Rarely do dark-skinned Black women get to see themselves portrayed in a TV show without their image being caricatured, stereotyped, or mocked in some form. Denée Benton’s role as Peggy means everything and has set this show far above other historical dramas ❤️❤️❤️
@samantha ssmith In THIS show, which is the one being discussed, they show Black people owning brownstones and businesses in Brooklyn, and that IS reality.
@@anthonytaylor7928 The commenter is right on the money. She wrote "rarely," and not "never." Also, when you get down to it, black families, even black elite families, were a range of complexions, as can be seen in the photos accompanying this feature. But it is great that the actress is beautifully dark skinned.
@@brachiator1 nope I have to respectfully disagree it is a lot of dark skinned actresses that has tv shows political talk shows reality shows ect on please yall do ur research
As a history buff I knew there was so much material to reference for the African American characters, I was afraid that the writers wouldn’t know where to look or even fathom the lives of African Americans during the Gilded Age. Kudos to the writers and researchers.
@@sryder8312 they might be graduating college but their men aren’t marrying them and are leaving them to be single mothers at an alarming rate. The culture is the problem.
Now that more people are aware of what happened in 1921 in Tulsa/ Black Wall St, it's really important to explain how that community became what it was. This show is helping explain it.
In the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, there were more black senators than ever in American history. It is so wonderful to see Salli Richardson Whitfield and the other black writers and producers on the show lend their talents to bring forth aspects of American history that many are not aware of. This fuller telling of the Gilded Age (one of my favorite eras) is very satisfying. The Black elite also had their own social strata. They created wealthy communities in the Hamptons like Oak Bluffs (where the Obamas summered) and Sag Harbor Hills as well as Weeksville (now called Crown Harbor) in Brooklyn and many more elite enclaves throughout the United States despite the racial violence and unjust laws they experienced. We look forward to new episodes and wish you all continued success. 🙏🏾
i recently found out bout the black upper-class too and its so wonderful to see it acted out on screen. i subbed across it when I saw some old pictures of black Victorian ladies from the late 19th C and ever since then iv been looking it up. also thx for all the info. Now I can do some more research on the towns you listed. ps: there is a western film called "the harder they fall" inspired off black characters from the west. after watching, someone's comment led me to towns formed in the west called "freedom-towns", which you prob named a few of them already. all this stuff is fascinating to learn and even more so because they were real lives of Black Americans.
As someone who loves period drama it often feels like POC are either ignored or shoehorned in as an after thought. In this drama however the Scott family feel so authentic and naturally a part of the story. I for one had no idea about the black elite (the only other show I can think of that touches on it is Self Made about madam CJ Walker). It makes me hopeful we will see more period dramas focus on the black elite in the future.
YESSS the exact reason love this so much. "Self Made" was a bit disappointing in the story and especially the wardrobe but, all in all i enjoyed it. Peggy, i believe, was modeled after Ida B. Wells, a famous Black woman journalist from the late 19th. she also help found the NAACP
IF THEY GONNA REDO BLK AMERICAN HISTORY IN HOLLYWOOD...WHY AINT THEY DOING THE SAME FOR ASN AMERICANS, LATINO AMERICANS AND INDIAN AMERICANS? F HOLLYWOOD FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS.
Exactly. I was preparing for more dive into the black elite in Brooklyn for season 2, then they threw the whole baby and the trip to Philadelphia plot..which saddens me. I'm not goign to stop watching but I hope they resolve that sooner in season 2 so we get to see more of the black elite.
YES PLEASE, for some weird reason it's like the world wants to show us that affluent black families never existed until recently.. they've been there throughout history. They always portray us in the worst ways, like that's our entire history.
@samantha ssmith Did the whole point escape you? Black people were rising like a phoenix from slavery which had JUST ENDED and yet they were grabbing every opportunity available. Succeeding in so many ways. There was still racist treatment but they did not let it stop them from progressing. So, YES, joy and triumph. You're just a negative and nasty blind women if you can't see that.
I would applaud the writers even more, if they mention Seneca Village next season. It was dismantled a few years before this series starts but it would interesting to start a conversation about it.
Seneca Village is extremely important. I want a film or series that shows how we as a people flourished. I want to see, smell and feel how we lived, what we ate, what gave us joy. And at the end as a side note reveal the egregious elimination of Black people by white America, now sits below Central Park.
@@livingwithphyllis9261 I was just going to ask if Seneca Village was where Central Park is now located. CBS Sunday Morning or CBS Morning Show did a segment on this subject and they even found some descendants living still in NYC of some of the people that originally lived in S. Village. If I recall correctly these descendants had no clue. The clip is here on You Tube as I just watched a month ago.
Wow, that is a hidden historical omission and secret. Redlining at its best, to tear down a thriving town to make way for Central Park. Immanent domain has claws and dividers based in Eugenics and Race erasure.
