With black women in power, Roseanne's show never stood a chance. Thank God | Solomon Jones

It was an irony too delicious to ignore that Channing Dungey, the first black president of a major American television network, was the one to release the company's statement on Barr's racist tweet.

ABC announced on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 that “Roseanne” would not return for a second season following controversial tweets from the show’s namesake, Roseanne Barr.Read moreAdam Rose/ABC via AP

by Solomon Jones | Columnist

Published May 29, 2018, 5:44 p.m. ET

The stunning cancellation of the hit television series Roseanne, after the show's star, Roseanne Barr, posted a racist tweet, is a reflection of America's evolution on the issue of race.

"Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj," Barr tweeted in response to a comment about Jarrett.

The internet exploded in response to Barr's racist and Islamophobic comment, and Barr apologized for her Twitter rant.

However, the damage was already done. But I would argue that Barr's racist tweet was just the straw that broke the camel's back for her show's cancellation.

The true reason for ABC's decisive response to her public racism was put in place years ago, when black women with power infiltrated the system.

One of those black women, Wanda Sykes, was a producer of the Roseanne show. She announced online shortly after Barr's racist tweet that she would not return to the show.

Another of those black women, Shonda Rhimes, is the showrunner for hits such as Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder, both of which feature strong black female leads.

But the African American woman whose true power reared its head in the cancellation of Barr's show is a name you may not have heard before — Channing Dungey.

Formerly ABC's executive vice president for drama development, movies, and miniseries, it was Dungey who worked behind the scenes to put Rhimes and her shows in position to succeed on the network. She did the same for shows such as Quantico. That success made Dungey a prime candidate to replace Paul Lee as president of the ABC Entertainment Group in February 2016.

As the first black president of a major American television network, Dungey is imbued with incredible power. So much so that she green-lit Roseanne, despite the actor's recent history of racial insensitivity. But with great power comes great responsibility, and Dungey acted responsibly. And, given the content of the tweet, the irony of a black woman firing Barr is just too delicious to ignore.

"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," Dungey's statement said. And with that, Barr's latest run on ABC was history. Thank God.

But this was more than a statement on behalf of a television network. This was a statement on the evolution of America's relationship with race, as told through the story of the Walt Disney Co.

Solomon Jones is the author of 10 books. Listen to him weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon on Praise 107.9 FM. sj@solomonjones.com: @solomonjones1