A Day in the Life of an Enslaved Cook | These Roots Episode 2

These Roots, is a series that explores the day to day lives of Black people across America in the 18th and 19th centuries. The second episode follows an enslaved cook named Caesar at Stratford Hall Plantation. Thank you Patrons for making this project possible!
Dontavius Williams is a talented interpreter and actor who brings to life the stories of the ancestors. Support another black interpreter by getting Adam's kitchen pepper from The Chronicles of Adam- thechroniclesofadam.weebly.co...
Next episode will be posted to my Patreon in August.
This is a unique project! The entire production team is Black from the producers to the director to the DP. To support this work please become a patron on Patreon. / notyourmommas.. . It takes 2 full months of Patreon support to pay for the production of one episode.
Thank you Patreon Patrons for making videos like this possible!
Website- NotYourMommasHistory.com
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Music-
Dial M Credits
Dial M by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: www.twinmusicom.org/song/277/d...
Artist: www.twinmusicom.org

[@nicolelovett8467]

I noticed he didn't look in the eyes of the mistress while speaking to him and seeming so defeated. That one moment just felt so depressing to me. Bless all our ancestors whose lives were swallowed by enslavement...

[@nicolelovett8467]

*while speaking to her, the white lady i meant

[@americanlady738]

Our great grandparents and depending on how old you are our grandparents weren't allowed to look white people in the eye either.

[@dontaviuswilliams206]

But if you noticed, that switched when she left the room. It’s called code switching. Not defeated at all. Just playing her game with her.

[@jules2291]

@@americanlady738 So sad and yet so true , I mean indians werent enslaved but our ancestors did live in extreme poverty because of the british duties and taxes , our citizens died in the conflict , and yet indians today still want to willingly work and live in the UK because of the luxuries - after everything they did to us .

[@americanlady738]

@@dontaviuswilliams206 As we still do.

[@loulou3676]

It is crazy, this man was so skilled he could be a TV chef in the modern era but he wasn't even paid for his labor. Slavery is an awful institution and thank you for shedding light on this history.

[@Nikotastik]

He could give give Gordon Ramsey a run for his money, and he must have been 1000x more kind.

[@brennathecatlover4360]

@@Nikotastik he cooked for a family and he had to be nice not train other chefs or made sure restaurants aren’t shit quality

[@user-us1yu8gx9s]

I was just thinking how the hell can you consider someone this incredibly skilled to be 3/4ths or not even a person. It's mind boggling

[@nbd6213]

@@brennathecatlover4360 girl shut up

[@user-us1yu8gx9s]

@@brennathecatlover4360 wtf stfu

[@jennymunday7913]

The thing is, as an unexperienced 17 year old wife who was essentially put in charge of the household management and by extension the enslaved house workers (yikes) - not only was she probably careless with their work items (like just wandering off with the bowl and touching all the food without probably having any idea what it really was) but they had to teach her without "teaching" her. The fine lines they walked back then while being expected to behave perfectly (meek, obedient, happy with being enslaved) must have been a total mindf***. Its not just the backbreaking labor, but the mental abuse they suffered as well. It's exactly like being in an abusive relationship.... being hit isn't the worst part. The mental abuse and fear is.

[@douglasvilledarling2935]

Most likely the girl grew up in a household with slaves and her mother trained her all her life. Teenagers back then were much more responsible

[@lauram7929]

I agreed and idk wtf Douglasville is on

[@Yes-iu3kr]

"Back then"? I know a lot of people still battle similar situations even now.

[@nahjaealcorn7011]

@@douglasvilledarling2935 yeah I’m pretty sure another video mentioned how prepared the teens were to take on that role when getting married. But who knows.

[@tspopstar512]

Sounds like working in corporate as a black American

[@natalieshepp641]

Imagine! Being pretty much a world-renowned chef, knowing that you have mastered so many dishes, and if you weren't enslaved, you could be anything in the world. And having to be under a 17-year-old girl, who knew absolutely nothing about how to run the kitchen?? The code switching had to be absolutely crazy back then.

[@janaekelis]

i absolutely hated the way she said "yes you may do that" 😑 i am the one giving all the suggestions don't tell me what to do

[@arriannaniv]

Unfortunately all chefs are treated pretty badly unless you’re actually famous even now. My husband has been in the industry for 10 years and none of the chefs he’s worked with have been shown any respect. So while it would be better for him today, it still wouldn’t be good enough for him. It’s a shitty industry..

[@soffiegirl1027]

@@arriannaniv “would be better” is the understatement of the century lol. Yes I would imagine things would a hell of a lot better with his own freedom to live his life with dignity and autonomy.

[@anna-mariadavis5914]

@@arriannaniv he was an enslaved ma’am

[@paluxyl.8682]

If I would be rich like Bruce Wayne , my old butler Alfred should should also listen even what my kids say . If I would run a buisness , all the people should listen to what my family want ......... if not , I would fire them .

[@GeeklingNo1]

That look when the slave ownder left and he just moved the bowl back into the right place. It’s the little acts of defiance. Edit: Please be respectful to each other in the comments. This was meant to be a nice post with a little bit of debate. Not an all-out war

[@anglerfish4161]

I hadn't noticed that. You never mess around with the organization in a cook's kitchen.

[@stephaniemiller5049]

And looks cooks still get when managers leave the kitchen 🤣

[@mustbeaweful2504]

Didn't clue into that. Good you said something.

[@adammoore7059]

He looked so angry ...

[@mgarriques949]

I loved this moment. Great camera work, such intense communication in the interpreter's gaze.

[@CastielWillow]

GREAT episode. Y'all do a wonderful job of portraying the enslaved/enslaver dynamic as it must have been--so tense and careful on one side, so very unaware and entitled on the other. Completely unromanticised, and also unsensationalized. Things don't have to be brutal or overtly violent to be so very, very wrong.

[@natalieshepp641]

Wow! Your last few words about how it didnt have to be overly violent to be very wrong, hit me between thr eyes!!!

[@lorrilewis2178]

^^^ THIS ^^^ People forget that although not all owners were brutal, the slave was still a slave - freedom and payment denied - subject to being sold.

