"Afro-Victorian": Bringing Historical Black Women's Dress into the 21st Century w Cheyney McKnight

[@Chibihugs]

Cheney is an absolute treasure. As a black woman, I find her videos so enriching and insightful. I am loving Cheney's shirt. So happy to see her on your channel.

[@glynnL]

Isn’t it beautiful? Half the reason I clicked was because of the shirt, I wanted to hear more about that fashion. I was not disappointed, such good info.

[@kahluaqueen]

Glenn Long I clicked for that shirt!!!! I love her spin on the old look!!

[@UmiPalerm]

I am SO jealous of how well she rocks those colors. Plus the puffed SLEEVES, I am in love.

[@KeikoKeepSmiling]

I couldn’t agree more! ❤️

[@KaleidoSaurus]

Her blouse is just magnificent, suits her personality.

[@Nero_Jero]

I love this! One of my best friends is of African and Scottish descent, and she commissioned from me a "Kente-kilt." I used a traditional Scottish kilt pattern with this absolutely gorgeous Ghanaian fabric she gave me. She's a preschool teacher and wears it ever year to graduation! She always takes the opportunity to teach her students about it.

[@sylvan44]

that is the COOLEST THING

[@RichardLyleEsq]

If you haven’t heard of them, it’s worth checking out the Afro-Celt Sound System. Rocking lots of worlds.

[@karengerber8390]

That is beautiful. Thank you or sharing.

[@espeon871]

This is so beyond slay

[@AmbassadorKat]

I’m Nigerian-Scottish, and this is such a fun idea!

[@mynameisrockhard]

Shout out to Cheyney’s incredible work and attitude, and shout out to Bernadette for using her platform to boost other voices instead of speaking on their behalf. Love everything about this.

[@jeremiahgabriel5709]

Yes. This whole thing 👍

[@tulsiclarity3228]

ha-ha... *stares awkwardly to whatever is going on at instagram*

[@catskratch2]

I'm a registrar for The Historic New Orleans Collection and you featured two portraits from our holdings in your video! It's always so nice to see the collections pop up in contemporary content. In Creole culture the headwraps are called "tignon", and I wear them very often. I love how it's a tradition that's endured so many centuries. I love Cheney's work and it was great seeing the two of you collab!

[@andresbaroja6703]

Thanks for your important and underappreciated work

[@michellebyrom6551]

Glad you posted. Another resource to look up for future reference. Some really good, skilfully portraits in the video.

[@shaeroberts1773]

Thank you. This video is a gem!

[@lizatea69]

Yes!! I knew those looked familiar. So much culture

[@PandoraKyss]

So I have to ask you... Have you watched the new Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series being put out by AMC? It's INCREDIBLE. New Orleans during the early 20th century - they moved the timeline up from the 18th century - is depicted in such a realistic and beautiful way, without being painted as a caricature of itself. I'm in Philadelphia, and while we have an old history, at least by American standards, the cultural legacy and sheer... vibrancy of New Orleans has always attracted me. One day I will travel there!

[@anniebell6846]

Cheney makes history so accessible and so well researched.

[@trashbug4843]

Now I feel like doing this for Mexican clothes in the Victorian era ! So cool 💖

[@pamdemonia]

Do it!

[@phoenixmassey]

Please do!

[@katiedid7231]

I would watch this!

[@khazermashkes2316]

Please do!

[@trashbug4843]

Aww man, glad you guys are interested, but I need to do lots of research first 🤣😂 But someday I shall! 💖

[@cesar.leyvag]

Disney: "Infinity War may be the most ambitious crossover in history" Bernadette and Cheney: Hold my Corset!

[@noangel1981]

Bravo 👏👏

[@DMXIII]

Delightful!

