Before the Ashfords, There Were the Wards — GH’s Original Black Legacy Family

As a Black woman and a longtime soap viewer, I take joy in every step forward we’ve made in on-screen representation. Daytime drama has not always been a welcoming space for Black characters but the landscape is changing slowly, steadily and meaningfully. We now see more Black actors in front-burner storylines, more multidimensional characters and projects like Beyond the Gates showing that Black-led soap storytelling is not only possible but powerful.

That’s why Donnell Turner’s 10-year milestone on General Hospital matters. Staying on a daytime soap for a decade is no small feat, and Turner has earned every bit of praise for the work he’s put into Curtis Ashford. He’s spoken openly about advocating for stronger, more authentic storylines for Black characters and for wanting to see the Ashfords treated as a fully rooted family rather than temporary additions to the canvas. That effort has had real impact.

But with all due respect to Donnell Turner and celebrating his tenure, it’s important to correct one point in his remarks. Turner stated that being part of the first Black American legacy family on General Hospital was a privilege. While I appreciate the sentiment and understand the pride behind it, the statement is historically inaccurate.

Because General Hospital already had a Black American legacy family: the Wards.

Introduced in 1994, the Ward family made history in ways that still resonate today. They weren’t placed on the show as isolated characters; they were deeply and permanently tied to one of GH’s core families, the Quartermaines. When the body of civil rights leader and politician Bradley Ward was discovered and his past revealed, viewers learned he was the son of Mary Mae Ward and Edward Quartermaine. That revelation instantly made the Wards Quartermaine heirs and part of the most storied dynasty in Port Charles.

Mary Mae Ward, the matriarch, became a beloved figure. Her strength, compassion, and history as a blues singer gave the character layers rarely afforded to Black women on soaps at the time. Her husband, Dan Ward, was a steady, grounding presence who raised Mary Mae’s children as his own. Their descendants, including Bradley’s son Justus Ward, brought further depth to the show. Justus bonded with Edward, worked as a lawyer for both the Quartermaines and Sonny Corinthos and played major roles in legal and moral conflicts on GH.

Keesha Ward, Justus’s cousin, became a romantic lead connected to both Jason and A.J. Quartermaine, which, in the world of soaps, is the very definition of legacy integration. Faith Ward's daughter Maya carried the family story into the early 2010s, ensuring that the Wards remained part of GH’s extended tapestry long after their introduction.

By every standard that soaps use to define “legacy family” — longevity, generational presence, connection to a central dynasty and influence on major storylines, the Wards were the first Black legacy family on General Hospital. Of course, there were other families that followed like Marcus Taggart and his mother Florence Campbell and sister Gia.

This isn’t about diminishing the Ashfords. Nor is it about calling out Donnell Turner in a negative way. I believe Turner spoke from pride, from gratitude and from his own experience and that should be respected. His statement wasn’t malicious; it was personal, heartfelt, and rooted in the progress he has helped push forward. The Ashfords are an important family in today’s GH landscape, especially with Curtis, Marshall, Trina, and Stella all firmly in the narrative. But acknowledging the present does not require erasing the past.

If we want true progress in representation, we must honor the Black families who came before, the ones who built the foundation that today’s actors now stand on. The Wards broke new ground in the 1990s, creating space that allowed families like the Ashfords to thrive decades later. Forgetting them does a disservice not just to the actors who portrayed them but to the history of Black storytelling on General Hospital and in daytime television as a whole.

We can celebrate Donnell Turner’s decade of work. We can continue rooting for the Ashfords to grow, deepen, and remain a central part of Port Charles. But we must also protect the legacy of the Ward family, who made history first.

Recognition doesn’t diminish progress. It enriches it.

Honoring the Wards isn’t about correcting Donnell Turner, it’s about correcting the record and giving credit to the Black legacy that paved the way.