[@aoifecraddock6164]

100% agree. This is just as chilling and horrifying as any Tarantino-esque brutally violent representation, and the way it’s showing what was an everyday mundane routine just highlights that even more.

[@CMAlongi]

I genuinely thought that actor had forgotten his lines or something, was looking at cue-cards off-screen...then the mistress left, scullery maid came in and it was a COMPLETE SHIFT. Blew my mind.

[@AmandistheG]

Your recreating the slavery of a Freemason dummy

[@tsukikage]

It's fascinating to watch the code switching Caesar employs between talking to his enslavers (knowledgeable but with a false sense of ineloquence, never making eye contact) and fellow enslaved persons (just normal co-workers communicating).

[@loulou3676]

I noticed that too! Both of them are so talented at acting

[@jscire__872]

It’s such a harrowing detail of the reality that people loved through

[@anglerfish4161]

I noticed that as well, and how he subtly made all the decisions that required actual knowledge of how to run a kitchen, while having to allow for the enslaver mistress to make the final word. It shows how absurd the foundation of white supremacy is. Imagine having a world-class chef working for you and letting a 17-year-old go "yes, you may do that".

[@tsukikage]

@@anglerfish4161 I hear you, but even in the context of well-paid world-class chefs who are hired to cater events, it would still make perfect sense for the chef to run final menu decisions by the person who's actually organizing or hosting the event. One would hope there would be a much greater cooperative spirit involved, though, and certainly no need for the chef to play meek and humble like that.

[@anglerfish4161]

@@tsukikage I'm sure in a modern context, the person running a high class event would be older and have a lot better qualifications to judge the quality of the catering than "white" and "woman"

[@nataliefromnormandya1135]

These videos kill me. Regardless of how polite the “mistress” puts on, the element of slavery is never missing. The chef speaks in an emasculated manner even as he’s clearly attempting to lead her to better choices. Thank you so very much for creating this content.

[@silverhawkflash]

I noticed he actively avoids eye contact with her.

[@ahhh6328]

Even when he suggests that "we can go down" to get eggs from other people, she deflects it and says "YOU could do that"

[@veslarkinson]

I wouldn’t say emasculated is the right word-subservient or something similar is more like it

[@shbt8875]

Yes I can’t even stomach it just imagining this mess taking place in life 🤦🏾

[@ReginaTrans_]

I might be white but I’m trans and I live in Mexico, my family doesn’t want me to travel, white people here live in gated communities and the white Mexican people created an Elite, everyone has 2 housekeepers, gardeners, and many more services that they almost pay for free (very cheap hand labor) obviously made by the indigenous Mexicans outside these gated communities, btw these gated communities are now the size of a city with malls and big buildings inside, no joke, watching all these videos make me upset cause it’s what places like Mexico and probably other countries are still living. Me as a transgender, you will say “darling if you were a straight male you would be doing the same thing”, and honestly I don’t know that, I only know all my life has been like this, it’s funny how all my siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts from both sides have expensive college degrees, visas, passports, etc and I’m the only one who doesn’t, a lot of people who are like me die young from many things, I’m still here and I’m 32, but I don’t even know how to explain but I relate to this video a lot !!!!!!

[@My_mid-victorian_crisis]

Thank you for elevating Cesare to his proper status in the kitchen. In the culinary world Chef is, still, the ruler of their domain. The horrific history of African enslavement is such a blight on human kind. Thank you, so much, for combating the propaganda.

[@marjoleinsmolders1630]

Hello Kelley, I have a question I am from Europe, what propaganda do you mean? Just curious!

[@loulou3676]

@@marjoleinsmolders1630 In some places in the USA, the horrors of slavery are downplayed. For instance a lot of Americans have a misconception that conditions for enslaved people working in the house were not that bad, or even that since slaveowners fed and housed the enslaved people that therefore conditions were okay. I think it's the human instinct to want to not imagine how bad things really are, but it is doing a disservice to all those who suffered.

[@My_mid-victorian_crisis]

@@marjoleinsmolders1630 during the 1920's, as the last living Civil War soldiers were beginning to die of old age, a group called The Daughter of the (old) South began a propaganda campaign, downplaying the horrors of enslavement. Several war memorials went up to Southern "heroes", some claimed that Transportation and endenturement was as bad or worse as enslavement. Popular books were written making enslavement look like a feudal system (Gone with the Wind and Jezebel are prime examples). The worst hate group in American history was rebranded as a social club with National going out days, picnics and beach outings, where "Good, wholesome Americans" could enjoy themselves without being harassed. These "facts" are still taught in American schools today, North and South, East and West. This channel is doing a wonderful job a bringing the truth to light.

[@marjoleinsmolders1630]

@@loulou3676 thank you Lou for your explanation!

[@marjoleinsmolders1630]

@@My_mid-victorian_crisis thank you Kelley! I hope a lot of history books are going to be rewriten to give a different perspective about what happend in the past for US and also Europe.

[@cap4life1]

Caesar also had to remember all of the details that the mistress told him perfectly without writing it down. With only 1 assistant. While not getting paid. And not being able to look the enslaver in the eye or speak normally. Very difficult and really brings home the cruelty and absurdity of enslavement.

[@paige-ue9cs]

He and his son were both enslaved for the entirety of BOTH their lives. That hits hard.

[@trenae77]

Dontavius has very compelling and expressive eyes. His entire demeanor is impressive to watch! Thank you, Cheney, for introducing us to yet another skilled interpreter of history!

[@dontaviuswilliams206]

Thank you Tara.

[@DivaDivine88]

Absolutely true.. the emotions while he was getting ready were palpable.. and I imagine that many black men share still share these emotions everyday in modern times while getting ready to face the world alone.. I see you king, I see you 🤴🏿🖤✊🏾🖤🤴🏿!

[@rosemariemoore1929]

,@@dontaviuswilliams206 you give an excellent interpretation of our ancestors

[@buzzybee186]

Yeah man, this was amazing!! So happy I found this channel! And I LOVE early American history but was always so disappointed to not really hear black stories with reenactments. Heading into a binge watch.

[@paltheporg7821]

@@dontaviuswilliams206 I really liked your acting in this video. Did you mean to make yourself look sad and defeated while talking to the white lady?