[@scalesrails7237]

You need to lose it all in a house fire

[@AmeliaBell28]

Cheney is INCREDIBLE, I'm such a fan of her work. Her "Met Gala dress" (as she's been calling her denim robe à la Française) is absolutely brilliant. Far better than most of the things actually worn at the Met Gala this year. And I also just wanted to appreciate Bernadette's role in this video- the occasional prompting question but mostly just sitting back while Cheney shines. As it should be when other people are showcasing their own work and talent!

[@rburns8083]

I love all the love for Cheney's channel. I think her work is so important, not just for diversity in the historical sewing community but for how we understand culture as whole .

[@neuralmute]

Cheney's amazing! I haven't finished binge-watching her entire channel yet, but I love her work, and I think she's an incredible person, bringing a whole new perspective to how we look at historical clothing, women's history, and of course the history of Black people in America. She's one of those people I'd love to talk with for hours, or even just be in a class she was teaching - it would be an honour!

[@jazcarluccio4505]

Agreed 100% !

[@albvscommesincastello6346]

With the full respect towards every race i say: Fuck diversity! Embrace your own uniqueness.

[@ragnkja]

@@albvscommesincastello6346 Diversity is the sum of unique individuals.

[@albvscommesincastello6346]

@@ragnkja How nice would it be, if this statement will be true.

[@JP2GiannaT]

Pierre Toussant, the husband of Julie (her portrait is shown and discussed in the video) was a leading philanthropist in New York City. He was the first layman buried in St. Patrick's cathedral, and was declared "Venerable" (the first step towards being canonized as a Catholic saint) by Pope John Paul II in 1996. The guy was just an all around fascinating, kind, and awesome individual.

[@senaaileigh]

This is such a great use of your platform, Bernadette. You're uplifting people through your own success. Thanks for exposing me to a creator and a topic that I didn't know about before!

[@Ladythyme]

This is exactly what I thought when I first saw it!

[@Leafygreen123]

Yes! Me too!

[@nixthelapin9869]

I always love hearing the history of black people in North America! I feel like history class never did much beyond the major events. Like whenever I imagined black people in history, it was almost like they just vanished after the civil war, then reappeared for the civil rights movement. Not literally of course, but they’re not mentioned at all beyond that. So I really appreciate more people providing resources to learn about that “missing” chunk!

[@elisabetfinlayson8539]

Cheyney's channel is a gem. I've only recently found her content and it is so amazing. I hope your both doing well!!

[@megtell]

What a treat! My mom taught me the saying "every time a person dies an encyclopedia is erased". This is even more true for POC . Thank you for introducing Chenny to us!

[@heatcheck3]

ESPECIALLY true for white men too!

[@facelessdrone]

@@heatcheck3 don't go there, joseph...

[@lazycraz6740]

@@heatcheck3 what?

[@PandoraKyss]

@@heatcheck3 That felt a bit out of left field. Not everything needs to be about us, friend.

[@plutonium2]

That’s such a deep saying and LOL at the idea of it being more true for men. Come tell me about it when they have babies

[@dismurrart6648]

I want to say, my favorite thing Cheney has ever done is using enslavers. It was frankly revolutionary for me in the discussion of the slave trade and resolves all my issues with saying Master and slave

[@aerynvii7773]

I’ve also noticed more people using the term “enslaved person” rather than “slave”. I gives those people back their humanity

[@dismurrart6648]

@@aerynvii7773 yes!

[@Elizabeth-ux5kd]

@@aerynvii7773 YES

[@jessicacarron8117]

The language choice struck me as well, and is something I’d like to use going forward. Accurate and without giving power or position to the enslavers.

[@Firegen1]

Cheyney is amazing! Yay for introducing her important work to more people. ❤🙏🏾✊🏾🌷 Edit: Her top is everything!

[@marymohr2799]

I love her top! And I'm so glad she's getting the attention she deserves!

[@circesbohemia]

I appreciate Bernadette not saying much and just letting Cheney speak.

