunities she never had.

While reflecting on the film’s pageant-centered storyline, Richard revealed that it struck a particularly personal nerve.

“I was triggered,” he joked. “First of all, I’m from the South. I live in Memphis, Tennessee. Second of all, I grew up bougie, okay? Jack and Jill, debutante ball…”

That confession quickly spiraled into one of the episode’s funniest moments when Richard launched into an impassioned rant about Maya Angelou’s iconic poem Phenomenal Woman, which features prominently in the film.

“My deep disdain for Phenomenal Woman,” Richard declared before reciting a portion of the poem from memory. “That poem can kiss my a**.”

Dani, however, found herself sympathizing with Turquoise’s determination to preserve traditions she viewed as important.

“Turquoise was very passionate about Phenomenal Woman,” Dani noted. “My heart went out to her because her daughter was just like, ‘I don’t get it.'”

Serita praised the film’s emotional core and the sacrifices at the center of Turquoise’s journey.

“I like how it all came full circle, and you just got to see that it really is about a mother’s love and what she was willing to do for her child,” she said.

The conversation later veered into a discussion about Kendrick Sampson’s character, prompting both praise and playful frustration from the panel.

“Kendrick Sampson, oh my God. He pissed me off,” Dani joked. “You fine scoundrel, how dare you!”

“It’s them damn eyes,” she added.

Richard quickly agreed.

“I got a daughter, and the first thing I’m about to tell her is you better watch for them light-skinned n****s with green eyes.”

Beyond the laughs, Richard also praised the film for avoiding what he called one of his least favorite storytelling pitfalls.

“I like that it constantly teetered on the brink of being poverty p***, which I hate,” he said. “I cannot stand poverty p***, and this managed to hit some of those tropes but not fall all the way into that trap.”

Instead, he argued, the film succeeds because Turquoise remains a fully realized character rather than a symbol of struggle.

The panel also discussed whether Miss Juneteenth deserves a second look from audiences who may have overlooked it upon release.

“Overall, this film was a bit of a sleeper,” Dani said. “I don’t know that it got enough press or people heard about it enough.”

“Absolutely,” Serita responded when asked whether viewers should revisit it for Juneteenth. “I do.”

She also pointed to Nicole Beharie’s growing profile in Hollywood as another reason the film feels ripe for rediscovery.

“I think also because obviously the main character has gotten more popular, Nicole, since the time the film came out,” Serita explained. “The resolution is so great. The resolution’s perfect.”

The discussion then shifts overseas as the panel revisits Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, the acclaimed five-film anthology chronicling the lives of West Indian immigrants and their descendants in London.

“Now let’s switch gears here and talk about another film centered on the Black experience,” Dani says. “I want to talk about the anthology series Small Axe that came out during the pandemic. It was directed by Black Brit director Steve McQueen.”

When asked to pick a favorite installment, Serita highlighted Education, the coming-of-age story about a young Caribbean boy who is wrongly pushed into a school for students deemed less academically capable.

“My favorite was Education,” she said. “I loved it. I felt like I could relate to it.”

Serita revealed that the story resonated with her because of her own childhood experiences navigating the education system.

“As somebody who at one point went to a school where they tried to tell my mother she belonged in this other class, not this class—and she was like, ‘I wish you would’—it was really nice to see Black women coming together fighting for their children.”

“It struck a chord for me. It made me a little emotional.”

Richard selected Red, White, and Blue as his standout installment, praising John Boyega’s portrayal of Leroy Logan, one of London’s first Black police officers.

“The episode that stood out to me the most was Red, White, and Blue,” Richard explained. “It was about this gentleman by the name of Leroy, who was one of the first Black police officers in London back in the ’80s.”

Richard was particularly fascinated by the character’s decision to join the very institution that had brutalized his family.

“To combat corruption within that system, he decides to become a police officer despite the disapproval of his father,” he said.

The conversation also led to a broader discussion about how racism and police brutality extend beyond the United States.

“I had no idea,” Richard admitted. “We as Americans, particularly Black Americans, think that racism is something that unfortunately we own. Police brutality is something that we own. Not understanding that it is very much a universal phenomenon.”

“Absolutely,” Serita replied. “White supremacy can’t be stopped. It’s international for sure.”

Richard also praised Boyega’s performance, calling it one of the actor’s strongest roles to date.

“To see him approach this role with a degree of vulnerability that I’ve never seen him portray on screen before was just a thing of beauty to watch,” he said, later adding that he remains frustrated by how Boyega was handled within the Star Wars franchise.

Dani’s favorite entry, however, was Lovers Rock, the beloved installment centered on a massive house party in 1980s London.

“My favorite, bar none, was Lovers Rock,” she said.

Dani praised the film’s depiction of Black joy, community, and the underground party culture that flourished because Black Londoners were often excluded from white nightlife spaces.

“They get the sound system, they have the food, they have all this amazing music,” she explained. “More than that, it really is about the Black joy that they had at these house parties.”

She also noted that while the film captures romance and youthful energy, it never loses sight of the realities that made those spaces necessary.

“It really underscores what was happening at that time and how they had to have spaces to enjoy themselves where it was safe,” Dani said.

Ultimately, the panel agrees that both Miss Juneteenth and Small Axe offer powerful examinations of identity, family, perseverance, and community while highlighting the diversity of stories that exist throughout the Black diaspora.

Check out the latest episode of The Black Watch below.