[@thecanaryfromthemines]

This is a side of history that we never learn, thank you so much for this series!

[@cassidywilliams7187]

@@ReginaTrans_ you look mestizo to me

[@TheWorldIsGoingToShit]

If you don’t search it out, it’s not gonna fall on your lap.

[@thecanaryfromthemines]

@@TheWorldIsGoingToShit I agree pal, hence my original comment.

[@TheWorldIsGoingToShit]

@@thecanaryfromthemines there’s MANY aspects of history we never learned 🤷🏻‍♀️ too much, imo, is left out. Not only regarding black culture/history, but basically all cultures have wonderful lessons, fantastical ancestral stories, secrets and demons lurking just behind the curtain. They just pick and choose what we see.

[@TheWorldIsGoingToShit]

@@thecanaryfromthemines I’ve also never been called “pal” till just now 🤷🏻‍♀️ I feel like I should be at little league 😂

[@thelostremainunfound]

Even if it has taken over 200 years, I’m glad Caesar’s story was told. I really like that while he was talked about for his skill and ability to run a tight kitchen, that he wasn’t played up as an ass to those he was in charge of. Well put together and kind is something I don’t think I’ve seen much out of history when it comes to enslaved people. It seems like often only the ones willing to rebel are talked about, which makes me sad as it doesn’t give justice to those who never knew life outside of enslavement. I don’t think American history stresses enough just how many people never saw freedom because they want to act like it wasn’t normal for them to rob entire families of their dignity and freedom for generations. My favorite is when they act like those who enslaved others didn’t know it was wrong. There are accounts of Jefferson “beating himself up” about slavery and participating in it and I’ve had teachers try to spin that and make him a good guy somehow. They had to make up religious reasons as to why enslaving people was okay because they were highly aware of their own hypocrisy and that honestly makes it so much worse. Thank you for showing the lives of those who weren’t somehow big enough to make it into popular streams of history. It’s been really enlightening to understand the day to day and that there didn’t need to be violence towards them for it to be demeaning.

[@thelostremainunfound]

​@@lisakaye2110 Hi, I'm not sure why you assume I did not know or acknowledge that slavery has existed in other parts of the world. I am highly aware of that as someone who avidly consumes history and works with those who are professionals in fields such as genocide studies and several who hold Masters or have their Doctorate in world history. I assume the reason you decided to make this comment is not because you came to this video wanting to understand how black people were treated in America's early history but because you wanted to feel like you had power over the conversation and downplay the struggles of a group that still feels slavery's effects to this day. Not once did I mention reparations. That is not to say I am for or against them but I do believe that members of the Black community here in America deserve to have their stories told. Telling the story of one group does not mean ignoring others, quite the opposite in fact. Discussing untold or under-represented history is a great pathway to other areas as well. In fact, the Civil Rights Movement is what got me interested in the history and background of Bayard Rustin, who I doubt you know anything of because he was an incredible but ignored piece of not only Black history in America, but Queer history as well. Additionally, James Baldwin, a wonderful writer who has written dozens of powerful pieces on Black and Queer identity, is still not acknowledged as more than a footnote in many high school classrooms because no one wants to have the uncomfortable conversation as to why and how his works became so influential. I am fine talking about other pieces of history and the inequalities faced by many, but I do not appreciate it being used as a deflection tactic. I highly doubt you bother to bring up the history of enslaved people beyond discrediting the experience of Black people as a way to make yourself feel better about the injustices faced because it was "just another place that had slavery". Can you name even one of the slaves from any of those parts of history without googling it? I doubt it. If you are genuinely appalled by slavery, I would expect a deeper understanding as to why it was demeaning and abusive. Giving people back their humanity the way Not Your Mama's History does is part of understanding how everyday life way became a dehumanizing act that should never be repeated. IN order to discuss slavery at large we MUST appreciate and understand the way it affected INDIVIDUALS who experienced it. It is not a matter of politics. No civilized society should be debating whether these acts need to be acknowledged for just how horrid they were because a society which does is one that does not want to admit that it is still committing those crimes today. If you are going to reply to a comment which I clearly spent time writing and thinking about with half-baked buzz words with no logical or cited reason for changing the topic, then simply save us the trouble and move on. I will not tolerate disrespect towards the lives of those who already suffered, because I have confidence in saying that if you genuinely cared beyond discrediting the Black community that you would have given actual cited stories of individuals in those situations whilst still having sympathy for those who experienced it in America. Ceasar deserves respect for his story and life, he deserves the dignity he did not get in life just as so many others in his situation. The conversation around slavery should not be the "pain game" of who had it worse. Instead of focusing on denying and putting down those who went through one of the most barbaric and dehumanizing things a living person could possibly go through, focus on preserving their stories. Focus on understanding the ways in which these groups suffered and focus then on their humanity. They were all people with names, with dreams, with a desire to live life the way /they/ wanted. If we as a society wish to truly move past this, then we have to confront it head-on. By ignoring the history of how Black communities were treated and how that shaped today, we ignore that which was sacrificed to scrape together progress and a sense of unity and identity after centuries without it. Slavery is not about white people, it is about the enslaved, it is about their lives. Instead of worrying about how others view you for being white, focus on the ways you can actively do better in the present. I am white. I most definitely had relatives that supported slavery even if I have no clue if any of them had enslaved others. I am comfortable acknowledging the privileges I gained as being white. I am from an immigrant family (I am 2nd generation) and no one pitches a fuss because I nearly fit the "Arian ideal". These are things that do not reflect me as who /I/ am. They reflect my ancestors, people I have no control over. I cannot change what they did and honestly, I don't care to defend them. What they did was wrong. It was disgusting and so far gone from any shred of compassion it makes me sick. All I can do now is strive for better. Rather than defending dead people, shed your fear of their actions and accept that the history of Black people in America is painful. That is all they are asking for. They want to be seen, they want to be heard, they want us to stop acting like we've somehow "made up" for what happened in the past. We are not the people that came before us, but if we choose to act like them, we will join them.

