Contessa Gayles on “The Debutantes,” Black Womanhood & Reclaiming Tradition

In this episode of The Color Between the Lines, host Esther Dillard speaks with Contessa Gayles, the Emmy-nominated director and producer behind the acclaimed documentary The Debutantes.

Through powerful storytelling and intimate visuals, The Debutantes reimagines the legacy of Black debutante culture—exploring how young women of color use these traditions to assert their identity, build community, and challenge stereotypes.

Gayles discusses the inspiration for the film, the historical context of Black debutante balls, and the deeply personal stories that emerged during production. She also reflects on the importance of centering Black women’s voices in media and what it means to create art that celebrates cultural pride while sparking conversation.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The history and evolution of Black debutante balls
• How The Debutantes reframes a tradition often overlooked in mainstream media
• Why representation and cultural ownership matter in storytelling
• Behind-the-scenes insights from an Emmy-nominated filmmaker
• The power of art to preserve history and inspire the next generation

Whether you love documentaries, Black history, or stories of women reclaiming tradition, this conversation will move and inspire you.

🔔 Subscribe to the podcast for more enlightening talks and join us in exploring how historical narratives shape our future. You can also watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@thecolorbetweenthelines

Transcript

0:03

In this edition of the Color between the Lines. It was really about service, like wanting to give the girls some programming, leadership training, opportunities to come together as community and to meet each other and to meet mentors and. I'm talking with Emmy nominated filmmaker Contessa Gales about her new documentary, the Debutantes, which follows Canton, Ohio's first black debutante ball in a decade. We haven't had a cotillion ball here for quite some time, so our goal is to bring it back. Our vision was to ensure every girl can participate in a cotillion debutante program and ball from urban settings, from suburban settings, from rural settings. In a light that we don't often get to see them in. It's a modern look at a tradition where grace, identity and self discovery meet. Let's get into it. First, I want to say congratulations on the premiere of this and. And for those who are unfamiliar with cotillions and debutantes, can you explain what a debutante cotillion really actually is for the audience? And why does it matter in the black tradition? So cotillions are essentially a rite of passage ceremony. At least that's my take on them in the film. I, think this tradition, which, you know, goes back decades in terms of black communities, participation and. Involvement in it, but then, like, centuries, going back to white European origins. But when it. When it came here and when black people got a hold of it and put their spin on it and put their sauce on, really, I think, is about, community. At the end of the day. But of course there's tons of valid critiques about the ways in which it replicates, classism, and patriarchal ideas about womanhood and, and all of these things that we explore in the film through the girls that are participating in this Cotillon tradition. In Canton, Ohio, where we filmed, it's the first cotillion in 10 years. So Canton had the tradition, dating back to the early 70s. And then in 2012 they had their last one and it was gone for a decade. And this group of women, you know, decided that they wanted to revive this tradition and really give the girls in their community something to participate in. Is. Is where that desire to revive it was born out of. It was really about service, like wanting to. To give the girls some programming, leadership training, opportunities to come together as community and to meet each other and to meet mentors and. And all of this stuff. And of course culminating in this big, grand ball where they are presented formally to society in their dresses and, you know, showcased and celebrated in this way. But for me, you know, it wasn't necessarily, a desire to explore that tradition per se, so much as it was an opportunity to tell a coming of age story about black girls. And that's really what's at the heart of our film, the Debutantes. You could have probably picked a lot of different cities. Why Canton, Ohio, for this particular story? I know that you. You explained a little bit about it, but you could have gone anywhere. Why can. Why Canton? And why was it so important to spotlight this particular city's revival? I think Canton's a really interesting place. But the origins of this particular story that became a film was that NBC News Studios, was developing something around black middle class life. And there was a producer named, there's a producer named Reniqua Allen Lamphere who found a article in the Canton Repository, the Canton local newspaper, about the efforts to revive this cotillion. And she thought it was really interesting that, you know, it was something that had died and then was attempting to be revived. In 2022 is when we ended up filming, with Gen Z. Like a generation that didn't really have that much connection to this tradition. Some of them had grandmothers, some of them had mothers that had participated in it. But most, for the most part, these girls were a bit disconnected from the legacy and the traditional. And I thought, you know, when I came into the fold and NBC brought me in and we brought on our partners Westbrook Studios and BET Studios, that it was going to be a really interesting arena to talk about the intersections of race and gender and class in particular, because the women who are organizing this, knowing that, you know, traditionally this is a middle class, upper middle class tradition, wanted to make it more accessible, very intentionally to the girls in their community, who are again, you know, lacking in opportunities and programming. And you know, Canton, Ohio is a post industrial city. I'm from Buffalo, New York also similarly like a post industrial city and where you know, there's low and there's a high unemployment rate and all of these factors that make it difficult for folks to, you know, live their. Dreams. And yeah, so they, so they wanted to bring back this tradition, but make it a lot more class inclusive. And that for me was the, the really interesting part because, in navigating these traditions, a lot comes up around, you know, the classism of it all, the patriarchy of it all. Like some of these traditions don't really fit or make sense in the girls lives. And you see how they navigate that. The idea of like stepping into this legacy and what they're inheriting from the black woman before them, and then them figuring out what makes sense in their lives and how to make it their own and how they want to be presented to society. You know, these are 16, 17 year old girls. They're juniors and seniors in high school. And so they're really like, coming into themselves and finding their own voices and finding out who they are and how to articulate that