[@loureysavick5736]

Thank you for your conscientious use of your platform, Bernadette. You have learned so fast not only how to make beautiful and inspiring content, but also how to set good boundaries, make positive impact, and practice interdisciplinary outreach. You are much more than a maker of sewing videos. I love to catch glimpses of how you might be creating, and growing, many years into the future.

[@breedlejuice8691]

As a white girl from the north, I never realized how different the black experience is. I think I naively thought that our cultural experiences were the same regardless of race. I thankfully have a lovely gf who patiently educates me about what it’s like to be a black woman in the city we live in (and I got to teach her my white bs, it’s very funny). I appreciate this historical perspective, because it hadn’t occurred to me how western influences impacted fashion of enslaved persons and fashion since then. So many of these subject just hadn’t occurred to me due to my narrow world view and I feel silly for not ever questioning these things. Thank you for this :) loved those paintings and pictures, it really brings it to life

[@fatdandelions]

The headwrap is familiar to me. I am Chinese but born in Surinam, Dutch colony in South America. I recognise one of the headwraps, old Surinam Ladies wear on special days. The women wear beautiful dresses along with the headwraps. I live now in Rotterdam the Netherlands 🇱🇺.

[@greylarkspur]

That’s so cool!

[@SassafrasTee7366]

Cool beans

[@tacrewgirl]

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@wilmascholte7607]

Even though I'm Dutch, I just posted the same re: historical background and the color use by Surinam ladies. Those ladies look amazing in those traditional dresses and headwraps.

[@gabkikop6949]

If anyone is interested. Look up agnisa, koto misi Suriname or kimona Suriname. :)

[@beckstheimpatient4135]

This is a wonderful video, and as an Eastern European woman I have little to add but this: the Airpods on Cheney's chatelaine are *chef's kiss* perfection.

[@aricostulis2209]

Ooooh how interesting! It’s cool to see a less-talked about side of dress history! Thanks for this! ❤️

[@ReneesatItAgain]

Yet another smart art KZbinr to add to my curriculum - my students will see your work for sure!!! Thanks, BB - and THANK YOU Cheyney!!! Necessary stuff!!!

[@Thrillrider10]

Cheyney is doing incredible work for history. It's people like her who make sure that important history is not forgotten.

[@onegirlarmy4401]

This conversation reminds me of the quote from "In the Heights." The clothing distinctives that "assert *our* dignity in small ways... little details that tell the world, *we* are not invisible."

[@karengerber8390]

Thank you for using this quote. I am grateful that these viewpoints are being celebrated!

[@sadiebelcreations]

Love love LOVE those beautiful bright colours in a Victorian style outfit 😍 This video has such joyous vibes!

[@andyexe2213]

Cheney’s style is so unique and beautiful. Her garments INCREDIBLE 😍 She is also beautiful herself ❤️

[@lauralizza1]

I love Cheyney’s videos so much! So happy to see her here and discussing new projects!

[@11thShadowDragon]

The term Afro-Victorian on its own just sounds great, the style I'm seeing in this video associated is even better. Glad for collabs like these!

[@hellomoron]

"We fixed the dresses." I'm in love with this line.

[@MsKathleenb]

That made me so happy!

[@ragnkja]

They lengthened and reinforced the hems, and rather than try to disguise it with an almost-but-not-quite-matching fabric they used a contrasting one so that it looked deliberate and beautiful.

[@makeda6530]

*You're welcome~*

[@findingbeautyinthepain8965]

@Ragnhild I highly doubt the dresses needed lengthening or to be reinforced. These moms just wanted their children to wear something a little bit more in line with the fashion of their culture, which is awesome. To think that these moms worked tireless 16 hour days doing manual labor, and instead of just saying, “Okay, great,” when they saw their daughters were gifted dresses, they said, “Girls bring me your dresses so I could make them prettier.” How incredible!

[@SturgeonPilot]

Watching ya'll interact is just so wholesome, it literally makes me wanna call up my best friend so we can geek out about our interests to each other. Its so sweet to see people who clearly enjoy each other as friends but also have so much professional respect for one another.