[@thelostremainunfound]

Massive thanks to NYMH for making this video. If you read this, I am sorry for going off in your comments. Your videos are wonderful and informative and I hope to see more of them in the coming months so I can greater understand those who managed to live some semblance of a life given the world they were forced to live in. Much love

[@thelostremainunfound]

@@lisakaye2110 Ah, and see, that proves my point. You didn't even bother to read and understand the comment. If you had. you would have realized that your deflection was exactly what I was talking about. Lovely to know you have a job, I am currently working on my degree, working a job myself, volunteering, and managing several complex health conditions. Seems I at least had the decency to read the entirety of your comment and address the elements of it in a clear and concise manner. Your note about not having the time made me laugh given part of what I was saying is that you haven't bothered to have anything more than a surface-level understanding. Not to mention, you were the one who came looking for a fight by replying to my comment, which had nothing to do with what you were trying to say. If you are going to go out of your way to make uneducated and remarks which were birthed in racist ideology, you could at least do to defend them than try to make it seem as if you are above me by "not having time". At least I managed to refrain from name-calling to get my point across. Don't comment on things if you aren't looking to do more than hear yourself talk. It'll save you the embarassment. (If you really wanted to see a novel, I have a 90,000 word paper I wrote on the prison industrial system which involved dozens of letters and communications with a variety of people across America that I personally took the time to not only communicate with but document their experiences. Entirely unpaid work, no school backing either. That comment was child's play.)

[@dianeombougno3173]

@@thelostremainunfound This response was EVERYTHING. As a black woman, I want to learn more about my ancestors and what life was like for them and I just happened to come across your comment. Your explanation, your views, everything, I absolutely loved and I'm grateful that you have such confidence to let your views be known. Thank you.

[@dianeombougno3173]

@@lisakaye2110 its the arrogance for me. Is it too much to take 10 min out our your day to read a few paragraphs. You really have no business even responding with this low ass response.

[@LilFrg]

I can't imagine being this EXTREMELY talented chef and having to answer to a 17-year-old in such a passive way... It's hard to watch it's so well executed

[@ScarletShade13]

It's so painful to watch this - please don't get me wrong! This is incredibly well made and I would count your channel among the most educating and an absolute must-watch on KZbin. But the reality hits so, so hard. Thinking that this was the life and reality of so many humans for so long... I admit, before discovering this channel I only knew the "hallmarks" of the history of enslavement in the US. But you make it somehow tangible (might not be the right word for it, but I don't know how to put it into words otherwise). Enough rambling. Thank you for this amazing video and I am looking forward to the next one!

[@VincentEdelstein]

Couldn’t agree more

[@IsThisTheHill]

Agreed. Seeing real people in the roles with recreated interactions brings the subject home in a visceral way. Heartbreaking but so important to understand.

[@nevem5010]

I feel the same. Something about the representation of the calm mundanity of a daily routine for an enslaved person brings home the reality of it all over again. Maybe it highlights just how normalised and entrenched owning human beings was in that place and time. The... ordinariness has its own horror about it, in a way.

[@allabouttina19]

Definitely agree this was painful to watch 🥺

[@l.m.2404]

The really important stuff is always hard to face, that's our inner conscience pointing us in the correct direction.

[@rockercaterrorencountered4924]

I can't imagine the levels of anxiety this man must have felt throughout his entire life. The be responsible for that much and face abuse when even the slightest thing was out of place, it's a wonder it didn't drive him totally mad.

[@mandyjones2804]

being an Apache woman, the whole video filled me with a sense of dread and doom and insight, but the most gutting and humbling part was hearing the final statement that both Caesar and Caesar Jr. were enslaved for their entire lives. SO many people lived this way and hearing the story of “just” those two individuals (and Vic the last episode) out of THOUSANDS...it’s overwhelming, and it should be. every american, nah, everyBODY needs to see this series

[@vysharra]

Keeping Elizabeth literally at an angle to the camera, and keeping our subject in the center of the shots (even if Caesar has to keep his gaze averted), is my favorite part of this. It’s literally putting us in the shoes of the Enslaved Persons in the household, who never looked the enslavers in the eye. Perfection! I also love Caesar’s soft hand with his hardworking scullery maid. Their lives are hard enough, they would have appreciated every little kindness. Without wages to motivate (and to maintain the awful working conditions) like in modern kitchens, it’s very logical that a particularly good boss would have the very best staff. Not that he would have tolerated anything less than the very best from his staff, but he gets it with a gentle hand since they all see the opposite possibility each day outside their door and swanning into their domain. Thank you for another beautiful story! Adam was fantastic in front of the camera and breathed life into Caesar so delicately. You were great too, again, of course (I like this outfit better, your kerchief is so pretty on camera and brings out the beautiful cool undertones in your complexion). I really appreciate the hard work of research, writing, acting, filming (and during the pandemic too!) so I will say thank you again. I really hope this takes off, it’s wonderfully entertaining.

[@Rachel-fi4sc]

I like this comment, but I'm confused. Who's Adam? The actor/interpreter's name is Dontavius, I thought?

[@vysharra]

@@Rachel-fi4sc I seem to have missed his name and instead supplied the creator of the pepper. Omg, I’m embarrassed 😳 . Thank you for correcting me!

[@cheriluna615]

I am literally watching how abused people act before my very eyes in historical context. It was so interesting because he made his voice non-threatening and softened his expression and stammered around the mistress but the MINUTE she left, his eyes got sharp and his voice went back to a normal register. He also shot a glare at her for moving his things, but ONLY when she left. Code switching is a sad response to horrible abuse. Also I noticed the Mistress get a bit of sternness in her voice when Ceasar mentioned there being no eggs to cook that day. As if the hens not laying is somehow HIS fault? Honestly, if he didn't have a plan for that, I almost wonder if that small offense would've had bad consequences. It looks like enslaved persons literally had to learn the language of the abused to survive: hypervigilance with tasks, code switching and being overly conscious of your tone, and even being harsh towards the enslaved persons under your watch in regards to how the house runs, perhaps as a way to teach them to avoid those small mistakes that could get them a harsh punishment, like the story of Hercules. Honestly as the story of Hercules was being told from a white persons perspective as an amused recounting of a particularly iron-fisted enslaved person who got shit done, all I could think of was the fact that abused persons often cycle harsh and strict ways of teaching onto others in their position as a weird means of protecting them. Sad, man.

