What We’re Watching: Family Reunion

In honor of The Paley Center for Media’s Black History Month celebration, we are pleased to bring you this special preview screening of a new episode from the upcoming season of Netflix’s comedy Family Reunion. We hope that our viewing questions will help spark important conversations about gentrification and taking social action, and that you will explore our resource list for more information about the Hines Brothers, Dr. King, Maya Angelou, and Tina Turner, who are depicted in the program.

Family Reunion: "Remember When M'Dear Changed History" (2021)

Back when African Americans weren’t allowed to stay in white hotels, the Black-owned Cresthaven was host to many Black luminaries like Martin Luther King, Jr, Maya Angelou, Tina Turner, and more. When M’dear learns that it is being demolished, she chains herself to the door, determined to share her memories of this important piece of African American history.

Viewing Questions

• When Daniel gets a new job at the beginning of the episode, how does his family react?
• How does M’dear respond when she hears that his job will be to destroy the Cresthaven hotel?
• What does she explain about the hotel’s historical importance to the Black community?
• What action does M’dear take? How does this put Daniel in an awkward position?
• What four stories does she tell about famous people who stayed at the hotel in order to highlight the historical significance of the hotel and persuade people to help?
• How did she allegedly shape these important political moments, and careers of famous dancers, poets, and musicians?
• How does M’dear’s social action, storytelling, and media exposure help change the fate of the hotel in the end? What happens to Daniel’s job?
  
  

Additional Resources

Read

• Dear Martin by Nic Stone
• Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou
• "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou
• "Remembering the March," article in Time for Kids

Watch

• The Cotton Club (1984), on Amazon Prime
• Happily Ever After Tales for Every Child: Beauty and the Beast with Gregory Hines, on HBO Max
• The Hines Brothers on Sesame Street
• "Proud Mary" by Ike and Tina Turner
• "What's Love Got to Do With it?" by Tina Turner

As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at eduny@paleycenter.org!