Black women are killing it when it comes to entrepreneurship, business, and even politics, so it’s not surprising that a TV show has come out that focuses on them.
The Show We Deserve
Harlem is a new 10-episode series from Amazon Prime that focuses on the Black women-owned businesses in Harlem.
The comedy premiered on December 3, and its cast includes Meagan Good, Jerrie Johnson, Grace Byers, Tyler Lepley, Shoniqua Shandai, and even Whoopi Goldberg.
The series is the brainchild of Tracy Oliver, who created, wrote and executive produced it. Tracy also co-wrote Little, Girls Trip, and Barbershop: The Next Cut. With Girls Trip, she became the first Black woman to write a movie that earned more than $100 million (Girls Trip actually earned just over $140 million). In 2020, Tracy was also part of the Ebony Power 100 List.
Harlem follows the lives of four 30-something best girlfriends who live in Harlem. They met at New York University and have been best friends ever since. The show focuses on their lives as they balance love, their careers, aspirations, and friendship.
A Special Promotion
As part of the show’s premiere, Prime Video held a special activation at Harlem Parish. The show is about pursuing one’s dreams, so the activation shone the spotlight on Harlem’s Black female entrepreneurs.
These are the women who strove for their dreams, succeeded, and are now acting as role models for the community.
A team of experts mentored upcoming Black women-led businesses. There was a panel on entrepreneurship, and various female-led brands promoted their businesses during the event.
A Long Time Coming
Harlem is Tracy’s most personal project. She wrote it long before Girls Trip, when she was constantly receiving rejections for her pitches.
She wanted it to feature women who were in their 30s but were still figuring out life. Her goal was to show viewers that even if you don’t have your life together by the time society assumes you should, it’s still okay to keep trying.
When Tracy first penned the script, the feedback she received was that it was a beautiful sample, but nothing more than that. After the massive success of Girls Trip, though, interest appeared in Harlem.
Tracy is proud to see her creation come to life. Her hope is for more Black creators to get the chance to tell their own stories.