[@sakrira]

Regarding Hercules, I think he might have also made sure everything was perfect for his own good, too. I anything didn't meet the enslaver's standard, I'm sure it's much easier for them to blame the head of the kitchen than to figure out what actually went wrong.

[@NokoFace]

"I almost wonder if that small offense would've had bad consequences. " Oh. It absolutely would have. Them not laying would have either been blamed on him, or on one of the enslaved people that work with the chickens, but someone WOULD be punished for it.

[@em6644]

Yes even the amused recounting from the enslaver/abuser. Like oh it’s so funny the way I’ve forced this person to live and all the coping mechanisms I’ve forced them to build…. It’s so dehumanising and unempathetic to live that closely with someone and still be so unaware of them and even unaware of the way your own behaviour impacts them.

[@gabriellef3351]

I can imagine putting on an iron fisted act for the slavers so they feel like you're protecting their interests and when they leave being normal again. There's a lot of reasons i can imagine he might have beem known for sternness

[@YT4Me57]

Observe how well this actor/historian works. When the "mistress" arrived to go over the day's menu, he did not establish eye contact, in fact, he kept his body pointed away from her direction and his responses short and to the point. Yet as she left, he glared at her back with contempt. Well done.

[@LequeenNae]

The attention to detail is amazing too. When the mistress was talking to the cook and moved his plate. You see him begrudgingly move it back with a disdainful look @6:09

[@KyleEvra]

He's like. "How dare you move my placement of the bowl!"

[@Inevitable.Change]

Oooh the shade thrown at 6:06 for moving the bowl! How meticulous and precise Caesar had to be really comes through.

[@nicolelovett8467]

I didn't understand that moment, can u explain

[@dk3212]

Haha, right?! "Bitch don't touch my garlic..."

[@dk3212]

@@nicolelovett8467 when she came in to talk to Cesar, she was fiddling with the items on the bowl. I don't remember if she moved it, but I do remember her absentmindedly toying with the garlic. When she left, he did dagger eyes at her. He can't say anything, but that's one very very small way to establish a boundary of respect for himself: this is my bowl of stuff, don't touch my bowl.

[@brennathecatlover4360]

@@dk3212 I feel like the lady also knows what slaves are going through in terms of freedom. Cuz while she has some power she doesn’t have freedom to do what she wants she has to listen to her husband

[@americanlady738]

@@brennathecatlover4360 It turns out that's not necessary true. Read the book "They Were Her Property: White Women As Slave Owners in the American South"

[@lansmic]

haven’t seen anyone mention it yet, but the silence while they’re cooking is especially poignant. it’s not like the enslaved were friends making meals with each other for fun-they most likely had trauma bonds at best. it’s sad.

[@anapaiva8413]

As a Historian who was trained in Europe, it's extremely interesting and important for me to see this type of history of people's private lives describing the day to day from the perspective of enslaved persons, which is hard to do and rarely done in academia. This is a wonderful video and you are doing an amazing job with this series and with your channel in general! ☺️☺️

[@lauram7929]

It's not hard to do and the only reason it's not seen as often in academia is due to Eurocentrism and white washing of history

[@sakrira]

@@lauram7929 I think it is harder in a way, there are many more documents of what the enslavers were doing and the slaves are rarely mentioned, especially not how they did things every day and figured out how to navigate their situation.

[@gabriellef3351]

I recommend reading fredrick Douglas' autobiography. Its eye opening

[@sarahelmore83]

This is the history that our kids should be taught in the classroom. Thank you for the wonderful work you put out.

[@MariaElenaVelasquez]

Notice how Caesar never looks the mistress directly in the eye. These small details were all developed by enslavers to establish power and superiority. Excellent portrayal, thank you for sharing this.

[@benjaminjo]

To be so incredibly skilled and talented, not a cook, but a Master Chef, the likes of whom earn millions of dollars today, relegated to the back of a hot kitchen, without pay, told what to do on a day-to-day basis by a white teenage girl...he would've been well-known today, but known not at all because he was never given due credit, nor ever compensated fairly, for his incredible work.

[@zenmark42]

The codeswitch from speaking to the master to speaking to the maid was so well acted. I love how detailed and well produced these videos are!!!

[@theodoremason6344]

Well acted 😂😂😂

[@olive_loaf]

My favorite part about this is how you bring the humanity back to the enslaved people because they were just that, people. Real people who lived these realities. Not a fantasy race from an alternate reality. These were real stories lived by real people that deserve respect

[@TheRogueDM]

This is great stuff Cheney. It's really opening my eyes to all the layers enslavers built their enslaved people to be portrayed as, with things like body language, how they spoke, their Roman names etc. It's horrible and uncomfortable but it *needs* to be taught.

[@dk3212]

Made my skin crawl when he wouldn't look at her. I'd have a hard time as an actress to be ok with that. I know we're acting, but to be ok with someone being so subservient makes me nauseous. Edit: I know why he didn't/wouldn't look at her. It's so hard to watch..

[@becaboo-dv8dp]

I hadn’t even picked up on the Roman name thing, but my goodness you’re absolutely right. I live near Mount Vernon and visit often. Many of Washington’s slaves also bore Roman names. What an insidiously subtle way of forcing Westerness/whiteness on them...

[@N3VLYNNN]

Wow...I love that Dontavius captured the daily grind / resentment that Caesar and so many others must have experienced-the look of disdain on his face when he was buttoning up his shirt for work really did it for me. We often see such extreme brutality of enslavement-but not the emotional toll and how it chips away at one's spirit. The depressing hamster wheel is something that I think a lot of people in the modern capitalistic world can relate to...but just imagine waking up everyday to a job that you can't escape, didn't choose, and are forced to do masterfully-without getting any due respect, credit, or pay.

[@loriwise4117]

Thank you for showing us a side of history that was never taught in school.

[@mst3kluv]

I'm not American and didn't know about all of this

[@bcaye]

What? I was taught about this, way back in the 70s, in the US Midwest. What crap school did you attend?

[@cadileigh9948]

I was taught about this in the '50s on the Welsh borders. Realy shocked by US levels of ignorance. there's pleanty to self teach out there if you look too

[@vince3523]

What crap school did you go to? I recently graduated high school, and in both elementary and middle school, I was taught this history

[@kck9742]

Great series, thank you! Hercules, the black enslaved 18th century Gordon Ramsay!