[@TanteElster]

I'm so grateful that people like Cheyney exist, putting the spotlight on otherwise completely overlooked aspects of history.

[@llamasugar5478]

This is fantastic! Will incorporate Cheney’s videos into my Stealth History playlist. I scour the ‘net for interesting videos to share with classes when I sub-teach. In the words of the great philosopher Fat Albert, “If you’re not careful, you just might learn something! Hey, hey, hey!” [the originator of this saying is problematic, but I refuse to throw out a very good teaching method]

[@eternallaurum]

I never liked prints within my personal wardrobe but I always admired how African cultures incorporate prints into their garments and how stunningly they pull it off! It's certainly a special skill and I commend all you brave folks out there wearing such vibrant and beautiful prints!

[@neuralmute]

Absolutely! I've studied textile arts, and the vibrancy of West African fabric dye and printing techniques always blows me away! No matter how much I've learned about the history of these fabrics, the techniques used to make them, and the clothes traditionally made from them, the colours alone are still so breathtaking that I need to pause a moment when I walk into a room full of freshly printed bolts to study!

[@jules2291]

Indians love prints too . I actually know this city in Gujarat , India called Patan which is known for it's extremely vibrant and beautifully printed , made with completely natural dyes but also really expensive (hence why I can't do more than window shop them) silks , known as Patola silk . Not just that but there are also other places I've seen , like some of the silks in South India which are made beautifully, often with really excellent gold details . Even my mom and one of my aunts are passionate about sewing and ive learnt quite a lot by seeing how they stitch and cut and dye and embroider fabric . And it's hard work , making and applying those dyes . I have immense respect for anyone making printed and hand decorated clothing , even if the art is dying down because of fast fashion and machine - dyed fabrics .

[@jules2291]

@@neuralmute yes . The colors are absolutely breathtaking . Like , no modern day fast fashion can compare to the rich , vibrant hues found in certain African and Asian historic clothing .

[@neuralmute]

@@jules2291 Absolutely! I adore Indian silks too, though I don't know quite as much about them. My main areas of study have been pretty geographically scattered due to various influences in my life, so I'm most well versed in Japanese silk dying, West African cotton printing, and various embroidery forms from the British Isles, and I'm trying to figure out how a white, Canadian artist can work all these influences together with respect and care, while flipping the bird to fast fashion, and paying tribute to all the world's incredible textile artists who came before, and my own punk-rock roots. It's quite a challenging tightrope to walk, between all these influences, without appropriating or offending anyone whose culture and clothing I've spent years studying, and would like to pay tribute to in my own work. So many beautiful inspirations out there!

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

Same. Honestly it feels like a visual representation of being an introvert watching people go socializing at loud parties -- like, yay person! You do that, you beautiful fireball! (Hides in corner drinking herbal tea and avoiding eye contact.)

[@Strampunch]

I only started following Cheyney on Instagram a couple of weeks ago and I had no idea she had a youtube channel, so pardon me while I run to follow it and peruse her videos. Wonderful way to introduce your audience to more diverse creators, thank you!

[@snazzypazzy]

Awesome! I love all of the headwraps. You see them in a lot of the afro-caribbean history too, and in the Surinamese dress, which is also so fun and colourful! The history of the wax print fabrics that are now commonly worn in West Africa, is also really fascinating. It starts in Indonesia with batiks! (Lot's of colonialism in that story too. But still fascinating.)

[@nathaniel3102]

Jingle Jangle was beautifully done, and the costuming department was genius. I would love to see more of it and other Victorian-era-esque styles come into modern fashion. If anyone can bring back classiness with sassiness, these women can!

[@suzannesmith266]

Omg Cheney's wax print blouse is so stunning. 🤩

[@michaelplunkett8059]

Colors are gorgeous and the way the pinstripes contrast and purple patches "speak to each other" are mesmerizing.

