Based on Jason Parham's viral essay series and directed by Prentice Penny, the docuseries tracks the rise of Black Twitter, a subculture that came to define and transform Twitter, now X, itself.
"At the time, I was really looking for a new feature to dig my teeth into," Parham explained of how he first came to write the essays in 2021. "And as someone who's been on Black Twitter for years and years, I was like you know, I think there's something here, I think there's a story waiting to be told."
The event treated guests to a screening of the first episode, as well as a Q&A with Parham, Penny and co-executive producer Joie Jacoby, moderated by Brad Jenkins.
"Power is happening there, influential things are happening there, right, so you have to protect those things, too," Penny said on the importance of shining a light on the cultural impact of Black Twitter.
Afterward, guests were able to browse the Museum of Black Twitter, a display of artifacts representing viral, cornerstone Black Twitter moments. Objects included a folding chair referencing the infamous Montgomery riverfront brawl, as well as a crown worn by Rihanna on the cover of her last album, 2016's "Anti."
"It's so special that the producers brought this experience to The Gathering Spot and were intentional about where they wanted to have these conversations," guest Khanya Brann said of the event space, a members-only club seeking to foster community among Black professionals.
"I hope people are inspired by the courage that it took to tell our raw and unfiltered stories and to tell a history that was once just truly on our phones and was once maybe called trends at one point and was gossip and just clapbacks and memes and gifs, and just put it all into a narrative that brings together what we call Black Twitter, but is truly just culture," guest Asjia Garner added.
All three episodes of "Black Twitter: A People's History" are now streaming on Hulu.
Hulu is a division of Disney, the parent company of ABC Localish.