Love this! Peggy is by far my favorite character. There's so many layers to her and this feature definitely sheds more light into the Black Elite, a subject that I myself wasn't too familiar with so it's wonderful to know more about this period of American history. P.S. Aunt Agnes is hilarious and I love her power dynamic versus Bertha! ❤
Instead of race swapping characters in shows, I want to see more of THIS. I want to see writers shine a flashlight into the corners of forgotten history and tell stories of POC instead of projecting white culture onto POC like Amazon is doing. This is far more fascinating and authentic.
In the context of WOT the diversity they’ve chosen does not affect the story at all but I can understand it can be annoying when you have a fixed image of the character in your mind. But remember the Rue scandal in Hunger Games? The book describes her as a poc but somehow the readers expected her to be white lol.
@@IceCream-hp7mm having never read WoT it didn't bother me, in fact, issues surrounding it didn't even cross my mind until the fans brought them up. Like how are these remote medieval settlements that are cut off from the rest of the world so diverse in the first place? But that is such an insignificant detail. I feel race swapping is fine so long as it makes sense, or you go the route of Hamilton and just go all in and fully commit to it. But the example i like to bring up all the time is Lone Ranger. All this fuss was made to hire Johnny Depp because he was 1/36th native, meanwhile the role of the lone ranger still went to a white person... the real life lone ranger was black. Hollywood missed a huge opportunity there to tell forgotten black history. And instead they continued to uphold one of their biggest crimes in the history of whitewashing.
@@FablestoneSeries oh that’s interesting, the ones fighting for JD probably had no clue. Studios do not care about diversity the change comes because now their consumers are interested in that.
On social media, I hear a lot of complaining about "modern women" and our careers, so on top of seeing a black elite family, I'm also glad to see her father want to pass his business to her and her wanting to forge her own career. People act like there weren't always a segment of women who wanted the growth, opportunities and freedoms that having a career brings.
Look up the Downing catering dynasty of New York. By the 1880s this Black dynasty were said to be among the wealthiest and more connected business families of the entire city. They brought the concept Oyster fine dining to New York city for the first time from the 1820s onwards. There are pictures of them, the children were educated in Europe etc.
Peggy's wardrobe, tho. Her outfits are amazing. The costume designer deserves an Oscar or Emmy!!!! I love the premise of the show and I want to see it, but I don't have HBO.
@samantha ssmith No, wealthy Black folk who dressed accordingly, who dressed like OTHER upper-class people of the era. "Dolly Europeans..."🙄 Did you say that about the AMERICANS who were dressed in that manner? Just say you're a loudmouthed, knuckle-dragging racist and be done with it.
I just pray that Peggy wont be a throw away character like they tend to do. You have no idea how amazing it is to see a high melanin sister and seen her portrayed in such a beautiful light! Thank you!
"Well, why should I align myself with either party when I don't have the right to vote?" WOAH, son! I find it ironic that an Irish housemaid was accusing Black people of coming to their their jobs when that was EXACTLY what was being said about the Irish immigrants lol.
Such brilliant writing and production. When a show can transport you into the lives of the characters where you become invested in the many relationships, you know it’s a success. I love this series. So happy they got picked up for season 2. Can’t wait for Monday nights on HBO. 👏🏽💐
I also wanted to point out Lena Horne’s paternal family were very much apart of the Black Upper Middle Class in Brooklyn. I remember reading her memoir where she said the happiest memories of her childhood was when she lived with her paternal grandparents.
Me too. That is where I first learned about the Black elite class in Brooklyn. Ms. Horne's grandparents were indeed a part of this community during the end of the 19th century. Her grandmother was involved with civil rights, a member of the NAACP, and suffragist. And they were well educated too.
Kudos to the writers/creators for showcasing the Black Elite another form of the Black American Experience which most history books tend to leave out. I absolutely love Peggy’s story and it’s so refreshing to see a beautiful l/intelligent dark skin Black woman like myself in an important role. Great series!!!
I really don't get why we don't see more of this, they always show us as struggling like all black people are in same level of society. Would love to see a show focus on black elites, not just the one's from the 20th & 21st century.
What history books leave this out? you mean histories that arent about this specific time or place or subject cause thats relevant to all history isnt it.
@@caronstout354 yeah, I know. My friend called me when she saw it in ‘Watchman’ for the first time and that was how I, a South African, found out that most Americans don’t know what happened then
OMG the side walk thing is so true. The amount of times white people have assumed I'd excuse myself before them is astounding when you think about the world we share today. I have to remember it's less about politeness and more about respect.
I have never had that happen to me. I'm from the Bronx but live in Europe now. I'm assuming you're speaking of a wt American. But if a wt person did engage in that folly with me they would be very disappointed in the outcome 😂
Yes it happens in Brooklyn right now since the white gentrifiers are moving in and they think the water has to part for them....and their dogs. Disgusts me what has happened to the Fort Greene I loved in my youth.