[@xoxomaniiraelle]

Absolutely stunning. We’d call it Ankara in West Africa! I adore just how it fits her 🥰

[@lord_m0th]

I just love how Bernadette looks at Cheyney, she just looks at her in awe!

[@erinniccoinn1gh]

i got SO EXCITED to see yous TOGETHER!!! :D the contrast in your outfits is just so lovely. I've always noticed that the dress of a place reflects onto the dress of its cultures - eg. the West African patterns which are so bright and sunny vs. the more subdued tones and textures of Western European dress. I loooove seeing them together. Whenever you see an African woman in traditional dress in Ireland where I live, it's literally like a drop of sunshine.

[@breeze5926]

I love all the different African textiles. They're so vibrant and beautiful!!!

[@barbara_LL]

I love the enthusiasm in Bernadette's face haha, and rightfully so, I love Cheney's work, especially as a half black person, studying fashion history can fell overwhelmingly white, elitist and colonized, I love the decolonization Cheney does with these historical styles that I love so much.

[@heatherhodges7370]

Fantastic! I welcome seeing many, more of the images from the Northern states featuring African cultural expressions like the head wraps. And love the story about the Black seamstresses adding contrasting hems to the 1850s gowns. (One must have survived!) This practice also extended to quilt-making in the South as Black quilters developed patterns and used fabrics in ways that were quite different than White women. This visual image reclamation work is important for demonstrating the endurance of Black cultural + political resistance throughout our nation's history.

[@ragnkja]

A deliberately contrasting hem is a brilliant way to lengthen a gown and prolong its life, as the hem tends to wear out faster than the rest of the skirt, and when that happens it’s easy to replace! Since it sounds like the dresses were second hand, the mothers probably looked at them, decided that the hems needed reinforcement, and rather than try to find identical fabric (which they probably knew would be basically impossible) they decided to make the hem contrast so boldly with the rest of the dress that it could only be a deliberate choice.

[@piccalillipit9211]

*50 SECONDS IN AND IM ALREADY SUBSCRIBED* her channel sounds FANTASTIC...!!! I saw her on a documentary a while back - but she did not have a channel at that point.

[@dinaschulz2961]

I am totally in love with Cheney’s blouse! The colors, the style, and the pattern matching is breath-taking for anyone who ever tried to cut and sew symmetrically!

[@valentinaivorciuc8319]

see you two together is a blessing. i love Cheney's warm vibe and with you by her side being so cute and fangirly aww

[@wanderly9950]

This is magnificent! Thank you for partnering - this brings me awareness that I was lacking. Absolutely will subscribe to Mz. Chaney's page. Love - Love - LOVE - that dress! OMG! So fabulous!

[@crystalwright1504]

This was fantastic! Thankyou to both of you. I think it 's wonderful that the stories of distinctly unique cultures are finally being told. I'm Metis-a period term that meant half-breed, descended from mixed blood children of indigenous people and Europeans who created a distinct culture in Canada from aspects of both of their parents' cultures. The women also dressed in the European style with added items and decoration that reflected their indigenous styles(beaded moccassins and leggings, their own version of a pocket, floral beadwork, ribbon and lace on their skirts, etc). I have begun plans to create an outfit that would have been worn in the "Confederation Era" in Canada and possibly a little earlier. It's a daunting task. My hat's off to you wonderful ladies! Thankyou for being so inspiring!

[@volvacations2186]

Cheney's got a new subscriber!! What an articulate and well researched presenter.

[@VictoriaClutton]

Love Cheney! Love Bernadette using her platform to give so many other fabulous people and concerns the mic!

[@irenecoermann2439]

I had found Cheney's channel a while ago and was just thrilled to realize that you guys are connected thru your work. Both of your work is so important!

[@canucknancy4257]

So amazing. Cheney is a storyteller of the highest calibre, telling tales that need to be heard. Thanks for sharing her on your channel, Bernadette.

