HBO
In it’s short history, HBO’s We’re Here has proven that it’s not just a reality show with a gimmick, it’s a show that actually teaches us things about others and ourselves with heart and humor but in subtle ways, never beating us over the head with its message (unlike, for example, the movie Crash which felt like a sledgehammer after the first five minutes). The first season finale was a remarkable hour of television, and the second season premiere was also pretty amazing with the focus on mothers. This week’s episode, however, is probably going to be the most powerful and important hours of television we’ll see this year (and there are still four more episodes of We’re Here to come!) as the Queens travel to Selma, Alabama, the most important city in the United States in the Civil Rights movement. There is a lot to digest, to ponder, to reflect upon this week and it’s all handled with a lot of grace. I as a white person am supremely unqualified to even really discuss what this episode represents, but it still hit me emotionally, taught me a few things, and just made me feel that while progress was made after the events in Selma, we seem to be slipping backward instead of moving forward these days, and this is an episode that needs to be viewed by as many people as possible. And as the Queens take their subjects through the process, revealing their own personal stories, the focus this week really is the entire city of Selma.
Akeelah
Akeelah is a lifelong resident of Selma, as are all of this week’s subjects, and has recently transitioned. She knows the struggle Black trans women face in this country, especially in small towns like Selma which has no LGBTQ scene to speak of. Akeelah fears for her life most of the time, going back and forth from her home to her dance studio, rarely venturing anywhere else, especially at night. Bob’s main goal with Akeelah is to give her a voice in Selma, to show the people of the city that she is a fierce Black woman not to be seen or treated differently than anyone else.
Joseph
Joseph is a well-known real estate agent in Selma. He’s built his business into a success but he has to be aware of who he is depending on the clients. With some he can be himself, and with others he has to deal with them from behind the closet door, figuratively speaking, since they may not want to associate themselves with an openly gay man. Joseph has to put his business first and his personal life second. He’s also dealing with some deep-seated trauma, the result of a bad relationship he’d had with a married man who, when Joseph wanted to end the relationship had a gun pointed at his face, his soon-to-be ex telling him if he couldn’t have Joseph then no one else could either. And he pulled the trigger, Joseph’s arm blocking the bullet from hitting him in the head. Like Akeelah, Joseph works and goes home, keeping to himself most of the time with just a few friends to keep him company.
Deborah
Deborah is a grandmother in Selma. She practically raised her grandson Alkerious and granddaughter Ke’Aira, both of whom are gay. Deborah’s story is the most painful as her performance is dedicated to the memory of Ke’Aira, who was murdered and her body was dumped in a parking lot of the Elmore Community Hospital on June 19, 2020. She and Alkerious want this performance to honor Ke’Aira while giving voice to those in the LGBTQ community in Selma.
The Preparation
HBO
The episode features the usual montage of prep and rehearsals but those take a back seat to the episode’s (the series’) most important moment when Bob, Shangela and Eureka visit the By the River Center for Humanity in Selma where they meet and speak with civil rights activists, survivors of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965, an event that would become known as Bloody Sunday, an event that truly kickstarted the Civil Rights movement in this country. This moment is the real core of the episode as the Foot Soldiers share their stories of that day and what it’s meant to the country. One of the ladies, Ms. Lowery, shares her experience that day how as a teenager she was beaten by police into unconsciousness and when she came to she ran into a cloud of tear gas just to get herself to safety. It is a harrowing story and the whole experience brings Bob to tears, experiencing ‘survivor’s guilt’, listening to what these women went through so he could be the person he is today without having to go through that turmoil. The women have to tell him to not feel that guilt but to learn from their experiences and be grateful for where he is today because of that.
One of the most shocking things from all of this is that the bridge still carries the name of the Ku Klax Klan leader for whom it was named, all these years later, a stark reminder (like Confederate monuments) to the Black people of Selma that the struggle still isn’t over. Bob also is taken for a ride with Akeelah through the more desolate parts of Selma, and it’s shocking to see how severely depressed the city is. It’s pointed out that the world truly benefited from the events in Selma in 1965, but Selma has not benefited from the world. I just can’t shake the imagery from my mind and those words ring so true.
One interesting aspect of the rehearsal process is that for the first time two of the subjects actually know each other, Akeelah and Joseph, so in addition to the support from their drag team, they also had each others’ backs. Eureka had to push Deborah at one point to find her voice. While trying on wigs, she didn’t look thrilled with the choices so far and Eureka said they can get a darker wig if that’s what she wanted. Deborah looked at her grandson and asked him what he thought, and Eureka told her this was about what Deborah wanted so she looked right at Eureka and said ‘let’s get a darker wig’. A breakthrough!
The Show
HBO
The show this week had fun moments and emotional moments. For Akeelah, it was a chance to put herself out there, loud and proud, her name up in lights (now spelled out as AkeeLah). Joseph got to strut his stuff and love himself for a change. After being in a DL relationship (Down Low, for those not in the know, when a married man is secretly with a gay man) that nearly killed him and having to be sort of on the DL with his own clients, he’s also been able to lift a weight from his shoulders. Deborha and Alkerious had a moving performance that culminated in memorializing Ke’Aira.
The real showstopper, however, was Bob the Drag Queen’s solo number, entering the stage with a massive wig, think Tina Turner times ten. At one point, Bob stumbled and fell and the wig came off. It looked like a shocking accident at first and then … the wig started dancing! There was a child inside the wig (Bob’s niece) and they danced together, then she was back up on Bob’s shoulders and back down on the stage again. It was a remarkable performance, something I don’t think we’ve ever seen before.
While the stories of AkeeLah, Joseph and Deborah were important stories to tell this week, Selma was the real star of the episode. I hope that as many people as possible can see this episode and take some lessons from it. There are a lot of people out there who need to see this episode. Hopefully it will change some minds and some lives for the better.
What did you think of this episode? Tell us in the comments section below!
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