[@katiemarsh4970]

My favorite part was after the lady of the manor left and Caesar deliberately moved the basket of garlic back to it’s correct location…that was a really human and beautiful touch in the actor’s portrayal of this historical figure 🙏🏼

[@sawyersweetart1042]

The Chef knew more about running the house than the freaking people that lived in it, but pay him? Oh no. That's madness. -_- This really drives home how complex his job was. Doing what he demonstrated and adapting to the whims of his owners on a dime, pairing foods, preserving them, keeping everyone fed? Keeping track of exactly how much food was available, how to use it, and then the horrible drain of dealing with all this food when people that were his friends, relatives, his community, had little to nothing, dependent on the will of the people he had to deal with everyday?! The Chef was a businessman, cook, accountant, PR expert, manager, teacher... There's a reason I share these videos, you do such a good job of showing that, and showing just how skilled enslaved persons were, and just how much their owners knew it and refused to treat them as equals anyway.

[@LemonFlavoredRain]

Also, your whole life becomes about your job. Your whole life boils down to serving soup at the dinner table. Imagine, a whole life with hopes, dreams, needs and wants... but every single day, for the rest of his life, he must do this one job.

[@user-xj8dd6po6g]

The hesitancy in his voice while talking to the enslaver breaks my heart.. Edit: The fact about chefs giving food to children and pregnant women made me smile.. I'm glad they still looked out for each other despite their circumstances.

[@maxdondada]

This is both informative and infuriating. No human should ever own another. I am grateful to my ancestors for their sacrifice. May we never forget.

[@CareenasAdventures]

Gee whiz these chefs had TALENT! How could anyone not appreciate everything Ceasar does? He's a chef, a storage expert, a leader, an expert in international cooking, and more! I'm so sad that the lady of the manor probably never appreciated his real person. Thank you so much for honoring and reliving the legacies of these amazing and talented people.

[@thelouisfanclub]

Even just an uneventful interaction like this can make me feel like crying. I hate that this happened. Like there’s nothing wrong with being a cook for a rich person but they have to treat you with basic respect. And if they treat you like shit you can leave and find another job. But this wasn’t an option for Caesar and so many others like him, they just had to accept 1000 small indignities every day for fear of something worse. I don’t know how he didn’t end up putting poison in that beef soup

[@lildramatic4760]

all these folks saying the enslaver’s part would be so hard-she’s still the most privileged on set. and if you’re discussing the mistress, a teenager who might’ve felt out of her depth but likely wasn’t looking at the cook as anything but her enslaved cook, her name was Elizabeth Steptoe. And the actor, who did a great job, but nothing more or less than required for the part-not making eye contact isn’t the end of the world-also has a name: Emily Doherty. think about who you’re automatically sympathizing with and interrogate that default.

[@th1smomentisfate94]

I see nothing wrong with sympathizing with her. It was considered the norm during that time. Just like it's the norm to work 2 jobs now just to have a livable wage. Humans will always be worked to the bone to survive.

[@biankah]

@@th1smomentisfate94 then why don't you try being enslaved for an entire lifetime? I'd love to see how well you fare and how much your mindset changes 🙄😒

[@embracethenight1383]

Why you gotta dunk on the actress tho. Nothing more or less? She did a great job.

[@happyfacefries]

I don't see anyone empathizing with the slave owner. Don't make something that isn't happening.

[@vanessaherrera8631]

@@happyfacefries just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean the comments aren’t like that. If you click on some of the comments talking about the chef and or the struggles black slaves had to go through you’re gonna find someone talking about the poor 17-year-old or something irrelevant to derail the conversation.

[@vangoghsear1997]

These videos teach so much we didn’t get to learn in school.

[@arriannaniv]

I kinda want this turned into a movie. Just all the aspects of the different peoples it took to keep this lady from lifting a finger. I kinda love the side eye he gives as she leaves the room.

[@charliequartz2085]

The fact that this man was a renowned master of the craft who clearly cared so much about the artistry of food, and yet he's having to essentially answer to a child is so demeaning. You guys did a wonderful job with this episode. Historians are truly incredible.

[@zc2908]

I was eagerly awaiting the second installment of These Roots! It can’t be easy for you to reenact such a painful history, so thank you all for your efforts

[@dontaviuswilliams206]

What makes it bearable is the fact that we are bringing dignity to the lives of the enslaved. The dignity they deserved.

[@katiefrankie6]

@@dontaviuswilliams206 That’s what touches me so much - each person portrayed has a rich history of their own, and you bring them to life so delicately and with nuance and grace. I didn’t want the video to end! I love history so much and have always wished I could step back in time and really experience what it just have been like. You did that for me so beautifully. Thank you.

[@dontaviuswilliams206]

@@katiefrankie6 thank you.

[@mandyduvall]

I always learn so much, not just from this fantastic content, but from the meticulous wording that you use. It was from you that I first learned that I should (and why) use the term 'enslaved people' instead of 'slaves'. And in this episode, Hercules was not an 'escaped slave', he 'liberated himself from bondage'. Such a powerful change of perspective a few words can bring! You're giving people like Hercules and Ceasar back the humanity that was refused them during their lives. And you're doing it while changing how white people like myself view our shared history. Thank you. But also when Dontavius moves the bowl back to it's rightful position. YAS!

[@katencat]

Thank you to Cheyney, Dontavius, and the team for bringing Caesar's experience and this history to life so beautifully. Your work and this series are so incredibly valuable.

[@antoniusbritannia8217]

9:47 One whole scotch bonnet for a small pot of soup. Caesar was really bringing the heat!

[@KateandBree]

He didn’t cut it open, so it’s more of an infusion. It will be taken out after it’s done cooking.

[@Burning_Dwarf]

Seeds are contained, so flavour and a little heat No mouth fires

[@stevezytveld6585]

What I can tell you, as a modern day worker in the "service industry" - never ever, ever touch another person mese set-up. Shame on you, "Mistress", who the heck do you think you are... So. Yeah. That, and that team would have been tight. Running a kitchen on that level is a spectacular feet of human engineering. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown

[@Kelleyfanto]

Thank you so much Cheyney and Dontavius for filming this at Stratford and especially for bringing Caesar's story to life!