[@ragnkja]

The initialism “WPA” gets used a lot, but what do the letters stand for? If it was shown on screen, I missed it because it was too small and/or didn’t stand out enough and/or was hidden behind the captions.

[@bernadettebanner]

Work Projects Administration, historical records survey. :)

[@susiecarson]

I had the same question, thank you!

[@teriannebeauchamp254]

Just like the government started the C.C.C. (civilian conservation core) to employ healthy young men to build roads, bridges, hiking trails, campgrounds. To provide a livable wage during the Great Depression. The W.P.A. employed writers, artists, songwriters to keep them alive. Mostly they did oral or researched history, painted murals in post offices and other government buildings. Woody Guthrie wrote songs about dams, bridges, historical places. The indexing used to this day to find people in the U.S. Census records was a W.P.A. project. Basically the government employed thousands of people to beautify, entertain, enlighten their surroundings.

[@erinmcgrathejm4985]

@@bernadettebanner, I had no idea that the WPA project was so all encompassing. It’s something I’ve been “familiar” with for ages, but never considered it’s breadth before.

[@kmaher1424]

Part of FDR's new deal. Paying scholars, photographers, artists, etc. to record current events and history.

[@lakelili]

Cheyney is such an awesome resource. I have shared her videos before on our homeschooling page. Thanks for colabing with her. Can't wait to learn more and share with the kiddos.

[@inesarifani9011]

OMG! Been wanting this video for forever! 😆 Cheyney and Bernadette, please collab more. Making 2 beautiful victorian gowns probably, but with different influence like what Cheyney describe.

[@Dreymasmith]

Cheney is amazing, so knowledgeable and a great communicator. People have to go subscribe and watch everything.

[@stephanieo.3710]

Bernadette! Thank you for giving us the resources to learn about everyone in our history. 💖 I also wanted to ask if maybe we can look into hispanic history during that time period. 🤔😊

[@BridieTurtle]

Yessss! I love Cheney's channel and it has been super educational for someone who does not know much about Black American history. So important!

[@MissDLinx]

Cheyney has THE BEST smile! When she smiles her whole face glows and everything around her lights up!

[@mothman2898]

i’m so happy for you two to finally be able to collaborate on topics as important as these. Have a good day both of you!

[@emilyflowers1105]

I've been following Cheyney on Instagram but did not realize about her KZbin channel and series. So excited to watch!

[@rebeccaude4412]

I adore Cheney, but most importantly I have LEARNED SO MUCH from Cheney! Esp. from the video she did with Abby re: having a wedding on a slave owning southern plantation. The plantations are 100% idealized by authors, movies & sadly even tour guides of remaining properties. I’m so happy to know they are continuing the "Day In the Life" series. Congratulations Cheney! Sending everyone 🤗, 💜 & 🙏🏻 for a healthy, happy & Blessed week!

[@stephaniecameron2594]

Thank you for doing this collab. I feel ashamed to say that every year when African heritage month came around in my school days, that I dreaded it as it was presented in a very mundane and uninteresting form. But after this video, I can't wait to jump to her channel and watch all of her videos and learn as much as I can. Thank you

[@Ater_Draco]

I love Cheyney's channel. I'm so happy you collaborated on a vid 💗

[@lajoyous1568]

Loved this ❤ Cheyney is such a treasure to the community. Her videos are always informative and entertaining. I'm so glad to see more collaborations with her.

[@akiyamada2306]

I really appreciate how much you let her talk. Many interviews on YT i see the host talks too much and the guest has so much left to offer. Very knowledgeable, well done.

[@voxfugit]

I can’t wait to see what this woman is doing. It’s important to recognize the differences we have even if we recognize our commonalities. We have gained so much in this country from black culture. What have we taken from the west African dress that they brought with them? I really wanna know.

