Issa Rae Is Making Sure Black Talent Is Seen and Heard With Her Upcoming HBO Documentary

Issa Rae is continuing to educate us on Black history and adds a new series to our watch list with an upcoming HBO documentary focusing on the history of Black television.

The two-part series is titled Seen & Heard and will be a portrait of Black media production and representation over the years, promising to be a rich and informative exploration of Black history as it delves into the stories of those who’ve contributed to Black storytelling. The series will be helmed by Phil Bertelsen, the mind behind the hit series Who Killed Malcolm X, with Issa seated alongside as executive producer.

This latest announcement follows off the back of the stellar success Issa and her castmates have received for the series Insecure. While it’s been a fan favorite for the past four years, the series was recently nominated for eight Emmys including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead actress for Issa’s performance.

With an ever-pressing need to amplify Black voices, the series is a timely and important milestone for greater representation of Black culture and creativity in the media, the importance of which has been stressed by Rae. Speaking to Forbes, she highlighted how Back communities have “defined American culture and influenced generations time and time again across the globe” yet have gone “unacknowledged” in the past and present.

The series is currently a work-in-progress so no release date has been shared yet but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for this much-needed celebration of Black talent that has gone unpraised for too long.