Dubois Family
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| The Boondocks character | |
 Thomas Lancaster Dubois  Sarah Dubois  Jazmine Dubois |
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| The Dubois Family | |
| Job | Assistant District Attorney (Tom) |
|---|---|
| Best Friend | The Freeman family |
| Interests | NAACP (Tom, Sarah) Liberal politics (Tom, Sarah) Singing (Tom) Listening to Usher (Sarah, Jazmine) Santa Claus (Jazmine) |
| Voice actor | Cedric Yarbrough (Tom) Jill Talley (Sarah) Gabby Soleil (Jazmine) |
| Debut | "The Trial of R. Kelly" |
The members of the Dubois family — Tom (husband), Sarah (wife), and Jazmine (daughter) — are fictional characters and featured players in Aaron McGruder's Boondocks comic strip and animated TV series. They live across the street from the main characters, the Freeman family — Robert and his grandsons, Huey and Riley.
[edit] Tom
Thomas Lancaster Dubois, a wealthy, scrupulous and mild-mannered man, is an assistant district attorney and close friend of Robert Freeman. Tom, being non-confrontational and skittish by nature, adheres strictly to the law, particularly due to his irrational fear of being sent to prison and anally raped as explained in the episode A Date With The Health Inspector. This fear originated when Tom was exposed at a very young age to a movie depicting the violent prison raping of a man. The fear developed to such a degree that Tom refused to participate in even the slightest of legal infractions (even those that are not punishable by a prison sentence) both as a youth and throughout adulthood. The nature of his job as a prosecuting attorney produces an irony in that his job is essentially to send other people (mostly black men) to the fate he himself most fears.
Tom's hobbies include singing and playing the piano, and he once dreamt of becoming a successful recording artist. He is also an active member of the NAACP. He also played basketball on his Ivy League college team, Princeton University, but as Sarah points out, he was mostly a bench warmer. He is also depicted as somewhat of a goober and wet blanket in social situations, since he seems to lack the ability to truly lighten up
He and his wife are both practicing members of the NAACP, and both seem to demonstrate a strong understanding of the struggles of African Americans, much like Huey does. Huey is more proactive and confrontational in his approach and generally questions to what degree the NAACP actually helps African Americans. Furthermore, Huey views Tom as part of the white power structure that he detests (i.e. part of the "system"). Riley's interactions with Tom are few and far between. Huey shows Tom respect as an elder. Riley, as is the case with most adults he encounters, does not, and this leaves him prone to clash with Tom just like he often clashes with his own grandfather, for example.
He was also possessed by the spirit of Colonel H. Stinkmeaner in the episode, Stinkmeaner Strikes Back
[edit] Sarah
Sarah is the least prevalent character from the Dubois family. She, like her husband, is liberal and fiercely political. She focuses her efforts on political action against the conservatives parties. She is also incredibly casual about her and Tom's interracial marriage, even going so far as to joke about it when Tom is mocked and attacked for it. Sarah is a member of the NAACP and a self-proclaimed "crusader for black rights." Sarah is also shown to be much more playful and low-key than Tom, which leads to strains on their relationship (such as when he refused to lighten up and have a little extra wine during their anniversary- due to his phobia as stated above). She is also hinted to be somewhat sexually frustrated in their marriage.
[edit] Jazmine
Jazmine Dubois is a typical naïve and innocent ten-year-old girl, which, to her chagrin, makes her an object of ridicule for Huey and Riley. She is the most prominent child in the show other than the Freeman boys. Though Huey takes pleasure in ripping on her both subtly and conspicuously, she considers him to be a close friend and it is hinted that she has a crush on him. Huey, however, does not consider the feeling to be reciprocal. He has shown a willingness to empathize with her on occasion, however, and tends to avoid being mean just for the sake of it. Most of the time, when he chooses to tear into her, it is actually his way of dealing with her ignorance and naiveté in what could be construed as an unnecessarily cruel way to try and enlighten her. Though such attempts usually fail, he remains patient and tolerant with her.
A particularly unusual aspect of Jazmine's personality is that she is an ardent believer in Santa Claus, viewing him as not only the true meaning and essence of Christmas, but also of Christianity itself. Though theistic, she seems to confuse and muddle Santa with Jesus Christ. This is an example of McGruder satirizing the unseen effects that parents lying to children can have, as well as a possible reference to Linus and the Great Pumpkin of the Peanuts comic strip. Jazmine also has trouble accepting the fact that she is bi-racial, wishing her hair to be straight instead of puffy and afro-like.
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