[@voxfugit]

@Kirk Wolfe yes. Recognize differences, discuss all while recognizing that our differences don’t make one necessarily right or wrong, just coming from a different cultural perspective

[@janaekelis]

i love Cheney's videos, theyre a great tool for my historical research when im designing characters. also it makes me feel seen, black people have always existed and done things outside of racism. also hair care is such a big deal for us, so many methods being revived by natural hair youtube is what our ancestors did already

[@lendseyjohnson3365]

I love when I can tell almost immediately that people are friends 💜 Thank you Cheyney and Bernadette You are both very lovely women and I really appreciate learning from you.

[@EmilyGDesign]

I am so excited to watch Cheyney's videos, thank you both so much for collabing!!

[@lensman67]

Wonderful presentation! As a docent in a local museum (started by a famous Disney animator) I am constantly looking for ways to point out that the “white bread” version of history that the museum presents “ain’t necessarily so.” We need more history presenters such as Ms. Cheyney. On her comment about how different ethnic groups would dress I would love to see a video where women dressed in the styles of each group are lined up together so that a commentator could compare and contrast each outfit.

[@soffiegirl1027]

I cannot begin to express the amount of joy that swelled inside me when I saw this thumbnail. Quite possibly the best intersection of channels on YT of all time. 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽💙🥰

[@laurenragle5228]

This was the collab I needed! Cheyney is amazing and Bernadette is amazing and ... so happy they got to sit down together! ❤

[@adriannademadriguera4859]

THIS. WAS. FABULOUS!! So happy I saw this. Thank you so much lovely ladies! Love and light to both of you. 💚💙💕

[@funkychick1979]

Cheynay’s shirt is amazing. That pattern matching is insane.

[@RebekahHaasCrochet]

I grew up in an immigrant community in Italy with a lot of people from West Africa (specifically, Ghana). Every Sunday, the women would dress so beautifully in their cultural dresses and head wraps. The colors were so vibrant. Even though our community was quite poor, I believed those women had to be royalty, because they were so stunning. Thank you for sharing Cheney's beautiful work with us!

[@starofgalaxies]

The more I dabble into historical dress, the more upset I am that history classes never cover anything on historical wear. It feels more important because it is a reflection of the time and the individual and more engaging than just memorizing when a group of people came together to kill the other.

[@ragnkja]

Clothes are such an integral part of everyday life!

[@shalom5978]

You could request something like that or take a similar elective in college but K-12 simply doesn’t have enough space to put something like that in the curriculum since it not as necessary as other topics.

[@nerdaccount]

I love Cheney!!!! Thank you for highlighting her channel!!

[@loganl3746]

Omg, are those airpods on Cheyney's chatelaine? I love that!

[@ragnkja]

Check out her video about assembling that chatelaine! It’s the most recent video on her channel, Not Your Momma’s History.

[@loganl3746]

@@ragnkja I commented before I finished the video, haha! I made sure to watch the vid on her channel, too

[@melissacompton8707]

I love this! I am so excited to watch Cheney's channel. So vibrant and full of life. And a true historical perspective. Thank you Bernadette for introducing us!

[@void-one]

I LOVE THIS! Black history is truly something that needs to be taken back, explored and learned! I feel like the every-day black person is an amazing place to start!

[@MrChief101]

Fantastic. Thanks, Bernadette, for using your platform to help us see more and important/interesting things. Well done ladies.

[@katiesill1212]

Love seeing Cheyney featured (her channel is a treasure), and also love the deep dive into head wraps! Ever since i had a coworker who wore head wraps on a regular basis, I have loved seeing the beautiful variety of prints and wrapping styles, and how the style is carried on into modern times. I appreciate the education on its origins. ❤

[@AnxiousGary]

Just randomly got recommended this channel and it's such a delight to see Cheyney here! So good!!

[@sandramilfort9261]

Her channel is really great. Thanks for featuring her that's what I like about the KZbin community. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@sammychicken3457]

Thank you Bernadette for introducing me to this new channel. Kind regards from Adelaide, South Australia.

[@SPSMchat]

I've seen several of Cheyney's videos in different places. Strong content that broadened my education. Thanks!