[@dontaviuswilliams206]

He is one of my favorites.

[@penname8441]

That look in his eyes as the Mistress walks away, I felt that in my soul,

[@happyzombiikitti]

As someone who is mixed indigenous with a mother of African and indigenous decent.. (I look more indigenous than I do afro-carribean) I am thankful for black ancestors every day, whether I know them or not, their courage and strength is felt to this day. Black lives are sacred.

[@maximnossevitch8966]

Music: 10/10 Sound clarity: 9/10 Videography: 9/10 Topic: 11/10 Topic *importance* : 3000/10 Thank you so much for these amazing and very informative videos, and lovely commentary. All of this is how history classes should be taught. I run a medieval reenactment group, and stomping out misunderstandings are a constant for us because of industrial, early-modern, and modern media. But this is an entirely different level when _historical and systemic biases, racism, and corruption_ are what cause misunderstandings and a lack of knowledge in the general public. Really amazing job! Always looking forward to your videos

[@l.m.2404]

I would rate Sound clarity: 7/10 I had to readjust the volume 3 times.

[@everydaywithjay454]

@@l.m.2404 well I’m sure she didn’t upload for you to rate enjoy the video

[@jmwilson6792]

@@everydaywithjay454 Right! I'm here like, "Did I miss something? Did she ask for our ratings?" Typical palm people.

[@brendaparker3107]

She said eat one of our egg less friends. Ha !!! I was done. Great writing. Excellent acting Dontavius. I saw what you did there. Little eye contact. Yes. Yes!

[@dontaviuswilliams206]

Yes ma’am. Little eye contact but piercing glares as she leaves.

[@sarawilliams9025]

I can only imagine the stress he was under. Such a tightrope they were walking, all the time, to keep the enslavers happy.

[@FirstLadyLauryn]

Would honestly rather be outside rather than do his job. The stress level…

[@TheRacqgrl769]

I really appreciate the work you're doing on showing the history of African Americans during slavery. It's not easy to watch, yet it gives me a greater appreciation for the perseverance and determination of our people. Thank you.

[@susannwilliams4197]

I appreciate not only the knowledge and effort put into this but I also appreciate the way Caesar wasn’t trying to act happy about the job he was doing.

[@mandipowell7797]

💙 Cheyney & Dontavious 💙 learning knowledge with ALL THE FEELS

[@BehdinAzadih-hh7rj]

Omg!!!!!! Thank you! I’ve seen all these videos of snow people cherishing their colonial history and recreating it but none about this struggle and history!! Thank you !!

[@a.munroe]

Thank you. It's so important remember these people were the most important yet invisible piece of the puzzle.

[@jennaolbermann7663]

The history of enslaved people is so important to learn. Their voices and stories deserve to be heard. Thank you for creating this content.

[@amybukouras5179]

It's so accurate how Caesar and the enslaver girl were interacting. He wouldn't look her in the eye and talked with his head down/faced away from her while speaking in a formal manner. His demeanor changed when he spoke with Chaney and would speak directly to her. You can see the discomfort and the despair in his eyes while he was still trying to keep his composure when speaking to the enslaver. It's crazy how resilient a lot of these slaves had to be, because if it were me in that situation I probably would have snapped and ended up dead. This shit was considered normal back then, it's mind boggling. I can only imagine the psychological damage that this must have cost. You'd think they'd see the pain in their slaves eyes and would want to free them, but they didnt give a shit, that's sociopathic and psycho asf

[@elizabethwashington9168]

This saddens me...my poor ancestors...yet very smart, very resilient and resourceful!

[@mokanger97]

Another great video. I feel physically sick watching it, but that's how I know how important it is. If learning about history doesn't make you uncomfortable, you're not being taught the whole story

[@noorabboud4949]

He was an amazing chef that never even got paid for his labor and amazing skills what a horrible inhuman slavery institution was. thank you for teaching us

[@knottyneedle]

I 'discovered' your channel via the video with Bernadette Banner. I'm a 60 plus Southern White woman who sews and does Ren Faires and was really interested in learning about the other half of my Southern history. But I did have to smile (and grimace) as my maiden name was Randolph. Yes, I am descended from the Virginia Randolphs - so there is some family history I'm not too proud of. I can't wait to watch the rest of your videos. They are well done, interesting and education all that the same time.

[@lynnflynn5591]

I'm a history lover who stumbled across these incredible videos years after they were made. To all involved with creating them, thank you for teaching me so much. 🙏

[@dorian417]

There's so much to appreciate about this video series that people have already gone into depth about. As a scholar of African music diaspora, I just want to also say I love the fact that the theme song for these videos is a combination of two African derived rhythms - the trap beat (from African American culture) and the Caribbean dance hall rhythm (aka the 'tresillo' rhythm). It's amazing and inspiring that, even though enslaved persons had their instruments taken away from them, they somehow were able to preserve core musical ideas like specific rhythms, and that they've been passed down through the ages and are still present in modern genres today.

[@juliac3933]

8:07 it’s interesting that they used the fireplace as a trash can! Beats taking out the garbage

[@TheCheesecakedeath]

Or like they said they would sell or give the scraps to people who needed them. My grandmother would keep a slop bucket for feeding hogs. But they never had any farm animals that I know of so she gave it to the dog. She grew up on a farm with cows and pigs so everything was either saved like fat and grease for cooking with or fed to the farm animals. I was amazed at how little actual trash they had but they didn't have trash collection so it was burned which could in turn heat the house

[@starzzzy22]

Seeing this after watching Netflix's High on the Hog episode 3 is really interesting! I keep thinking about the kind of mental gymnastics enslavers had to employ to tell themselves "oh this HIGHLY skilled person can literally cook meals that I wouldn't be able to and fully manages the kitchen, but I still don't think of them as fully human".

[@ElizabethDohertyThomas]

Thanks for all the work you put into your videos! It strikes me just how vulnerable hunger is, as well as trusting who makes your food, to know it's safe. It will forever fascinate me how the power dynamics made the least powerful the ones who did all the food prep/planning.

