Series follows a black lesbian couple as they strive to practice radical honesty in their newly polyamorous relationship.
Made by a team of predominantly Black queer women artists in the context of 21st century America, the work is inescapably political. 195 Lewis captures the intimate spaces of New York’s queerest borough.
According to Director Chanelle Aponte Pearson, “Brooklyn is a queer mecca.”
Show Creator Rae Leone Allen feels most at home in Bed-Stuy and believes 195 Lewis reflects the reality of these spaces for people who may feel out of place because of their sexuality or gender expression all over the world—particularly in the middle of the country in these tumultuous times. “Thinking about my younger self, coming up in Mesquite, I know that there are young people all over the world that can really identify with this and understand—wherever they are—that there are people like them, there are places for them to go.”
The greatest ambition of the series is to bring the audience into the safe space that these Black queer women have carved for themselves. “Chanelle always talks about how beautiful Brooklyn is, how beautiful our community is and how important it was to pull people into that world. She wants you to feel like you’re at the party,” says Allen.
She continues: “[We] are very interested in intimacy and the ways that black women do that… I watch a lot of media, I don’t think there is enough images of Black women loving on each other and supporting one another the way that I know that we do.”
Set in the heart of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, among a singular group of close-knit young black lesbian friends, the series follows Yuri and Camille as Yuri’s growing infatuation with a new lover uptown leaves Camille uncertain about her role in Yuri’s life. Tensions rise when Kris, Yuri’s friend from college, unexpectedly pops up on the stoop in need of a place to stay.
Written, directed and produced by a team of self-identified black, queer women, 195 Lewis highlights the intricacies of the lives these women create for themselves and offers a glimpse into a world often unseen and overlooked. It reflects a generation’s endeavor to define romantic love and intimacy outside of pervasive patriarchal ideologies. From navigating ethical non-monogamy to centering artmaking as a profession both profitable and impactful, the show explores radical honesty, self-reflection, and love in all its forms. Through smart dialogue, cutting humor, and brutal truths, 195 Lewis shifts conventional notions of what it means to be black, queer, and polyamorous.
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