on screen in front of us. And we follow the whole class of girls, but there's three girls in particular whose stories we follow and who each kind of, have a different journey. Their names are Taylor, Deidre, and Amelia. And I was just very, privileged and honored that they were as vulnerable as they were and opening up their lives, to me and allowing me to live my childhood again vicariously through them. Well, it's funny, I won't let this pass by because you said you're from Buffalo. I'm from Buffalo. It's quite an interesting thing. Yeah. Buffalo, New York. Yeah. Let's go. Yeah. I'm just wondering, you know, when you were going through this whole process and filming this and doing this, did you find anything that really surprised you about the whole process? I know you've done all your research and everything, but there might have been some surprises along the way. I think what was most surprising to me honestly was the, the girls ability to not only realize for themselves, you know, political identity or certain belief systems or value systems along the way, but to be able to articulate those out loud and challenge their elders. That for me was like, I didn't do that until much later in life. So I think it was really remarkable to see these 16 and 17 year old girls, being able to do that for themselves. And it was inspiring. Honestly. How do you think that these black girls defined their power? And that's, you know, compared to what, how I guess power is considered among the, the older generation? Well, they were certainly being presented with not just from the cotillion, but from society. Like these traditional ideas of what success looks like and achievement. And some of them really internalize that and put all of that weight on their shoulders, as I think many of us do. But you know, Amelia's journey is really focused on that. Like how much of the do better than the generation before you and achieve and be the first to go to college and all these kinds of things. Really starts to weigh on her, the pressure to succeed. But I think where they locate their power really was like inauthentically being themselves, like finding out what is authentically them and being able to like sift through, you know, this is what is being presented to you, this is what is being passed down to you and navigate like what of that do I want to take with me and what if that doesn't speak to who I am and who I want to be going forward. And so you see the girls in real time, particularly Deidre and Taylor of the three girls that we focus on in the film, challenging a lot of the traditions and, and figuring out, you know, what fits for them and what doesn't. What was it like working with Sheryl Lee Ralph as an executive producer? Was she really deeply involved with putting some of her vision and voice into this? Because she is a powerful individual. Yeah, Cheryl is really an actress And a producer that I admire, her work. And she came on a little bit later in the process. But we're really grateful for her partnership and support as an executive producer on this. Okay. And were there any particular moments, I guess, scenes that, I guess pivotal that you had to, like, maybe cut and you really didn't want to cut and. And you know, because I know that that process is kind of difficult, too, when you're trying to put together a piece. Yeah, I mean, we filmed for over a year and a half. It was starting the summer before the cotillion process started, and the cotillion process itself. The program was a whole year leading up to the ball. And we got to the girls and started interviewing them when they were just applying to be a part of the cotillion. So they didn't really know what they were applying for and, like, what all this was. But my grandmother told me I had to do it, or my mother told me I should do it, or my principal. And so it was really cool to, like, see them develop over time. And now since the film has been out and is up on, the Comcast, Black Experience, Xfinity platform, and Zumo, we're a couple of years out since we filmed, and the girls are graduating college now, and it's really cool to just see them, become adults and reflect on their experience. But, yeah, there was stuff we had to cut because we filmed so much for so long. And let's see. There's nothing that I'm like, that should have been in the film because, you know, you fight for the things that are supposed to be in there. But I really loved, in terms of, like, pivotal scenes, I really love this one scene that's connected to, like, Taylor's decision about if she's going to stay in the cotillion or not of, you know, putting that in dialogue with Nicole Bush. She's one of the co chairs and organizers of the cotillion, and her ideas around, you know, respectability, politics and, and that's. That's a really interesting conversation. Now, you have already told us where we can find the film. Is there any way to, like, bring it to schools or libraries or local community screenings if someone wants to support the film in that way? It's a good question. I'm not sure what the. What the opportunity is for that, but it is available to stream on Zoomo Play, so think folks can access it that way. I'm sorry that I don't know more about if our. Yeah. Our ability to do the community. Last but not least, please tell our viewers what you'd like them to. I guess what would the message that you'd like them to take from this whole film? Because there's a lot of different layers in this, and that's not just one thing. I. I try to put lots of layers in. In all of my films, for folks to kind of unfold and. And find where they can find themselves in the storytelling. But I think for me, really, what I wanted to, say with this film was that our stories are worthy of being told, whether we are achieving the most excellence. And, you know, I feel like our stories are often told at these extremes. Either they're about our struggle and our traumas, frankly, and exploiting our pain, or they're only, like, celebrating us when we're, like, the most accomplished and the most excellent version of ourselves as black people and as black women in particular. And I really wanted to tell a story that sits in the middle of that and just tells a story of black life that says we're worthy. Whether someone can exploit us for our pain or applaud us for our excellence, our stories are worthy of being told. And the full range of our humanity in between those two extremes is really important for us to see reflected in storytelling and media. So that's why I told the story, and that's what I hope folks get from watching it. The Debutantes is more than just a documentary. It's a celebration of Black girlhood, legacy and self discovery. My thanks to Contessa Gales for joining me and sharing the stories behind this remarkable film. You. You can watch the Debutantes now on Comcast Black Experience on Xfinity We haven't had a and the Zumo Play app. presented to the world. If you enjoyed this conversation, please be sure to subscribe, like and share for more stories that reveal the beauty and complexity of our culture. I'm Esther Dillard, and this is the color between the lines. Until next time, keep telling your story.