[@chaosswa-ee-ty5911]

they may have killed their owners via food manipulation or poison. But they would surely be punished or killed for the act of murdering or sickening someone for freedom. And they would never actually be free.

[@ElizabethDohertyThomas]

@@chaosswa-ee-ty5911 Yeah! So twisted..but true, that logic you spell out made whites less paranoid. :(

[@MAB605]

This must’ve hit me just at the right time because it made my cry. I think about my ancestors who did so much with so little and had to endure these little indignities every day. It just hit a nerve. Wonderful re-enactments.

[@NicoleAgent]

Such good actors! He's so quiet and she doesn't even realize. It hurts your heart to watch.

[@haleybillow9152]

I love this series and can't wait to use these in the classroom this year!

[@MalkaMoon]

Just the fact that he wasnt allowed to look at her just absolutely kills me.

[@jackukay]

I'm living for that look Cesar gave the enslaver after she left. It sums up so much in just one look!

[@VisyVisyTV]

I cannot imagine well enough how an enslaved person must have felt. So glad for the era and the place in where I grew up and now live though it is not a perfect system I'M NOT A SLAVE.

[@badbraingotobed7640]

The experience of enslaved and other marginalized populations need to be taught so much more. Exposing the atrocities of the past can help them from reoccurring and (hopefully) can enable reparations for the damage done to these populations.

[@chloeya.m.9423]

“…but would remain enslaved for the entirety of their lives.” This broke me.

[@shaylalauren]

This need to be shown in schools

[@astra1653]

These are fantastic, Ms. Cheyney! I hope you continue this series. I think it's very important that we remember, looking squarely at the past as it truly was, not some romanticized version of it. Thank you for doing this important work! 💜

[@shawn-3561]

I wish I'd learnt this kind of stuff in school. We had one episode of Roots shown in year 8 and that was it for any kind of black history or lessons about slavery. The acting, pacing and even the tone of the narrators voice is so well done.

[@kyleporter3567]

I’m so glad there is stuff like this. The anger the swells up in me that anyone thinks they can own and tell a person what they can or cannot do.

[@BougieBrownSugar]

I learned so much about the enslaved chefs at the Presidents' plantation while watching "High on the Hog". This re-enactment made me understand the difficulty of their jobs even better. Their work was dangerous and extremely stressful under the watchful eyes of enslavers, but they were the absolute best at their craft.

[@beatlemyn]

This is so important. I think this should be shown in classrooms. Thank you for this education!

[@OriginalAfrocentricDesignbyLis]

Thank you. I wish they had information like this when I was coming up. I hope this video is getting in to school systems.

[@chaosswa-ee-ty5911]

It's not. There was actually a policy passed to inhibit it's teachings.

[@OriginalAfrocentricDesignbyLis]

@@chaosswa-ee-ty5911 What?! What policy? LOCAL, STATE OR FEDERAL?

[@selwatchesyt]

@@OriginalAfrocentricDesignbyLis State. Florida being one of them.

[@fruitytea]

What a man. What a job. That last line is so crushing.

[@gracesidorowicz572]

You are a gift .. thank you for preserving a treacherous and painful part of American life . Bless you.

[@Lunareon]

Thank you for continuing to document the lives of these people, whose individual and collective existence, for the most part, has been erased from history. This series has already taught me so much, and I look forward to the next episode. You are doing amazing work!

[@koreboii]

You continue to amaze me with the research and care that goes into each of these videos. I’m learning so much that my school neglected to me about enslaved people.

[@MOOMOO2728]

This beautiful tribal beat really had my hips swaying and my bust jumping. A catchy tune if I say so myself.🥁🎺🎼

[@Adennative]

My relatives are moving to VA, and I am going to visit them as soon as they settle. I will make sure I visit These Roots in person. Can’t wait to meet Mr. William! And get an autograph and picture with him.

[@virginia6166]

Wow, this really makes me think of what my ancestors went through. They really was careful about how they looked and act. Literally hide who they really are to please another person. Wow great job

[@jocelynw6405]

The title of this video should be called, A Taste of History.

[@ghihbgyu]

Best comment of the day

[@debwiley3914]

Max Miller has a You Tube channel called A Taste of History, which typically covers worldwide cuisine at particular holidays, or historic events. I am really enjoying seeing this side of historical content.

[@ragnkja]

@@debwiley3914 It’s actually called Tasting History

[@Lady_Edwardia]

The look he gave the mistress was a fine touch!

[@BeverleyButterfly]

I appreciate everyone taking the time to be part of this series it is so interesting and helps bring their lives to life in a way that is hard through books xx

[@MonkeymagicsMum]

Oooh! That look he gave her when she left the room! It must've been particularly galling for such a mature, knowledgeable man to defer to such a young, unworldly woman - well, girl really. Hats off to him for biting his tongue!

[@dontaviuswilliams206]

It was a matter of life and death.

[@anna-mariadavis5914]

Hats off to him? He had no choice or be beaten or worse killed

[@mgarriques949]

Well done, Moses Akempta as DOP and editor! That shot of Ceasar moving the aromatics bowl was intense and so well executed. You did a great job capturing the moment and Dontavious's performance!

[@katefresina832]

I know this is only acting, but the way the actor playing Caeser not looking his ''mistress'' in the eye is just heartbreaking. This is some damn good acting. But also, it is a damn shame that a chef of Caesar's skills is just because he was slave, if Caesar were alive today he would have his own show.

[@CharlieApples]

As a cook myself, I knew exactly why the camera kept focusing on the enslaver’s hands touching all the food and moving things around. She was unwittingly messing up his mis en place-the way that chefs arrange all of the things they’ll need ahead of time so they’ll be right there and ready to go when they need them. Having to stop and search for something in the middle of cooking is not only frustrating, but can distract you long enough that food overcooks or begins to burn. Every chef has their own preferred way of arranging their mis en place, and once it’s set, NOBODY TOUCHES ANYTHING. It was so uncomfortable watching him watching her in his peripheral vision, not allowed to ask anything of her, or even to tell her why she shouldn’t be doing that. He just had to clean up after her, no matter what. I practically cheered when he sighed and moved the bowl back to where it was supposed to be. These videos are fantastic glimpses into not-so-distant history. Full of humanity and intelligent details.