Called one of the best television series of all time, The Wire is a compelling tapestry of inner-city Baltimore in the mid-2000s. For five seasons, creators Ed Burns and David Simon turned their lens on various systems in the city, the drug trade, the police, the school system, politics, and the media. They provided a bird's eye view of this American city, which mirrors so many others across the country, including Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, and countless others. Like many crime dramas, the world of The Wire is very much male-dominated. However, if you look closely, Black women are ever-present and impactful.
The first Black woman we meet in The Wire is Nakeesha Lyles (Ingrid Cornwall). She is a security guard in one of the Franklin Terrace housing towers, a Barksdale organization stronghold in Season 1. Nakeesha has witnessed a murder, but at the last moment, she changes her testimony, effectively setting D'Angelo Barksdale (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) free. It's a choice that ultimately costs her her life.
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