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- and these were very much shows that were made to allay white fears and to protect white comfort. you're talking about the jim crow era. - and i've seen the promised land. - as the civil rights movement was kicking up, the naacp wanted to show black people in a different light. black people were going to college and making money and entering the middle class. took until 1968 for us to have a show that was served as a counterweight to shows like "beulah and "amos 'n andy." - when i think about the history of black television, i think of diahann carroll. she personifies the brilliance that has existed in black hollywood. - "julia" premiered in 1968. the country was in the midst of incredible unrest. this is right around the time that martin luther king, jr. was assassinated. - diahann carroll herself, she didn't feel that it portrayed the black experience in a way that it should've been portrayed. - julia and corey baker, this is my sister, wanda waggedorn.
writers, creators directors. - and that's a big difference in what we saw before. - [announcer] "the adventures of ozzie and harriet," starring the entire nelson family. - [announcer] "father knows best." (soaring instrumental music) - the tv landscape in the 1950s was considered the golden age television. you would have these great shows like "i love lucy," classic television shows, but you didn't have black representation until you started seeing shows like "beulah." - cereal, miss alice? - [ernie] "amos 'n andy" was the first all-black sitcom. - mornin', andy. - mornin, amos. - [ernie] but it was boycotted by the naacp, and after only two seasons in 1953, the show was canceled. - my problem with "amos 'n andy" is that there were no black writers in the room, obviously. that often can lead to stereotypes. - these shows mocking black voices, sort of making real caricatures of black life. - i learn a lot of things. i just don't retain 'em. - so you had these examples of black representation that were not always positive and did not always center black life and culture in a way in which we wanted to see ourselves.
- i don't know what that means. i know what that shit means. - by putting more seats at the table for black storytellers, writers, creators directors. - and that's a big difference in what we saw before. - [announcer] "the adventures of ozzie and harriet," starring the entire nelson family. - [announcer] "father knows best." (soaring instrumental music) - the tv landscape in the 1950s was considered the golden age television. you would have these great shows like "i love lucy," classic television shows, but you didn't have black representation until you started seeing shows like "beulah." - cereal, miss alice? - [ernie] "amos 'n andy" was the first all-black sitcom. - mornin', andy. - mornin, amos. - [ernie] but it was boycotted by the naacp, and after only two seasons in 1953, the show was canceled. - my problem with "amos 'n andy" is that there were no black writers in the room, obviously. that often can lead to stereotypes. - these shows mocking black voices, sort of making real caricatures of black life. - i learn a lot of things. i just don't retain 'em. - so you had these examples of black representation
that were not always positive and did not always center black life and culture in a way in which we wanted to see ourselves. - and these were very much shows that were made to allay white fears and to protect white comfort. you're talking about the jim crow era. - and i've seen the promised land. - as the civil rights movement was kicking up, the naacp wanted to show black people in a different light. black people were going to college and making money and entering the middle class. took until 1968 for us to have a show that was served as a counterweight to shows like "beulah and "amos 'n andy." - when i think about the history of black television, i think of diahann carroll. she personifies the brilliance that has existed in black hollywood. - "julia" premiered in 1968. the country was in the midst of incredible unrest. this is right around the time that martin luther king, jr. was assassinated. - diahann carroll herself, she didn't feel that it portrayed the black experience
- and that's a big difference in what we saw before. - [announcer] "the adventures of ozzie and harriet," starring the entire nelson family. - [announcer] "father knows best." (soaring instrumental music) - the tv landscape in the 1950s was considered the golden age television. you would have these great shows like "i love lucy," classic television shows, but you didn't have black representation until you started seeing shows like "beulah." - cereal, miss alice? - [ernie] "amos 'n andy" was the first all-black sitcom. - mornin', andy. - mornin, amos. - [ernie] but it was boycotted by the naacp, and after only two seasons in 1953, the show was canceled. - my problem with "amos 'n andy" is that there were no black writers in the room, obviously. that often can lead to stereotypes. - these shows mocking black voices, sort of making real caricatures of black life. - i learn a lot of things. i just don't retain 'em. - so you had these examples of black representation that were not always positive and did not always center black life and culture in a way in which we wanted to see ourselves. - and these were very much shows that were made to allay white fears and to protect white comfort.