Yep I had to call my husband out about doing this. Out of habit he would go out of his way to move for them even when we were there first or had the right of way. He wasn't aware that he was doing it but he has improved and tried to be more conscious
This is literally about my mom side of the family In Birmingham Alabama, you had these kinds of communities especially in the south !! That are still around & have evolved into Atlanta, Columbia South Carolina, Birmingham Alabama, Jackson Mississippi etc
It's not erasure as such it's more ignoring the existence of black elite. I hope they do a spin off which focuses on the black elite and not in roles of servitude.
This black experience still happens in Manhattan. Many times as a proud black man who dresses well and walks with his head held high living on the UWS I get these looks from a lot of white people as if they have never seen a black person before in NYC in 2022. There is a difference between being aware of your surroundings and still looking at someone even when they have passed by you. I don’t know if they really understand how rude and disgusting it is, quite frankly I do not care but it just shows how things really haven’t changed that much in NYC.
@@MothGirl007 No. I believe he is old enough to know when someone is looking at him with admiration. You can always tell when someone is against you and when someone is for you.
That scene where the white couple wanted to them to part to let them through happens so much to this day lol but I don’t care who you are if I was there first then you move around me not the other way around . I won’t make myself small to comfort anyone .
I was about to add that's it's thrilling to see a dark-skinned young woman's portrayal treated with respect and dignity ...And then I realise everyone's already saying that in the comments, too. 😄Still, it's worth repeating, though! As a young Jamaican female writer myself, even having not watched this series yet, it makes me feel like I'm standing a foot taller. 🥰😇 (I'm in the middle of writing a story along these lines someday...I hope there will still be a market for it in the future, and this positive awareness of black history rising is not just a trend!) P.S.: Author Beverly Jenkin's YA novels "Belle", and later, its sequel, are similar stories of a young black woman finding her footing, and rising in the world during the Reconstruction-Era. For anyone interested in written fiction on this subject, that might be a place to start -- haven't read them, but I hear they are wholesome and well-told!
@Ameerah McSweeney Dark skin tones have not been portrayed as positively as others, by and large, in western film for generations. Now that it is, it is a moment to celebrate, not to come up with cheap and irrelevant clapbacks.
I was always into learning history in school and I have NEVER heard of the Black elites. I am SO happy to be entertained AND learn something new (even though it's history). We really need to do better in terms of education regarding our history. But this looks AMAZING
I love this show because of this exactly. I had no idea of the black elite. But of course we were thriving too! Of course! How wonderful it is to know that! I love Peggy so much! I hope they include her in all the seasons to come!
This narrative is a must for the show. I know without it, I would have been less likely to keep watching. There are other narratives that continue to be ignored/kept away from the big screen. America is more complex than Black and White, even at this time in history.
This is true. While I’m happy to see storylines about African Americans, I’m also hoping to see stories about Native Americans, Chinese and other Asian American communities, Latino communities and more, because you’re right, American history is more complex and colorful than black and white.
Being denied this picture of the black community is such an injustice, and this series should be praised for telling it. It seems like we erased the stories of these great black members of our society and sold the black community a lie of who they truly were and what they could achieve. I really enjoy seeing this side of our history in such a truly beautiful story.
My ancestors are a part of this elite history. We are still here, but we lay low. I'm not usually into characters like this, but she was masterfully written.
Bravo!! I think the producers have done a PHENOMENAL job in creating a television series that UNFORTUNATELY not too often reflects the FULL realities of Black life here in America.
I have known about for years. I am a debutante. What I would like to see is Peggy interacting more with some of the colored women's groups they had at the time. I remember them well growing up. Good start, but I hope it is expanded more.
I'm fascinated about the Black elite in San Francisco alot of people moving west for the Gold Rush era and then building up cities we don't get alot of media about it I think it's an interesting time period that was kind of running parallel to the Gilded Age
@@Wlf5953 currently it does but back then colored referred to the Separation of blacks and white during the south and north . Which is why for example in Many o places they will write , colored, Mexicans and Chinese not need to apply . Before coming for someone to educate themselves make sure you know the context . Racial definitions in the past are not the same as how it is now .
Because of this show I learned about Mary Ellen Pleasant. Even though she found her fortune on the West Coast she was around the same time when people couldn't imagine someone like her amassing wealth PERIOD and she precedes Madame CJ Walker by a few decades
(I just rewatched some of it. I didn’t recall there being so much bleeping out of profanity. As a personal rule, I generally do not recommend items with profanity - bleeped out or not - so, please do watch at your discretion.)
Mary Ellen Pleasant made her own rules and mastered the entrepreneurship game. She certainly made some unorthodox and risqué moves but she should be studied for her fortitude and business savvy.
