Josephine Joseph (Soul Food)

Josephine Joseph is a fictional character from the 1997 film Soul Food, and the Showtime television series of the same name. Along with her grandson Ahmad -- who refers to her as "Big Mama" -- she serves as the moral and emotional center of the film. Additionally, she makes recurring appearances in flashback sequences on the television series. She is the subject of "A Song for Mama", the R&B tune by Boyz II Men which serves as the film's theme song.

Josephine is portrayed by Irma P. Hall.

Character Background

Josephine was born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, along with her brother Pete and her two sisters, Ruthie (Diahann Carroll) and Twig. When she met future husband Jeremiah Joseph (Larry Marshall), Ruthie and Twig disapproved. The sisters' relationship never fully recovered from the resulting argument.

After Jeremiah ran afoul of the Ku Klux Klan, he and Josephine moved to Chicago, along with his best friend Hardy Lester (Richard Roundtree) and Hardy's wife Ella (Gloria Foster). Jeremiah and Hardy would eventually open a local grocery store together.^[1] The Josephs raised three daughters: Teri, Maxine, and Tracy, whom they nicknamed "Bird". The family began a tradition of gathering together on Sunday afternoons for dinner, irrespective of whatever else was on an individual's personal schedule. The tradition remained unbroken for approximately 40 years.

Josephine was a beloved woman with deep moral and spiritual roots. Her presence helped to keep the family grounded, particularly after Jeremiah's death. Soon after her daughter Bird married Lem Van Adams (and after Maxine gave birth to a daughter, Brooke), Josephine was hospitalized for complications resulting from diabetes. During an operation in which her leg was amputated, she suffered a stroke and fell into a coma. Although she briefly regained consciousness weeks later while Ahmad was visiting, she had a relapse after mere minutes and died.

Josephine's presence within the Joseph family was a strong one. After her death, her grandson Ahmad and her daughters all maintained vivid memories of her. At times, it even seemed that she was appearing to them in angelic form.

References