you're talking about the jim crow era. - and i've seen the promised land. - as the civil rights movement was kicking up, the naacp wanted to show black people in a different light. black people were going to college and making money and entering the middle class. took until 1968 for us to have a show that was served as a counterweight to shows like "beulah and "amos 'n andy." - when i think about the history of black television, i think of diahann carroll. she personifies the brilliance that has existed in black hollywood. - "julia" premiered in 1968. the country was in the midst of incredible unrest. this is right around the time that martin luther king, jr. was assassinated. - diahann carroll herself, she didn't feel that it portrayed the black experience in a way that it should've been portrayed. - julia and corey baker, this is my sister, wanda waggedorn. - how do you do? - you're a negro! lenny didn't tell me that! - that's all right, wanda.
a realistic depiction of ourselves. - issa, what's on fleek? - and the only way that that could be done was by changing the people who were telling the stories. - i don't know what that means. i know what that shit means. - by putting more seats at the table for black storytellers, writers, creators directors. - and that's a big difference in what we saw before. - [announcer] "the adventures of ozzie and harriet," starring the entire nelson family. - [announcer] "father knows best." (soaring instrumental music) - the tv landscape in the 1950s was considered the golden age television. you would have these great shows like "i love lucy," classic television shows, but you didn't have black representation until you started seeing shows like "beulah." - cereal, miss alice? - [ernie] "amos 'n andy" was the first all-black sitcom. - mornin', andy. - mornin, amos. - [ernie] but it was boycotted by the naacp, and after only two seasons in 1953, the show was canceled. - my problem with "amos 'n andy" is that there were no black writers in the room, obviously. that often can lead to stereotypes. - these shows mocking black voices,
sort of making real caricatures of black life. - i learn a lot of things. i just don't retain 'em. - so you had these examples of black representation that were not always positive and did not always center black life and culture in a way in which we wanted to see ourselves. - and these were very much shows that were made to allay white fears and to protect white comfort. you're talking about the jim crow era. - and i've seen the promised land. - as the civil rights movement was kicking up, the naacp wanted to show black people in a different light. black people were going to college and making money and entering the middle class. took until 1968 for us to have a show that was served as a counterweight to shows like "beulah and "amos 'n andy." - when i think about the history of black television, i think of diahann carroll. she personifies the brilliance that has existed in black hollywood. - "julia" premiered in 1968.
and entering the middle class. took until 1968 for us to have a show that was served as a counterweight to shows like "beulah and "amos 'n andy." - when i think about the history of black television, i think of diahann carroll. she personifies the brilliance that has existed in black hollywood. - "julia" premiered in 1968. the country was in the midst of incredible unrest. this is right around the time that martin luther king, jr. was assassinated. - diahann carroll herself, she didn't feel that it portrayed the black experience in a way that it should've been portrayed. - julia and corey baker, this is my sister, wanda waggedorn. - how do you do? - you're a negro! didn't tell me that! - that's all right, wanda. leonard didn't tell us you aren't. - she really felt that they were presenting an image of the white negro. - but at the time, i didn't care because there's a black woman on tv. she's a nurse. she's helping people. - diahann carroll was the first black woman to be nominated
until you started seeing shows like "beulah." - cereal, miss alice? - [ernie] "amos 'n andy" was the first all-black sitcom. - mornin', andy. - mornin, amos. - [ernie] but it was boycotted by the naacp, and after only two seasons in 1953, the show was canceled. - my problem with "amos 'n andy" is that there were no black writers in the room, obviously. that often can lead to stereotypes. - these shows mocking black voices, sort of making real caricatures of black life. - i learn a lot of things. i just don't retain 'em. - so you had these examples of black representation that were not always positive and did not always center black life and culture in a way in which we wanted to see ourselves. - and these were very much shows that were made to allay white fears and to protect white comfort. you're talking about the jim crow era. - and i've seen the promised land. - as the civil rights movement was kicking up, the naacp wanted to show black people in a different light. black people were going to college and making money