@@noble604 YOU'RE A TRIP! THE BLEEPING OUT OF PROFANITY IS THE PRESSING IMPRESSION THAT YOU GET? GOOD LORD! 🤦🏾♀️ HOLIER THAN THOU PEOPLE! HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO BREATHE THE SAME OXYGEN AS US MERE MORTALS?
Wow! I must see this show! Finally to see us in a different light doing that time. It make you feel proud! That there was more to us! And to finally to see it on the screen! Those pictures doing that time was beautiful! The style and dress was so classy! HBO and the writers got it right! Your shows always try to bring the real truth! Thank you for having the time and doing the real research.
It's so funny. When trailers for this show first started being played, I had a conversation with a White Dude who called her presence revisionist history and politically correct casting. Why, because he was ignorant regarding the Black Elite. What's happening in classrooms and with textbooks today where there is true revisionist history occuring, isn't the first time our history has been erased. Especially the positive aspects. It's wonderful that People of Color in general and Black People specifically are beginning to rectify this in ways that won't be so easily erased.
If it was a show about Vikings or ancient Celts and they casted a bunch of the roles with black actors, then he'd have a point. But the black elites of the Gilded Age did exist.
@@AmandaFromWisconsin I don't know when it will hit home with you all. Africa IS the cradle of civilization, the birthplace of all humanity. There were and are Black People in every part of the world now and in every part of history...Even Vikings and Ancient Celts. Even if it may have been a nominal amount, they were still present... The destruction and distortion of history isn't a new thing "they" are not clever or creative. The playbook is the same and excluding Black People is what they do and have been doing.
I remember hearing stories of white American soldiers in WWII trying to talk down to and insult black West Indian soldiers fighting for the British and those West Indian soldiers would beat up white Americans calling them the n-word and those men were taken aback by that…
Loved the way Peggy's mom addressed the shoes after Marian realized her charitable faux pas. Very funny. Peggy's family home was far more substantial than Marian's father. If Raikes marries Marian, do they move to Brooklyn?
This is sooooo exciting to me. This is exactly my paternal side; they're from New York. I've never seen this on tv or in movies before. And no lady, they weren't subservient.
I'm so glad to see a character like Peggy Scott on the show because this is a hugely neglected part of history. I love how she's a budding journalist and has plans and ambition. The picture isn't complete without her.
A breath of fresh care when compared to the rife pain and trauma that is oftentimes the default in the telling of black history. Wealth, innovation and abundance is something we need our kids to see in our past communities as well°•♡
I LOVE this series and love there are Black women who executive produce, write and direct episodes! Proud that character Peggy looks like me! Bravo to Salli, who also directed episodes of The Wheel of Time. ~Elizabeth
Got to own the medium ourselves. Cant depend on browbeating white hollywood ownership to portray us the way we want to see us. Blacks have to be the owners of the media our kids consume
I love the way black folks are portrayed in this series, resilient, intelligent, strong willed. So much better than that other period drama where inexplicably black people became queen of England and other English nobles.
I’m very invested in the history of what the show is portraying but I would be really interested in a show that focuses on this period of time in black Brooklyn.
Those lives DID exist. It is a collective history and it is very smart to bringing these characters into the show. There are MANY stories of that time. Let’s hope the show illuminates many alongside all of the white elite arcs. It will enrich and educate.
Like so many others, I never realized that there was a “black elite” in NYC and I found it fascinating. I hope Season 2 will explore this a bit more. In fact, I’d love to see an entire series about it.
😲... The things u don't learn in school, oh my!!!! Initially I was already drawn to the show because it was well written and well crafted then the idea was of course an escape, but now to learn something one has never known before is an amazing thing!!! " "His story"whoever he may be should be rewritten and black children, all children, really should definitely learn this piece of History on a daily basis and not monthly. To learn that our people are more than slaves, is the beginning of the truth, but there is more to come historically that I do believe!
While talking about historical accuracy: "She's a Republican..." yeah because Abraham Lincoln was. The switch to Democrat as a people came later 20th Century.
Most Black men were Republicans at that time not just because Abraham Lincoln was but because at that time the Republican party was liberal and progressive in terms of advancing civil rights for Black men. White women won the right to vote in 1920 but Black women, Native Americans, and other people of color could not vote in the United States until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That’s just 56 years ago.
The best scenes (in a show with brilliant scenes) were the Marion/Scott family scenes. I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past three decades and I still experience situations like these.
I really , REALLY appreciate this series, 10000000X better than Bridgerton which is completely insulting , inauthentic and ignores the cruelty of that Regency time period to POC. This is very authentic and highlights the affluence and achievement of a group despite all the trials and tribulations they had to face. Well done HBO!!
I know! Marian is such a bore that I was hoping she'd marry that guy and leave forever! No such luck ... But why make Peggy a single mom as her son is alive!!!! Hope things turnaround for her next season.
