*PBS has debuted an insightful new series titled “Making Black America: Through the Grapevine” from executive producer, host, and writer Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Per press release, the four-part series chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” The series recounts the establishment of the Prince Hall Masons in 1775 through the formation of all-Black towns and business districts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, destinations for leisure and the social media phenomenon of Black Twitter. Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today.
“Black Americans have with grace, ingenuity and imagination created a world on the other side of the color line,” says Gates at the beginning of his docuseries, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Gates notes that it’s a world “with its own values and rules”.
Check out the trailer below.
READ MORE: R&B Icon Tony Terry Unpacks Journey in Music Industry for ‘Unsung’ | EUR Exclusive
Per the LA Times, Gates said this project is a “clarion call to young Black people, to remind them that they come from a noble tradition of culture bearers and culture seekers.”
He added, “I’m targeting it for the Black community to bolster self-esteem but also to our white, Asian and Latino brothers and sisters who don’t know the true history of our people.”
“Making Black America” takes viewers into an extraordinary world that showcased Black people’s ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself, – per press release.
EUR’s Ny MaGee caught up with directors Stacey L. Holman, who helmed the first two episodes in the series, and Shayla Harris, who directed episodes 3 and 4, to dish about some of the forgotten and historically overlooked milestones of Black America that are unpacked in this series. Check out our exclusive conversation via the clip below.
“Making Black America: Through the Grapevine” premiered October 4th on PBS.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