[@adventuredenali]

Enjoyed every bit of this. A whole history left untold. Thank you Cheyney!

[@fiercerodent]

I love Cheney's channel! Glad to see it getting some well-deserved attention.

[@Guitargoddess843]

I'm Jewish and i feel like we also have a whole kind of loss of our culture because our great grandparents taught their children to be as american as possible to blend in and avoid trouble- didn't even teach them yiddish (which is a whole thing because there were so many dialects of it and it's mainly used regularly now almost exclusively in very kind of guarded orthodox Jewish communities). Obviously it's a privilege to even be able to conceal your "otherness" - but it's sad that so much has to be lost to conform. That's why this is so amazingly cool to me! RECLAIMING your culture- looking at the hows and whys of the trends that separate your people. So amazingly cool! It's like going back over the erased part of a picture and trying to draw it back in with the lines you can still see! ❤️ And then Cheney is like drawing lines that conect directly between the then and now to create a whole new picture! It's so fucking awesome!

[@Robin-of2jt]

So glad to see Cheney on here! I love both of these channels and it's great to see a collab

[@americanlady738]

It was a pleasant surprise to see Cheney on Bernadette's channel. My lineage is American decendant of U.S. chattel slaves, my mom would even wrap her hair with a scarf on occasion (she's a Baby Boomer). I wonder if we started wearing head wraps due to our status as enslaved domestic workers. Instead of wearing the white cap worn by English domestic women we fashioned head wraps to at least be fashionable in our own way. I read that West and Central African women didn't cover their heads 300 and 400 years ago. Perhaps the enslaved black women in America invented head wraps as well.

[@karma-bomb]

in 1786 a law by the Spanish governor of Louisiana Esteban Rodríguez Miro was put into place forcing black women to wear a tignon headscarf. this is know a tignon law or chignon law

[@wilmascholte7607]

Surinam is a former Dutch colony and there is still a lot of travel and connection between our two countries, including quite a few Surinam people living in the Netherlands. From what I, as a Dutch person, have seen of Surinam ladies in traditional clothing, those dresses and headwraps are so colorful, beautiful and elaborate. They look amazing! I'm clearly not an expert at all, but what Cheney says about West-African influences on clothing choices definitely makes sense to me in that regard. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I will have to check out your channel!

[@gildedgitta]

I adore this video, you both are so excited and it's cute yet informative! Love the relaxed atmosphere of this one as well - don't get me wrong, I love your highly produced videos but it's so nice to get this kind of more chatty and relaxed video once in a while as well :) (Slightly unrelated, but that [6] painting of Justina Antoine (and the cropped out girls) has become an instant favourite, so thank you for introducing me to it as well!)

[@laurelrhinehardt5160]

I totally agree! The fact that both of them are grinning the entire time and have such good chemistry makes this so much fun to watch! I could watch these two talk history and style for an hour!

[@outsideaglass]

Thanks for introducing us to Cheyney! I will definitely go check her channel out now!

[@tartnouveau3652]

Thanks for introducing me to Cheney! I’m so excited to explore her content!

[@kathmorgan3429]

This is super interesting, it's nice to see some work being done on someone other than mainstream white elite fashion. I think a lot of people forget that the majority of people weren't in that "fashionable" group and their styles don't necessarily reflect what average people on the street were actually wearing and choosing.

[@espeon871]

I love this! I love how my favourite historical creators are collaborating and talking about what usually would be overlooked in historical fashion books like poc and black history specifically in this case, in history and in fashion. I love cheney and her content.

[@thcusandsunny]

The collab I didn't know I needed but yessssss!

[@lynndragon2536]

my prior understanding from art I'd seen of black ladies in portraits was the silhouette of dresses may have been similar but their color choices and how they accessorized where very obviously different its good to learn more things about this

[@jessh4417]

I fell down the rabbit hole of each of these channels over the last 2 months. What a gift to see them come together!! Thank you both.