Aaron McGruder and Will Packer have been working on a new drama series for Amazon called Black America. The show imagines an America where ex-slaves received Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama as reparations and have created a sovereign nation called New Colonia. Residents of New Colonia and the United States become intertwined in various conflicts that will determine its fate as an emerging industrialized nation. Packer explains,
“It was something that was personally intriguing for me as a Black American, you would be hard pressed to find many Black Americans who have not thought about the concept of reparation, what would happen if reparations were actually given. As a content creator, the fact that that is something that has been discussed thoroughly throughout various demographics of people in this country but yet never been explored to my knowledge in any real way in long-form content, I thought it was a tremendous opportunity to delve into the story, to do it right. That involves “bringing on the appropriate historians to make sure we are telling the story in an accurate and responsible way.â€
McGruder, who is famous for his Boondocks series, worked with Packer previously on the movie Think Like A Man. Packer wanted to work with McGruder again and felt that his sardonic wit was ideal for Black America. Â McGruder is currently writing for the series that is still in the development stage but Packer said the series will generally focus on the topic of reparations, America’s mistakes and a future direction for Blacks.