‘Black Table’ Review – Former Yale Students Reminiscence About The Dining Table That Bonded Them [Tribeca 2024]

The Yale class of 1997 admitted the largest group of Black students to the university at that time. In the Tribeca documentary, Black Table, members of that class chronicle their experiences and how their desire to cultivate a sense of community among their fellow Black students led to them claiming a group of pushed together, heavy tables in Yale’s Commons Dining Hall and christening it a safe space for Black students seeking a sense of belonging within an environment that was ill-prepared, and sometimes, unwelcoming to those who looked like them. As one of the subjects puts it, the Black table was born out of necessity.

Directors John Antonio James and Bill Mack use the backdrop of a post-Affirmative Action America to thoughtfully unpack what it was like to be Black at Yale in the 90s. The documentary explores what it means to be Black, ambitious, and intelligent in an environment in which it’s constantly questioned whether you truly belong or if your skin color is the only reason you’ve gained admission to a prestigious environment never meant to serve someone like you.

Class of ’97 alumni such as Wesley Morris, Editor-At-Large for the New York Times, pediatrician, Dr. Stephen Maddox, college professor, Daren Graves, and tech entrepreneur, Sheldon Gilbert, recollect their time at Yale and what the safety and the community of the Black table meant to them. Many had come from lower to middle-class backgrounds, and in high school, found their teachers and guidance counselors telling them not to aim too high, even with their exceptional intellect.

Sheldon Gilbert recalls his father going to shake the hand of his white roommate’s father and being rebuffed. The alums talk about walls covered with paintings depicting Black people as slaves. They talk about working hard to make sure there was never a question as to whether they deserved to be there or not. It’s a sad, but stark reality many high-achieving people of color still face in academia.

The class of ’97 also stepped onto campus during the aftermath of a racially charged incident involving Black students from the class of ’94. A local pizzeria on campus had questioned whether or not the students actually attended Yale and called the police. Although the environment was more tense than usual, it led to some of the class of ’94 students taking the class of ’97 under their wings and providing them with much-needed guidance and community.

The alums are candid, honest, and funny, which keeps the documentary engaging and watchable. Told in a series of interviews, pictures, and old news footage, Black Table crafts a narrative that is direct and will leave viewers with much to think about as it pertains to racism and microaggressions non-white students experience. In a great moment of nuance, the documentary also explores the issues that arose when Black students at Yale chose not to sit at the Black table. The documentary unpacks a reoccurring question in the Black community as to whether or not there is more than one way of being Black and what if one wants to expand their horizons beyond befriending just fellow Black students. The question of can one stay true to their community while also imagining a world in which the prejudices of the past don’t prevent them from progressing.

Black Table is an illuminating, interesting, and thought-provoking documentary that unpacks what it was like to be a Black student at Yale in the late 90s, the community that formed for Black students out of a need for a sense of belonging, and how much of the ugliness and ignorance of humanity that existed then still persist into the present day.

Black Table held its World Premiere as a part of the Spotlight Documentary section of the 2024 Tribeca Festival.

Directors: John Antonio James, Bill Mack

Rated: NR

Runtime: 93m